Downtown Camera Ltd.

Downtown Camera Ltd. Toronto's Best Choice for Top Level Camera Gear, Film Processing and Fine Art Printing
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Downtown Camera is your best choice for top quality camera gear at incredible prices. We offer all the best gear, and have a sales and service staff that can't be beat.

It’s time for our FINAL post with the photo powerhouse Thank you for being a part of our series! As an added treat to...
06/09/2026

It’s time for our FINAL post with the photo powerhouse

Thank you for being a part of our series! As an added treat to our DTC audience, Rob has included a link to a short documentary about his work and his process!

Today we ask Rob…
Are you currently working on or planning any photography or art projects? Is there anything or anyone’s work you’d like to suggest to our community?

In terms of my black-and-white work, I’ve recently been doing a lot of printing on warm tone fiber based paper. Warm tone paper takes on tone from selenium and sepia in a different, and sometimes more intense way than regular fiber based paper. I’ve really been enjoying experimenting with different toners, and I’m mixing up a fresh batch of sepia toner next. My plan is to both make duo-toned prints since selenium works from the shadows and sepia works from the highlights, and to selectively tone certain parts of a print.

I also just finished working with a film director named Theo Park () to make a short documentary about why film is still important in the age of digital photography. It’s called “Why Film? Through the Lens of Rob Graham” and it’s great. I think anyone who appreciates film photography would enjoy it, and the link is here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mO9Be8vJak0) as well as in my profile and his profile.

Finally, although I’m keen to find moving subjects for trichrome photography, I’m always on the lookout for interesting scenes in general to make a surreal infrared trichrome.

With respect to other’s work, I think for anyone interested in infrared trichromes, checking out Joshua Bird would be well worth the time. As far as I understand it, he is the pioneer for using infrared trichromes to try to mimic the look of Kodak’s Aerochrome, and his method was what I used to get myself started in trichrome photography.

It’s time for another post from the wonderful 🍃🌊Today we ask Rob…What is your favorite subject matter? Tell us about ...
06/04/2026

It’s time for another post from the wonderful 🍃🌊

Today we ask Rob…
What is your favorite subject matter? Tell us about it.
I am very inspired by rendering motion in an artistic way using the trichrome process. To understand how, I want to describe a little bit about the trichrome process itself. A trichrome photograph is made up of 3 individual B&W film exposures. Each of the 3 film exposures is taken with one of a red, green, and blue colour filter. Then, each developed and scanned exposure is assigned to a colour channel in a program like Photoshop. So the red filter exposure becomes the red channel, the green filter exposure becomes the green channel and the blue filter exposure becomes the blue channel. When those channels are assigned, you get a colour image! I think this process is amazing, and I especially love infrared trichromes because of the surrealness of the image that is created. The look is quite similar to Kodak’s Aerochrome colour film.

What’s fascinating to me about trichromes is that anything that moves in between the exposures gets captured like a sort of “colour shadow”. In trichrome terms this is called the “Harris Shutter Effect”. This is why I had such a great time photographing the wind turbines because I could time the exposure to incorporate different effects from the rotating turbine blades.

The best part of all of that is each trichrome image originates from black and white film which I developed myself, so I’m still in control of my own process.

So right now, I’m thinking about different subjects that move in an interesting way, and how to best photograph those subjects using the trichrome process.

It’s time for another stunning collection of photos from our newest the one and only 📸🌌Today we ask Rob…What is your ...
05/28/2026

It’s time for another stunning collection of photos from our newest the one and only 📸🌌

Today we ask Rob…
What is your camera set up? What other accessories do you use? Bags, flashes... What is your favorite film stock?
In 2015 I switched from 35 mm to medium format with my Yashica 635, which is a TLR. It was really fun and I enjoyed the challenge of the waist level finder and the square format. Eventually, the lack of interchangeable lenses felt limiting, so in 2023 I found a great Hasselblad 500 CM kit, and I have been absolutely in love with it. I try to always carry a wide angle lens, a macro lens, as well as a tripod when I’m out to make photographs, although I admit it can be heavy! Another reason why I love the Hasselblad 500 CM is because I can use filters on the lenses. I wouldn’t be able to make trichrome images without the filters.

I have two favourite films: For B&W, I think TMAX 400 (EKTAPAN 400) is my forever choice. I love the tonal profile it gives, as well as the smooth grain structure I get when I develop with Adox XT-3, especially in medium format. I’ve been shooting that combination for so long, I find I can predict very well how to shoot an exposure in order to develop a usable negative. With respect to trichromes, I prefer to make infrared trichromes, and for that I need an infrared film. I always use Rollei IR because it gives great exposures and at 400 ISO it’s nice and fast. It takes almost 17 minutes to develop in XT-3, but it’s worth it.

It’s time for an ALL NEW series! Today we enter the colourful world of whose stunning use of trichromatic photography...
05/25/2026

It’s time for an ALL NEW series! Today we enter the colourful world of whose stunning use of trichromatic photography is exactly the kind of unique work we love to see in this series! 🎨
Hi! My name is Rob Graham, and I am happy to be here! I’ve lived in Toronto since I came to University back in 2001 (originally from Nova Scotia!) and I never left. Film photography and glassblowing are my favourite things to do when I have some time to spare. I’m very interested in abstract/minimalist photography, as well as trichrome photography to make colour photographs.

