Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel], May 22, 1910, Page 2, Image 46

About Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911

Image provided by: University of California, Riverside; Riverside, CA

                
2
Photography = Amateur and Professional
PHOTOGRAPHY AS A TEACHER
R. S. COLE
Familiar as is the sight of the
camera, in all sorts of places and in
the hands of old and young alike, there
are probably but few of the thousands
who are, to a greater or less xtent,
devotees of the art of picture making,
who do more than "press the button"
or the bulb, as the case may be, and
roll another section of film into posi
tion or replace the exposed plate with
a fresh one. A large majority of those
who take "pictures" know absolutely
nothing of the more interesting and
amusing side of photography, depend
ing on "amateur finishing" firms to de
velop their films or plates and turn
out their prints. Yet these same per
sons, with a little study and with but
a small expenditure of money, might
themselves become masters not only of
the art of picture "taking," but of
picture "making" as well. And In
many instances the difference in re
sults would agreeably surprise the man
or woman who depends upon others
to complete his or her work.
So perfect are now the various ap
pliances provided for the amateur
photographer that with the exercise of
a modicum of care and ordinary atten
tion to the directions for the manipu
lation of plates, films and paper, It Is
practically impossible for the amateur
who is really interested in his work to
go wrong; and onre having commenced
the work of actually "making" his own
pictures, the amateur photographer
has entered into a field of almost
limitless investigation and of un
bounded interest. Instead of indis
criminately "snapping" everything in
sight, he begins to exercise c\re in the
selection of subjpcts and settings, with
the result that more real pictures and
loss merely spoiled paper crown his
efforts. He learns that there are dif
ferent grades of paper for negatives
of varying qualltv and different plates
to be used for different subje. ts. Al
most without knowing it he acquires
the ability to turn out photographs
that are the envy ,of those of his
friends who continue to depend upon
nthers to complete their work for
them nnrl then wonder why it is that
their p'ctures are like anything rather
than what they expected.
The foregoing is not intended as a
criticism of those who make a busi
ness of finishing the work of amateur
photographers, for In any reputable
finishing house every effort Is made
to obtain, as far as possible, the best
results from the plates or films turned
in for development. But it is easily
understood that to give to each nega
tive the careful attention necessary to
obtain the most perfect result is im
possible where hundreds of rolls of
film and hundreds of plates are de
veloped each week.
On the other hand, the enthusiast
who develops his own plates or films
and makes his own prints is able to
give every negative the most careful
attention, and as h<? discovers his er
rors of exposure or manipulation to
correct them. It Is the old story of
"When you want a thing well done, do
it yourself."
The excuse often given by users of
the camera who depend upon others
to finish their pictures is that they
lack the time necessary to complete
the work. It is, however a fact that
many of the most successful amateur
photographers are men and women
who are engaged in work which de
mands what would be considered "all
their time," but who still find leisure
to devote to the development of their
own negatives' and the making of their
own prints, and every one of these en
thusiasts would laugh at the idea of
turning part of their work over to
others. The" know too well the ad
vantage of careful manipulation of
each negative and property handling
of every print. Above all this, how
ever, is the pleasure of knowing when
the picture is completed that it is the
work of one's own hands and that
every care has been exercised to make
it as nearly perfect as possible.
Such pleasure can come only to the
person who sees the image gradually
appear as development proceeds, who
carries the negative through the va
rious stages of fixing, washing, drying
and sometimes of Intensification,
where this is necessary, and then
makes the print which shall tell
whether his work was well or ill done.
Once thoroughly interested in this, the
real work of photography, the ama
teur is satisfied with nothing but the
best possible results, and in the end
he generally obtains these results.
Careful attention to detail is the se-
LOS ANGELES HERALD SUNDAY MAGAZINE
cret of success In photography, as in
any other occupation. The man or
woman who cares so little for the re
sults of his or her efforts as to leave
the most important part of the work
to some one else is generally content
with anything that resembles the sub
ject of his or her "snapshot," and a
general resemblance Is oftentimes the
best result obtained. On the other
hand, the man who finishes his own
pictures, if he finds the print unsat
isfactory, at once seeks out the cause
of his failure to obtain the desired re
sult and applies the proper remedy on
the next attempt, witn a practical cer
tainty of not making the same mistake
twice.
So if the study of photography brings
no other result, it teaches to the op
erator of the camera that care in every
detail of his work is essential to suc
cess, and from his pastime with the
camera the photographer extends this
principle to the everyday business af
fairs of life. Taken up in most cases
as a mere form of recreation, the study
of the art of picture making has in
stilled a lesson which spells success
whenever and wherever it is put into
practice. In the pleasure of perpetuat
ing scenes and incidents which will be
treasured in later years, tne photog
rapher has unconsciously taught him
self that only by painstaking care can
he succeed, and once master of this
cardinal principle of success he will
not soon forget it.
PRINTING ON GASLIGHT PAPER
Some time ago I wished to print by
gaslignt a few designs on postcards,
but as the image was latent x. was un
able to place tiie mask for the photo
graph. At last I hit upon the tollow
mg plan: Taking a piece of thin card
board I made a nole in it large enough
to admit a postcard; then taking tne
design and the corresponding mask, I
