Tag Archives: light

a short-lived fad

Posted on March 10, 2023 by Robert

Toronto. George Dunbar sent along this article from Popular Mechanics in its August 1951 issue. The article is about a Vermont man who ‘light paints’ with his camera and a pen light. Shown are a flower and a caricature of … Continue reading →

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taking its measure

Posted on December 15, 2022 by Robert

Toronto. While browsing for photo history material, George Dunbar spotted this May 1948 ad for a GE PR-1 selenium exposure meter and shared it with us. To separate the GE meter from others, it was advertised as having a ‘memory’ … Continue reading →

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a neater meter

Posted on January 7, 2022 by Robert

Toronto. One area of photography that absolutely demanded consistency in exposure was movies. Any unexpected exposure shift between scenes or reels was obvious and annoying to theatre goers, especially those who paid hard earned money for the movie experience. Weston … Continue reading →

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daylight blues

Posted on January 5, 2022 by Robert

Toronto. In the mid last century, one could buy daylight or tungsten transparancy (slide) film. The difference was in their white balance. Incandescent bulbs would have a colour balance around 2700 degrees kelvin and a special blue filter on the … Continue reading →

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a sharper kind of light

Posted on June 7, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. Photography demands light, but so do other optical devices such as light microscopes. The resolution limit of light microscopes has usually been the light itself, forcing a transition to other devices such as an electron microscope if increased resolution … Continue reading →

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bright lights

Posted on October 19, 2019 by Robert

Toronto. In the days of film, studios used lights like the Mighty-Mole to illuminate a scene or portrait (flood) and another to provide back lighting or modelling (spot).  Such attention to detail is the mark of a professional. Similar lighting … Continue reading →

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Light Painting Photography

Posted on April 9, 2019 by Robert

Toronto. Light Painting Photography has a long history. The relative insensitivity of glass plates and film readily lent them to this form of art. It was not unusual for professional photographers to “paint” a scene with a series of flash … Continue reading →

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