Blue—Takes slowly; repeat the washing for deep results.
Green—Takes easily, lighten by washing over with gold; darken with the blue; always let your first wash or tint be very weak; increase as desired by repeating.
The colors in moist cake form are often used, but the liquids are preferable. Sable brushes, about Nos. 3, 8 and 12, are sufficient for ordinary purposes.
HOW TO MAKE PHOTOGRAPHS
BY THE
Gelatine Dry-Plate Process
The latest and most rapid advance in the art is due to the discovery of the sensitiveness of a gelatine film. This knowledge has been practically applied in the introduction of plates prepared with such a coating; they are called “dry plates,” to distinguish them from plates which must pass through the silver bath, and be used while wet. The gelatine-bromide dry plates are now in general use for taking pictures of out-door scenes, landscapes, houses, groups of people, etc. To make photographs, First Procure an Outfit from a dealer in photograph requisites, costing from ten to twenty-five dollars, consisting of a view camera, for making 4×5 or 5×8 inch pictures. This camera is so constructed as to make either a picture on the full size of the plate (5×8 inches), or by substituting the extra front (supplied with the outfit), and using the pair of lenses of shorter focus, it is admirably adapted for taking stereoscopic negatives. Also, by the same arrangements, two small pictures, of dissimilar objects, can be made on the same plate. Included in the outfit, are also one patent double dry-plate holder, one large achromatic nickel plated lens, one pair “Waterbury” achromatic matched stereoscopic lens, one Taylor folding tripod, one carrying case.
Filling the Plate Holder. If this is done in the daytime, a closet or room is selected, and all white light excluded from it. It is difficult to make this exclusion absolute. One ray of white light will spoil a sensitive plate, and therefore the evening is generally chosen to develop negatives, and for illumination, the light from a ruby lantern is employed.
Gelatine Plates are glass, with one side coated with gelatine, containing a haloid salt. Place one of them in a dry-plate holder, with the sensitive (or the coated) side facing outward. Handle the plates by the edge, between the thumb and fore finger, without touching the sides. After putting into the holders as many plates as are needed for the day’s work, pack the outfit so that it can be carried about.
Taking the Picture. For field service a camera, a number of plate holders, filled with sensitive plates, a lens, tripod, carrying case, and focussing cloth are needed. When these have been taken to the place which you want to photograph, fasten the camera on the tripod, throw the focussing cloth over your head, gather it under your chin, draw out the back of the camera, thus extending the bellows, and continue the movement until the image on the ground glass appears distinct, then fasten the back of the camera. This is called “focussing.” At the first glance, an inexperienced person sees no reflection on the ground glass, but the eye soon becomes practiced to perceiving the inverted image there. Substitute a plate holder for the ground glass, see that the cap is on the lens, pull the slide out of the holder, place it on the top of the camera, or in a convenient place. If everything is now in readiness, and the time for exposing the sensitive plate determined, uncap the lens, re-capping it at the end of the allotted time, and replacing the slide in the holder. After you have picture impressions on each sensitive film, pack your outfit and return home.
Making Negatives. Amateurs may content themselves with making the exposures, and sending their plates in a light, tight, negative box, to some photographer, who will produce the finished picture, and mount them on cards. It is not necessary that this should be done at once, months may elapse, and these dry plates be carried hundreds of miles.