Pre-Digital Photographic Technology

    Speed Graphic Cameras were produced in Rochester, New York. Production started in 1912 and continued until 1973. The article Speed Graphic – Large Format Snapshot by Anatomy Films, Speed Graphic cameras were “standard equipment for many American press photographers until the mid-1960’s."  It got its name from its 1/1000 second shutter achieved by the focal plan shutter.

    Photojournalist Arthur Fellig, Weegee, could be one of the most famous users of the Speed Graphic camera in the 1930’s-40’s. Anatomy Films described his freelancing as a photojournalist for a newspaper that captured the harsh reality of Manhattan’s Lower East Side in the article Speed Graphic – Large Format Snapshot.  The article Photography that changed the way we view war by CBS describes the power of photography during the civil war as "the first time true likenesses of the people who lived and died in the conflict remained as a record, profoundly shaping our understanding of the bloodiest war in U.S. history."  Similarly, Weegee was able to capture bloody, real moments of life in a split second to show it to the world.  

    In an interview with Weegee, Weegee Tells How, he says it is because of the quick shutter of the Speed Graphic camera that he was able to capture a “fleeting second.  It’s up to the photographer to capture that on film.  Because like a dying day, those things will never come back again."  In his video Before There Were Pixels- Part 2, Professor Nordell says, "there are huge changes in how we view the world due to these published images."  Weegee explains in Weegee Tells How  that as a photojournalist for a newspaper, he was able to "pick a story that meant something...if society has a fight...this makes news and the papers are interested.  With his Speed Graphic camera, Weegee could publish the life of socialites that was contrary to the publics views.  

 Photo by Rosie's Workshop

    Compared to today’s standards, taking a photo with the Speed Graphic camera is a more time-consuming, knowledgeable, and skillful process. While this is still efficient in retrospect, it required more practice in order to avoid “double expose, shoot blanks, fog previous exposures or shoot out of focus images.”  Initial difficulties aside, improvement is possible.  The Gordan Sparks Foundation proves this as it tells the a story of Gordan Rose Parks who "despite his lack of professional training, won the Julius Rosenwald Fellowship in 1942." 

    While taking my photo, I notice immediate differences between current technology and the older Speed Graphic camera. I can go from indoors to outdoors to take photos with my phone. The Speed Graphic would need an exchange of flashbulbs. According to Anatomy Films in the article Speed Graphic – Large Format Snapshot, the camera also meant “one could shoot as fast as one could pull the tab and cock the shutter." With my phone, I can take multiple photos on my phone milliseconds apart by holding down the button. No practice is involved in using a phone camera.  There were no adjustments to make before the shot, or learning how to angle the lens correctly. A similar feature is being able to view the frame on my screen, similar to the viewfinder on the Speed Graphic.  Perhaps the closest similarity is being able to take a picture right as the button is pressed on my phone. The Speed Graphic's ability to do this as well is where the name comes from.      

On February 10, 2021 my new puppy, Bean, plays with her first toy from the day we got her.  This picture shows her excitement to play and spend time together after being in her crate while I was at work.  It is my favorite thing to come home to.