If you have ever driven into and out of St. Thomas on the western side of Railroad City, there is a good chance you’ve seen the hulking rail bridge soaring high above the valley and river below. For nearly a century now, the Kettle Creek Bridge has been a significant landmark in the region, and while today it no longer serves the railroad, it continues to be an icon of the once central railway hub. The current Kettle Creek Bridge is the third bridge to span the Kettle Creek valley. When Canadian Southern came through in 1871, the valley presented a significant obstacle. Sending aRead More →

If there is one type of lens that many photographers look for in a good street photography camera or any compact camera body is a good pancake lens. And while Nikon is not known for producing many ‘pancake’ style lenses, they did have a couple of winners. One of these lenses is the Nikkor 50mm f/1.8, a real winner. In contrast, there have been many versions of this lens, including a long-nose version, the 50mm f/1.8 is a solid performer for the smaller form-factor camera bodies (think FM, FE) and while it may look like a Series E, it is all Nikkor. Lens Specifications Make:Read More →

One thing that always happens is that as a photographer you usually end up with a camera that belonged to a family member, or maybe a family member encouraged you through the gift of a camera and guidance with using it. So in today’s episode Alex, John, and Bill each tell a short story about those special cameras that have a family connection. Cameras featured in Today’s Show Kodak Pony 135 Model C Specifications Make: Kodak Model: Pony 135 Model C Type: Point-And-Shoot Format: 135 (35mm), 36x24mm Lens: Fixed, Kodak Anaston Lens 44mm f/3.5 Shutter: Kodak Flash 300 Year of Manufacture: 1955-1958 Brownie Hawkeye FlashRead More →

Established in 2013 by MainStreetHost and taken on by Alex Luyckx Photography in 2015, #photochat is a community of photography professionals and enthusiasts who congregate to talk shop and discuss anything and everything photography. To participate in our weekly chat (every Thursday at 1:00pm) search the #photochat hashtag to see the conversation, or find me at @AlexLuyckxPhoto on Twitter for more info. Be sure to include the hashtag in your tweets to answer the questions and talk with the other participants. If there’s a topic you’d like to see covered in #photochat, hop onto Facebook, Twitter, or good old fashioned Email and let me know!Read More →

Since the earliest day of the railway in Ontario, most controls lay with Canadian and British investors with some American investments. The biggest block for American rail in Canada was the requirement in the early days to have the lines built to Provincial Gauge to allow for Government money to support the construction and operation. But in 1873, the Federal Government took that requirement off the Railroad Act. This action and need for a native standard gauge railway saw the arrival of the only wholly American-owned railway, the Canadian Southern Railway, with CASO’s most excellent sounding reporting mark. Initially chartered in 1868 as the ErieRead More →

I love black & white in all forms, film, digital, and even instant. And up until only recently, the only way to get B&W instant film was through Polaroid (formerly Impossible & Polaroid Originals). From the start, the B&W stocks from this new generation of the instant integral film have been the strongest performers. But it only got better as the formulation was improved. Today the new BW600 is perhaps the instant film I reach for the most, although not too much due to the cost of the stock. It gives pleasing images and is always a fun go-around and works in almost all generationsRead More →

There is a legendary film that many professional photographers whisper about in hushed tones of reverence. Part of a lineup of professional films held near and dear to many photographers’ hearts. Especially regarding its sharpness and fine grain, that film is APX 25. I have shot this film many times; it’s one that I always will seek out when hunting through boxes of expired films or in the fridges at camera stores or when offered up by former professional photographers. Despite being a slow film, it is fun to use in almost any situation, and though it has been gone for twenty-two years now, itRead More →

When looking for train stations in Woodstock, most people are quick to point you in the direction of the VIA station. While it certainly gets the most attention, a second station has sat on the other side of the downtown and remains in operation today. Thanks to the members of John Cowen’s Classic Railfan group on Facebook for filling in some of the gaps in this station’s history. When the Credit Valley Railway was chartered in the 1870s, its primary goal was to construct a line from Toronto to Orangeville. The completion of the Canadian Southern Railway line saw the backers of Credit Valley lookRead More →

If you’re a long time listener of the Film Photography Podcast, this camera would be one of the more familiar ones, especially the iconic sound bite by Dan Domme, “Agfa Clack.” The camera earns its name by the clack sound the shutter makes, compared to the Agfa Click, also named for its shutter sound. Despite having many amazing cameras that perform perfectly, I have a soft spot for box cameras, so I started looking for an Agfa Clack after getting the Click-II. I should also note that the Clack is known as the Agfa Weekender in US Markets. Camera Specifications Make: Agfa Model: Clack Alternatively:Read More →

Established in 2013 by MainStreetHost and taken on by Alex Luyckx Photography in 2015, #photochat is a community of photography professionals and enthusiasts who congregate to talk shop and discuss anything and everything photography. To participate in our weekly chat (every Thursday at 1:00pm) search the #photochat hashtag to see the conversation, or find me at @AlexLuyckxPhoto on Twitter for more info. Be sure to include the hashtag in your tweets to answer the questions and talk with the other participants. If there’s a topic you’d like to see covered in #photochat, hop onto Facebook, Twitter, or good old fashioned Email and let me know!Read More →