Photographer's Birdie

[conrad_hoffman]

In the 1920s or thereabouts, Risdon made pneumatic photographer's birdies, that tweeted and moved their tailfeathers, albeit brass tailfeathers. They're rare and you wouldn't actually use one if you could find it. Call me crazy, but I think it would be cool to have a modern version. Does anybody still make one?

[httpwww.photo.netbarry]

I remember the phrase, "look at the birdie. . ., ", but I never saw one and didn't realize it was an actual thing.  But it speaks on were portrait photographers wanted their subjects to look.  I wonder if Avedon used a birdie;). &ou might find this interesting:  https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2020/10/markus-hoffstatter-watch-the-birdie/

Edited February 27, 2023 by httpwww.photo.netbarry

[JDMvW]

Never heard of it before, but I'm not surprised it exist(s)(ed).

Thanks for the memories.

[Tony Parsons]

In the film 'Hellzapoppin', Martha Raye sings a song called 'Watch The Birdie' when guests at a house party are being photographed - and in (I think) 'The Railway Children' Eric Chitty plays a photographer photographing children (which may be where all this originated, as a means of getting children to look at the camera). However, when the flash powder ignites - so does the (stuffed) bird. The article referenced above has more info.

I have heard of photographers taking group pictures (such as at a wedding) using a whistle to get subjects looking at the photographer's position, but many of them tended to look startled at the sudden noise. For obvious reasons, saying 'Cheese' only works in English - 'Fromage' produces a totally different facial expression.

 

[John Seaman]

I've got it in the back of my mind that the word "cheesecake", meaning mildly erotic pictures, arose because the models were told to say cheesecake, rather than just cheese, to produce a more open mouthed smile.

[JDMvW]

As we say in French:

"C'est fromage"

 

(this used to bug the hell out of my French-speaking colleagues)

[rodeo_joe1]

14 hours ago, JDMvW said:

this used to bug the hell out of my French-speaking colleagues

Speaking of which, I remember seeing toy jumping frogs operated via a thin rubber tube and a pneumatic bulb. There were (are?) also pneumatic shutter remotes. So why not combine the two and say 'watch the frog' instead? 

[JDMvW]

Quote

'watch the frog' instead? 

In this context it has to be "froggie" think (see Blazing Saddles)

[rodeo_joe1]

1 hour ago, JDMvW said:

In this context it has to be "froggie" think (see Blazing Saddles)

I was trying to avoid being that politically incorrect.