history in 50-100 years

Posted on October 19, 2023 by Robert

Add-on lenses for the iPhone camera

Toronto. The vast majority of photos taken today seem to be taken with a camera in the ubiquitous smart phone.

Professionals and advanced (experienced) amateurs migrate to DSLRs or mirrorless cameras. Software makes the technical aspect of photos almost perfect.

This leaves only the critical focus, lighting, and framing as the domain of pros and advanced amateurs. To complement the smart phone cameras, Reeflex and others offer a variety of add on lenses. Have a look at the articles by Brian Matiash such as his latest one, “Mobile Photography Evolved“.

Brian is a Florida-based professional photographer favouring Adobe products for his lectures. He confesses to using Reeflex products on his own iPhone camera.

This article addresses digital photography (around for two going on three decades as a serious shift in photographic technology). The traditional plate and film  media have steadily faded to the past as digital technology rises to the forefront. Camera collectors as well as niche film users favour the old film gear so often available at our shows under PHSC EVENTS on the right hand side bar.

While we are an historical society in both name and spirit, the occasional post like this one hopefully becomes history in the future while in the meantime serving our member interests.

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catch the wave

Posted on October 18, 2023 by Robert

ad April 1955 for the Kodak Stereo Camera line – a far less expensive option for stereo slides

Toronto. As mentioned many posts back, stereo has a surge in popularity about once every half century as new technology improves the images. In the 1950s another surge hit with toys, cameras, books, articles, movies, slides, colour, viewers, and projectors all offered in stereo versions.

In 1955, Kodak placed the black and white ad at left in the April issue of Popular Mechanics. While the ad announced the company’s Kodak Stereo Camera and hand viewers, it reminded every reader of Kodachrome colour transparency film and how easy it was to use, especially in their stereo cameras.

Interestingly, the bulk of the ad is taken up with an explanation of stereo as if it is a new phenomenon and not over a century old. In this century, we have seen TVs and movies  use the stereo idea and while there is less eye strain (at least in movies) special glasses were still needed to separate the two images for our brain. So fade out again …

My thanks to my good friend and fellow photography historian, George Dunbar, for spotting this historical ad and sharing it with us. Well done George!

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remember Stanley?

Posted on October 17, 2023 by Robert

A load of tourists visiting Stanley park and the world’s longest uninterrupted waterfront  walkway

Toronto. As a kid in grade school, I remember a photo in my geography book. It was taken in Stanley Park, BC and showed a huge fir tree trunk with an early automobile and people nestled inside at the bottom.

Near the end of the last century, my wife and I spent a rainy afternoon and early evening wandering around the park and taking in its charms while on holiday in the Vancouver and Victoria areas.

You folks who collect images may have some depicting the park and its huge Douglas Firs. In any case, be sure to visit this site and see the glorious history of Stanley park in vintage photographs.

The site, Rare Vintage Photos, has many other collections of photos all carefully grouped for online viewing. Have a look – you may find some that are in your collection – or similar to them!

And a warm thank you is in order for my good friend, George Dunbar, for discovering this site and its charming photos and sharing them with us.

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Vieux Montreal

Posted on October 16, 2023 by Robert

Old Montreal c1900 in the Shorpy collection

Toronto. George Dunbar writes, “Plenty of wonderful archived images for viewing and sale at this site: https://www.shorpy.com/. George used the photo at left of Jacques Cartier Square c1900 in Old Montreal as an example of the interesting and historic photos available at Shorpy.

You photo collectors need to browse Shorpy to see what they have that fits your collection.

When my family and I lived in Montreal, we visited Jacques Cartier Square and I took a photo from about the same spot! Of course the vehicles were all more modern by then. The monument and buildings looked about the same. Legally, Quebec is under the Napoleonic Code while the rest of the provinces follow the British Common Law.

In 1900, Montreal was by far the largest city in Canada. Many Canadian maps of the time were marked as drawn by a contact in Montreal. A wave of head office moves out of Quebec and Montreal took place mid last century hastened by a Francophone emphasis. Today the charming city is dwarfed by Toronto and Vancouver.

PS. If you plan to visit Montreal and its old world charm later this month, be sure to take in the Montreal Camera Show on October 29th!

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a golden moment

Posted on October 15, 2023 by Robert

Barrel Racing by Colleen Walden     Langley Camera Club

Toronto. CAPA, one of our exchange members in their current newsletter (October 2023) shows the winners of their recent photo contest.

Colleen Walden of the Langley Camera Club out in BC won the GOLD with the shot at right. She names the photo as,”Barrel Racing” – “Dangerous Yes But What a Rush”.

Congratulations to Ms Walden. By the way, today is the day for our FALL FAIR so close your computer and scoot down to the fair! We are open from noon to 5:00 pm. Remember the fair is a great place to see old friends; find new collectables; and even find usable gear – either film or digital.

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king of the heap

Posted on October 14, 2023 by Robert

Jan 1956 Kodak Home Movies ad

Toronto. A game we played as kids was “King of the Castle”. The young kids struggled to get on the top of the pile – the others were all  “dirty rascals”. The idea of the game applied to many industries, including photography. For most of the last century, Kodak reigned supreme in North  American photography. Movies, films, cameras, books, darkroom, studio, etc. –  Kodak had it all.

