the eye of the beholder

The Sudbury Photo Crew and Gear in the 1950s

Toronto.  The very first issue of the Graflex Journal for 2021 shows a photograph of the news photographers up in Sudbury back in 1953 when cameras and flash were both big and bulky. One brave soul flaunts his Rollei and air? water? camera.

Newspapers, like all old technology are dying off as they struggle to keep current in this age of information, internet, and miniaturization. The professional photographer too is sadly disappearing with the continuous onslaught of amateurs equipped with the latest gadget and a willingness to post their best work for free on TV, Facebook, Flicker, Instagram, Websites, and friends’ phones, tablets, and computers.

Ken Metcalf, editor of the Graflex Journal, shows this photo of the news photographers of the post war years and their gear. A far cry from today’s tiny but powerful smartphones which shoot colour stills and videos ready to go world wide in seconds with the flick of a finger.

A thanks to large scale camera collector and one time PHSC member, Davis Strong, (and Ken Metcalf) for this remarkable ad on page 10 of the  2021-01 Graflex Journal.

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