ProPhoto 50 Years Ago
There’s nothing like a dip into the archives to reveal just how much things have changed in the professional photography industry, especially over the last couple of decades. In the early 1970s, medium and large format cameras were considered the only choice for pros, especially for studio work. And black-andwhite film was still in extensive use for many applications. Although colour was no longer thought of as the work of the devil, many pros ran their own darkrooms for processing and printing B&W.
Here’s a selection of what was on the pages of this magazine 50 years ago when it was called Professional Photography
In Australia. This is a snapshot of the November-December 1972 issue.
Cover photograph – Allan Dott, South Melbourne
Test Reports
• Bronica S2A 6x6cm SLR
People And Places
• The Pub studio complex, South Melbourne
• RAAF School Of Photography, East Sale, Victoria
• Ian Clues, portrait photographer, Bairnsdale, Victoria
• Elizabeth Rudkin, portrait photographer, Raymond Terrace, NSW
• Art Kaminshine, USA, “the incredible wizard of colour”
The Issues
• The challenges of photographing children
• The value of photojournalism in revealing inconvenient truths as revealed by the Ilford Professional Photographic Contest on the theme of ‘Concern’
The Advertisers
Maxwell Photo Optics – Nikon F2 professional 35mm SLR / Photimport – Super Chromega Dichroic multi-format colour enlarger / Photimport – Braun Paximat 35mm slide projectors / Photimport
– Minolta SR-M motordriven 35mm SLR / Photimport – Hasselblad 500C/M and 500EL/M 6x6cm SLRs / Kodak (Australasia) – Ektachrome Duplicating Film 6120 / GCS Photographic Industrial Sales – Zelox studio flash and darkroom products. / Wild (Australia) Pty Ltd – Lecina Super RT1 Super 8 movie camera / William Charlick Limited – Bronica
S2A 6x6cm SLR / R.H. Wagner & Sons – Canon F-1 professional 35mm SLR / Union Carbide Australia – Eveready NiCD reachargeable batteries / Group Color
– new portrait studio / C.R. Kennedy & Company – Pentax 6x7 6x7cm SLR
and lenses / R. Gunz (Photographic) – Metz Mecablitz on-camera flash units / Bleakley Gray Corporation – Canon F-1 professional 35mm SLR system / Kayell Photographics – Colormate colour and density analyser