Any accessory, device, darkroom stuff linked to photography
“watch the birdie” was not just a figurative way to catch sitters’ attention in photographers’ studios. There was a brass made, ingeniously made, little bird capable to sing and provide the brief, but precious, frozen moment that the photographer needed to get his job done.
Photographic enlarger from the time when negatives shrunk to miniature cameras, needing magnification, but electric light was not yet available. Aimed at the amateur market, it accompanied the Vest-Pocket Cameras that made 4.5 x 6 cm negatives for enlargements of up to 13 x 18 cm
Very simple device, but it causes a surprising immersive effect to see photos. The graphoscope was an indispensable accessory for collectors of carte de visite or cabinet pictures, the established formats of photographic portraits that were a real craze in the 19th century.
Halfway between the photographic image and the manual drawing, the Camera Lucida was very popular in both artistic and scientific imagery. See how it works optically and learn a little about its history.
Article shows a retouching desk of the type used at the beginning of photography. The retouching was done basically with pencil applied directly on the photographic emulsion. Examples of antique glass plates in which people had their lines of expression smoothed by this method are shown an commented.
This is a very common shutter design used in large format cameras. Is is attached in front of the lens and opens from the center when the six blades are recessed inside the ring. This is not a shutter for those counting thirds of f stops. It is open while you press the cable release…