In Quebec, Kodak and camera were synonymous. Any camera was a “Kodak” regardless of make. Ironically, in the 1970s, a Kodak wizard developed the first feasible digital camera. Unfortunately Kodak made its money at the time selling film so the concept of a digital anything lacked traction.

Sticking with film technology, Kodak was seriously affected as the last century wore on. By late in the last century Kodak Park in Rochester was flattened as was much of the Kodak campus here in the Mount Dennis area of Toronto as Kodak struggled to survive. And by the early 2000s, Kodak had long since seen the error of its ways and was busy transforming itself to a digital powerhouse as described by Peter Little in his March 2004 PHSC talk, “The Move to Digital“.

A few years later, in September 2007 Gordon Brown spoke to the PHSC in a talk he titled, “BC and AD – Photography before computers and after digital“, In his talk, Gordon noted that the Kodak wizard I mentioned above was engineer Steve Sasson. Sasson made the  first working digital camera in 1975 using the Fairchild 100 x 100 pixel CCD sensor – making an incredibly tiny image by today’s standards.

Shown above is a typical advertisement by Kodak in the days when the company and film were “top of the heap”. My thanks to good friend and fellow PHSC member, George Dunbar” for finding and sharing the above January, 1956 Popular Mechanics ad.

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sweet!

Posted on October 13, 2023 by Robert

an early 1956 ad for Graflex gear when colour media was gaining in popularity

Toronto. The January 1956 ad for Graflex in Popular Mechanics magazine was typical of the photography ads of the time. The ad touted Graflex products as ideal for colour images. Not mentioned was that colour transparencies and electronic flash were two big fresh eggs post war.

While the ad assures the reader that he could earn big money and was far more likely to have 4×5 colour shots accepted by picture editors, it neglects to mention that colour in magazines and especially in newspapers was a slowly growing trend at the time, or that many publications refused photographs made with 35mm cameras and film.

Editors might accept 120 roll film or slightly larger 6×9 cm negatives but usually were more open to the 4×5 negatives.  In fact, 4×5 was considered professional as was the Stroboflash (far more costly for casual use than flash bulbs). As a side note even at 200 watt-seconds the Stroboflash has less light output than that of a simple and cheap #5 flashbulb in an inexpensive flashgun! The shots may cost only two cents but the outlay for the strobe usually far exceeded an amateur’s budget.

My thanks once again to my good friend and fellow PHSC member, George Dunbar, for finding the Graflex ad and choosing to share it with us. It brings back memories of those days when both colour and 4×5 equipment were rare for amateurs. And even professionals usually worked in black and white media.

Of course collectors/users may find equipment like the above, not to mention film at our photographica-fair this Sunday!

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it’s camerama time again

Posted on October 12, 2023 by Robert

Toronto. Our friend, Gary Perry, is hosting a November CAMERAMA show.

Gary writes, ” Hello Everyone!  Please note that our next Camerama Camera Show is coming up on Sunday, November 12, 2023. See flyer attached for details. Same great location and time as always: Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre, 6 Garamond Ct, Toronto, M3C 1Z5.     Show Hours: 10:00am – 3:00pm.

“Vendor Tables Still Available. Table rates are the same as the last show:  $75 per 8ft table which includes entry for vendor and one helper. No tablecloths provided.

“By the way, our 2024 show dates are: Feb 04, Apr 28 and Sept 29.

“If you have any questions/concerns let me know. Gary Perry,  Camerama Show.
Email: cameracamerashow@gmail.com or Phone/Text: 905-550-7477″

CAMERAMA Show – Nov 12 2023

 

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it’s a fair a day this Sunday

Posted on October 11, 2023 by Robert

Michael Faraday c1850-60 from the Wikipedia article

Toronto. This Sunday is a red circle day on your calendar! It is our Fall Fair – the Big One – for 2023. Come out and enjoy the friendship and the chance to acquire a rare or not so rare piece for your collection or even use.

It is fitting to use a c1855-60 photograph of Michael Faraday here. Without photography we might have had little or no idea of Faraday’s appearance. Notice the number of photos of Faraday in the two Wikipedia articles.

PS. Check your photo collection and that available this Sunday for portraits of well known individuals. Some studios like Notman’s religiously recorded and numbered many of their studio portraits (Notman’s records, are now with the McCord in Montreal). A diligent search may uncover some surprises.

Note: the title of this post is a riff on the name of that famous British scientist, Michael Faraday. Faraday, known to almost every school kid who paid attention in class, is famous for his many discoveries in both chemistry and physics. One is the ‘Faraday Shield‘ which was later explained more clearly by Ben Franklin.

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Ostlicht Photo Auction

Posted on October 10, 2023 by Robert

recognize this photo? The painter Spitzer taken by G Klimt c 1905

Toronto. Okay , all you photo collectors, our friends in Austria at the Ostlicht Photo Auction are hosting their next auction of vintage photos – many very well known to photo historians – on November 18th, 2023 in Vienna (auction is online for those wishing to bod but not planning to be in Vienna next month).

Be sure to visit the catalogue and see all the truly amazing photographs offered in Vienna this late fall. For those of you with connections to the media (or just plain interested) there is a press kit offered in the above link.

 

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