I started film photography in 2005 when I received my mother’s Olympus OM-1(n) SLR. I still have that camera today; recently I was shooting it in Europe, and it still works just like new. It’s hard to believe I’ve been buying film from Downtown Camera for more than 20 years! In 2006, I took some classes in film development and darkroom printing at Hart House at the University of Toronto, and once I printed my first photograph, I knew I was hooked for good! My background is in chemistry, and I love thinking about what the different molecules in the developer and fix are doing in the film to the little silver halide grains, and for a while I mixed my own developers. I try to share my passion for film photography with anyone I can, and I’ve taught dozens of people how to develop and print their own photographs.

Even after all of these years, being in a dark room for hours at a time while printing photographs is just about the most relaxing and therapeutic thing I can do. I do all of my own B&W developing which is very calming. When I go into the darkroom and the red light is on, I just know I’m in photography mode, and at least for me, my body breathes a little sigh of relief.

Have photos that have seen better days? Bring your photo to us for restoration or colorization. Our restoration services...
05/11/2026

Have photos that have seen better days?

Bring your photo to us for restoration or colorization. Our restoration services start at $30 and as a Spring special we are offering colorization for $5! Come in and speak with our knowledgeable team to see how you can fix up your images.

Have photos that have seen better days?Bring your photo to us for restoration or colorization. Our restoration services ...
05/11/2026

Have photos that have seen better days?

Bring your photo to us for restoration or colorization. Our restoration services start at $30 and as a Spring special we are offering colorization for $5! Come in and speak with our knowledgeable team to see how you can fix up your images!

It’s time for our FINAL post with the wonderful .jakubek 🖼️ 🎞️ Thank you for being a part of our series.Today we ask R...
05/07/2026

It’s time for our FINAL post with the wonderful .jakubek 🖼️ 🎞️

Thank you for being a part of our series.

Today we ask Ryan…
What is your camera set up? What other accessories do you use? Bags, flashes... What is your favorite film stock?
Currently I shoot a hybrid digital/film set up. I’ll usually bring four cameras with me on a trip: two film and two digital. For the next trip I’ll take my GA645i, M3, E-M10IV, and Z7II (modified to full spectrum by ).

The behaves like a point and shoot but delivers stunning image quality and is great for street portraits. The is more like an extension of the Zeiss Sonnar 50mm lens I pair it with. The Nikon Z7II (full spectrum) has become my infrared machine (which for many years I shot only with film). The Olympus E-M10IV has replaced my Sony RX100M5A as my digital point and shoot + underwater set-up for scuba diving.

I shot with a Fujifilm and a for almost a decade. They are wonderful cameras but lately I’ll reach for the Z7ii when I want to control the image, and for the GA645i when I want to have fun. The above image was captured using a Hasselblad Xpan II, Rollei Retro 80S, a Hoya R72 Infrared filter and my Gitzo tripod in the city of Jerash, Jordan.

For film stocks I made an attempt to shoot almost every available type of film at least once. Lately I like to shoot colour on 120 film and black and white on 35mm. My favourite colour film is whatever I can get for cheap (oddly Velvia 50 in 120 format was relatively inexpensive for the longest time). For 35mm, I definitely have my favourites: RPX25, JCH400, and Retro 80S (which I understand are all variations of the same Agfa surveillance film).

I also love having an off-camera flash set up with TTL functionality and a portable softbox for any kind of street or event portraiture. Thanks for having me it’s been a blast ☺️🙏

It’s time for another illuminating round of images from our latest alumni, .jakubek Today we ask Ryan…What is your fav...
05/04/2026

It’s time for another illuminating round of images from our latest alumni, .jakubek

Today we ask Ryan…
What is your favorite subject matter? Tell us about it.
I suppose my favourite subject would be textures/patterns, because they strike a balance between conscious and intuitive shooting. Breaking down the image to its basics gives me the time to think carefully about my choices and intention.

I feel I’m in a good place when I start reacting to parts of the subject that might not be present at the time of shooting, but will be complemented by the choices I am making in the moment.

This image pairing of algae and my father’s hand reflects that shooting process. Along the shore, strands of algae were clinging to the rocks and being pushed by the waves. When slowing down the shutter, the movement became abstracted and visually appealing. It made me feel like I wanted to reach out and touch it.

The photograph of my father’s hand was staged with that expressive intention, metaphorically depicting the distance between imagination and reality. Both these images were captured in Bolivia during a five-month unguided motorcycle trip across South America.

The finished work on and (and many others like it) will be on display as part of the festival through my show ‘Father / Land’ this month at . It will be open for only five days, from May 27–31. You are most welcome to join.

This show would not be possible without the facility access and hard work of numerous collaborators, including the teams at , , .studio, , , , , , and of course, most of all... my father!

torontoartscene

https://contactphoto.com/festival/2026/open-call/father-land

https://gallery1313.org/22706/ryan-jakubek-27-31-may-father-land/

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