attached their ends by means of stamp
paper to the opposite ends of the card
board, so that when folded over the
postcard they exactly corresponded
with each other. To print the photo
graph the postcard was placed in its
hole, the mask folded over on it, and
the. negative placed in position, then
printed in a frame in the ordinary way.
The design was printed by removing
the negative and folding the design over
in the place of the mask. I also find
this arrangement saves time and trou
ble when using P. O. P.— Exchange.
AN ENLARGING NOTE
Speaking on the subject of enlarging,
more especially of enlarged negative
making, to one of the most successful
of photographic exhibitors, he said that
he had found it a great improvement
to insert a piece of ground glass be
tween the light and the condenser, and
invariably did so. Not only did it even
up the illumination to a very great ex
tent, but it also had the effect of mak
ing any slight defects that there might
be in the glass of the transparency
quite invisible in the enlargement. The
exact position of the ground glass was
not important, provided it came be
tween the light and the condenser; It
was less liable to break if it was near
the latter.—Exchange.
PRINTING OUT PAPER HINT
It is a very bad plan to leave P. O. P.
in the printing frame overnight. It
is much better to finish each print on
the day it began, and to defer starting
a fresh print if there does not seem
to be light enough to finish it. There
is a risk of the negative becoming de
faced with black spots, due to silver
absorbed from the P. O. P., and there
is a risk of the print deteriorating. The
first can be to a great extent prevented
by varnishing. The best preventive for
the second is to back up the print in
the frame with a spoiled untoned and
unfixed print.—Exchange.
AN ASTUTE HORSE TRADER
A certain suburban horse trader had
a reputation for great skill in treating
animals. One day a neighbor ap
proached the trader's little boy and
inquired:
"See here, my little man, when one
of your father's horses gets sick, what
does he do?"
"Do you mean just a little sick or
very sick?" asked the boy, cautiously.
"Why?" said the neighbor.
"Well, If the horse is only a little
sick," said the boy, "he gives it med
icine; but If It is very sick he sells it."
N_———l^———"——>—^—l J**-^
MUTUAL AID
AtutlkCul yuwiUb'wt»ii^io utu mvllOtl
to let their wants and troubles be
known through this column, and they
will receive answers in the second Sun
day magazine following. Mr. Pierce of
C. C. Pierce & Co., kodak supplies, 127
West Sixth street, will have charge of
the department. All letters must be In
by Wednesday night and should bear
upon subjects of general Interest to
amateurs.
ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS
RIVERSIDE, Cal., May 10, 1910
Photography Department, Los An
geles Herald.
Gentlemen: Could you please tell
me through the columns of your Sun
day magazine if there is any way of
treating the roll film, for use in fold
ing kodaks, so that it will take photo
graphs In natural colors, and if there
is the formula and means?
Also can a print be made In natural
colors from such a negative, and if so
what kind of paper is to be used?
CHAS. H. OL.NEY, JR.
Charles H. Olney, Jr., Riverside.
Answering your inquiry, "Is it possi
ble to make natural color photographs
on roll films?" we must say no; and
the special plates used for such work
make positives and not negatives,
therefore printing on paper from them
would not be possible.
The only way to make colored prints
on paper is to apply the colors by
hand, using the Japanese or other
mediums therefor, although a method
was invented in Philadelphia calling
for three negatives and printing from
each on the same sheets of paper,
sensitizing the paper specially between
each printing, but this seems to have
joined the lost arts.
"Mountaineer" atks what Is the best
form of camera to use on excursions In
the mountains, made chiefly on foot.
Answer: For such work there Is
nothing that yields such de'ightful re
sults as a stereoscopic picture, and a
camera for making these is just as
light and compict as an ordi uiry
kodak and costs but a trifle mo c to
operate. Single prints can be made as
easily as double ones.
"Dark Room" wishes to know if in
stead of sweltering in a small, tightly
shut room he can develop his films by
the tank system and be sure of good
negatives so developed.
Answer: If this poor enthusiast has
secured good negatives by his demerit ed
methods he's surely earned them, but
he could be sure of getting even better
results through using a tank and fol
lowing the instructions given, as hun
dreds who are using them cxi luslvely
can testify.
CAMERA COURTSHIP
She gave htm a cabinet photo.
He gazed for a moment or two,
Then pleaded, "Sweetheart, won't you Klve me
The lovely original, too?"
"If you're positive, dear, that you love me,"
She said, through a film of tears,
"A negative I cannot give you—
I'm yours to the end of your years/
So the courtship was quick to develop.
Their marriage waa fixed up in town,
And now in a middle-class suburb
She is steadily toning: him down.
—Judge.
I) 1 ' Kodak Headquarters '
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I 111 f^^^pl progress. And if what you want is not in the
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W__^^ Howland <Bb Dewey Company
if] //I 11 510 SOUTH BROADWAY J
MAY 22, 1910.
» mi
Hy JR liaasi^Lv t^y
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HALATION IN INTERIORS
In interior photography very er
roneous ideas often prevail with regard
to halation. Just as they do in the case
of night photographs. There seems to
be a prevalent Idea that the tracery
and bars of a window should in all
cases be shown perfectly defined and in
sharp contrast, however brightly the
window may be illuminated, and if this
effect is not obtained after taking the
precaution of properly backing the
place, then the backing Is presumed to
be a failure. It does not, however,
follow that this idea is correct, for if
the sun is shining on the window it is
impossible that the bars should appear
sharp to an observer, and if they are
made to so appear in a photograph the
effect is unnatural. The effect that the
photographer has perhaps laboriously
retouched out was in all probability
quite a natural and true one, though
want of observation prevented him
from seeing it at the time of taking
the photograph.—British Journal. •