VIGNETTING.
A vignetted photograph is one whose background shades off gradually into white, and is made by printing through an opening placed a short distance from the plate. The difference between masking and vignetting is that the mask or cut-out, is placed directly on the negative, and when the picture is printed there is a sharp line between the part printed and the part shielded from the light. In the vignetted picture the opening is placed a short distance from the negative so that the light is diffused, and instead of making a sharp line, the picture fades off gradually into pure white.
There are many devices sold for making vignettes, but the object of the Camera Club is not to tell its members how to spend money, but how to save it, by making many of the articles used in the making of photographs.
An empty plate-box cover is easily and quickly made into a vignetter. Mark on the face of the cover an outline of a size to correspond with the portion of the negative which you wish printed. If this is in the centre of the negative, mark the outline in the centre of the cover, and if a little to one side, mark the outline to correspond. Inside this outline make several cuts, and then tear the pasteboard carefully on the line marked. Peel off the paper so that it will be thinner at the edges of the opening. Over this opening paste a piece of thin tissue-paper, which should be of uniform opaqueness. The simplest way of attaching the cover to the printing-frame is to place it on the frame and hold it in place with two or three stout rubber straps. By marking a place on the printing-frame where the box is first placed, the print can be examined at any time, and if the cover should chance to be moved a little it can be returned to its original position, thus keeping the vignette in the same place.
When printing a vignetted picture, it is better to print in the shade than in the direct sunlight, as, if printed in the sunlight, the frame must be adjusted so that the light will enter the opening in a straight line. If the frame is placed in such a position that the rays enter in a slanting direction, the vignetted portion of the picture will not be in the place designed. Instead of pasting tissue-paper over the opening, a piece of ground glass can be placed over the cover during the process of printing.
To produce a very soft effect between the picture and the white part of the paper, take a piece of cotton wadding the size of the cover used for vignetting, tear a hole in the wadding a little smaller than that in the cover, and print as directed.
Sometimes one has a negative with fine clouds in the sky; but in order to make a print of them the rest of the picture must be masked in some way, or else it will be very much overprinted. One way of masking the part which prints too quickly is to cut out of opaque paper a piece which will cover the landscape part, following the outline along the horizon as carefully as possible, and place it over the landscape till the sky is printed; then remove and print the landscape part. Unless this mask is adjusted with the greatest care, there will either be a white line along the horizon or else a heavy black one, according whether the paper overlapped or did not quite cover the line. A much easier way to make the two printings is to take a plate-box cover the size of the negative, mark the outline of the horizon on it and cut away the pasteboard, and print with this over the negative in the same way as for the vignetting. When the sky is printed deep enough, remove the cover and print the rest of the picture.
The openings for vignetting may be cut in any shape desired—oval, pear-shape, round, triangle, etc.
Sir Knight Harry Patty, of California, sends a long list of questions, which we will try to answer to his satisfaction. Is it better to take portraits out-of-doors in the shade, or is the light more easily controlled in the house; should the light fall on the sitter from his left or right side, or is it immaterial; what would be the best arrangement of light in a bay-window with three windows, the window being shaped like the half of an octagon; what are the best colors for plain light and dark backgrounds, and what material; is the flannel sheet mentioned in No. 806 white, and would a white blanket do as well; are backgrounds always placed obliquely to the lens, and at what angle; how near the camera should the sitter look for a full face; should the eyes ever look at the lens; how much above the sitter's head should the camera be placed; what diaphragm should be used for a portrait; what method is used for marking stops; how can one vignette heads; what developer gives the best printing density for portraits; does metol give flat negatives; should one use the quickest plate for portraits; and which is the best of the Seed plates. It is easier for the amateur to make portraits out-of-doors than in the house. The article referred to gives directions for managing the light in-doors. When making portraits out-of-doors it is better to arrange the background, etc., in the angle of a building, as this gives a more artistic picture than where the sitter is exposed to the full light. It is immaterial which side the light falls on the sitter. The window next to the sitter in the bay-window described should be darkened, and the lower part of the other two windows. If the sitter is an adult, and can keep still for three or four seconds, it is better to cover the glass with thin white muslin, as this gives a soft even light. The flannel sheet is white or ecru, and a blanket would do as well. It should be far enough away from the sitter to be out of focus. The best colors for a light background are a yellow, white, or light gray, and for dark a soft dull gray. The background is arranged to suit the picture, and is not always placed obliquely. If the sitter looks just to one side of the camera it would give a good position for a full face. One should never look directly at the lens but just above or at one side. A medium stop is the best to use for portraits; stops will be explained in a later article; an article on "Vignetting" appears this week; most professional photographers prefer pyro; metol should give fine negatives; a medium-slow plate is best for portraits—try Cramer Banner; the non-halation Seed's are fine plates. The camera should be on a line just above the head of the sitter, with the lens at a slight angle. This is said to give a more equal focus.
Sir Knight J. L. Goodman asks if he can salt the paper for plain paper; if the ammonia is the same as that used for washing or household purposes; and how to vignette a photograph. Directions for salting paper will be found in No. 881 of the Round Table. Ammonia for photographic purposes should be free from impurities, and the household ammonia is therefore not suitable. Buy the strong liquid ammonia at the druggists (liquor ammonia fort.), and dilute it at once with an equal amount of water, and keep it in a glass-stoppered bottle. An article on "Vignetting" appears this week.
WALTER BAKER & CO., limited.
Established Dorchester, Mass., 1780.