How Many Times,

when having your photograph taken,

has the photographer said say 'cheese' to make it look like you are happy? long gone are the days when the photographer would say “watch the birdie.” Now generally out of use, the phrase dates back to 1879 and references a technique to capture both kids’ and adults’ attention at just the right moment: Photographers would attach a little brass bird to the top of their lens, 

fast forward to today, Austria-based Markus Hofstätter recently restored one of the historic gadgets, a process he demonstrates in a new video. He begins by degreasing the 140-year-old pieces, 3D printing a new base, and finally attaching the water-filled device to his wet plate camera. After removing the lens cap and blowing into a tube, he reveals the bird’s whistles, for more tutorials and explorations into historic photography techniques, check out Hofstätter’s YouTube and Instagram, as it happens my grandfather always used to say 'watch the birdie', when he took a photograph, and I had no idea what he meant!