Tag Archives: UK

expensive words

Posted on September 28, 2023 by Robert

Toronto. The old chestnut says a picture is worth a 1000 words. If so, the 14,000 words for these 14 daguerreotypes are worth nearly $39 USD each! Many Canadians remember the stories of Franklin and his two ill-fated vessels, the … Continue reading →

Posted in camera, history | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on expensive words

remembrance day next month

Posted on October 22, 2022 by Robert

Toronto. As a kid in grade school we held a special remembrance each November 11th. The ritual was emphasized in high school with Vimy Ridge models, the ‘In Flanders Fields’ poem, minute of silence, pin-on poppy, etc. George Dunbar spotted … Continue reading →

Posted in history | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on remembrance day next month

photographs at a museum

Posted on November 26, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. The Victoria and Albert Museum in the UK has a long and storied history.  The V&A has collected photographs for many decades (since 1852!). The image at left is a photograph of the notorious Christine Keeler taken in 1963 by … Continue reading →

Posted in history | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on photographs at a museum

a kokopelli camera

Posted on November 9, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. Before science burst the bubble, many gullible souls believed in ghosts, seances, and fairies This past summer, I did the above post linked to ‘fairies’ covering the infamous ‘Cottingley Fairies’ saga. Many well educated folk like Dr Arthur Conan Doyle, … Continue reading →

Posted in history | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on a kokopelli camera

dancing on the head of a pin

Posted on June 23, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. For centuries, the expression “number of angels that can dance on the head of a pin” has been around. Originally religious (as you can likely tell), it shifted to ordinary usage and meant arguing absurdities while real issues went … Continue reading →

Posted in history | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on dancing on the head of a pin

camera boy

Posted on May 23, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. My good friend and fellow PHSC alumni, George Dunbar spotted this interesting web site and the sample German stereo card added by John Robertson of the UK back on January 18th of this year (2021). Browse the interesting links … Continue reading →

Posted in history | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on camera boy

down periscope

Posted on April 15, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. The Corfield Periflex line fulfilled the post-war demand in Britain for  a quality 35mm camera. The cameras copied the old Leica screw mount bodies without a rangefinder or (initially) a viewfinder. Borrowing from the SLR world, a periscope and … Continue reading →

Posted in history, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on down periscope

midnight on main

Posted on April 4, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. Daniel Freeman of the UK is a photographer who enjoys taking night scenes. He writes, “Fascinated by the way the world appears at night, I am drawn by a compulsion to photograph in the times when everything is at its … Continue reading →

Posted in photos | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on midnight on main

take your time …

Posted on December 31, 2020 by Robert

Toronto. … as my mother used to say when she felt that I was dragging my heels. But sometimes taking your time is beneficial. Photographic media are sensitive to the volume of visible light hitting the sensitive surface. Traditionally two … Continue reading →

Posted in photos | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on take your time …

at yer Beck and call …

Posted on July 31, 2020 by Robert

Toronto. You may have come across a British camera called a Cornex or one by Houghton’s called a British Ensign. Both camera lines were made by a microscope manufacturer on Cornhill Street in London, England. It was not uncommon for … Continue reading →

Posted in camera | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on at yer Beck and call …