Outdoor Sports and Games

by Claude Harris Miller

To become an expert photographer and one whose work will be worth while, we must really make a study of the subject. The modern outfits and chemicals make it very easy for us if we do our part.

The basis of successful work is a good lens, which is really the eye of the camera. In selecting it we should get just as good a one as we can afford. There are a great many excellent makes of lenses on the market and even the stock types that are supplied with moderate priced cameras are of very good quality. The two distinct types of lenses are the “rapid rectilinear” and the “anastigmatic,” which names refer to their optical properties in distributing the light. For our purpose all we need to know is that the higher price we pay the better our lenses will be, and in addition to this the further fact that the best kind of results can be obtained by any lens provided that we do not try to force it to do work for which it is not adapted.

To understand photography we must first of all get a clear notion of the use and purpose of the stops, as the various openings or apertures are called that the lens is provided with. A “fast” lens is one that will give a sharp picture at a maximum opening, and such lenses are both the most expensive and the most universal in their application. Lenses of this class are used in making instantaneous pictures with very rapid exposures, and for ordinary view or portrait work will produce no better results than much slower and less expensive types.

Perhaps the best way to understand photography as an art rather than a “push the button” pastime is to take up the process of making a picture step by step. To begin with, the real photographer will use plates instead of films, as much better pictures usually are possible by their use. Dry plates come a dozen in a box, usually packed face to face—that is, with the film or sensitive sides facing. The plate-holder must be loaded in a dark room or dark closet, with absolutely no exposure to daylight or any artificial light whatever except a very faint light from a dark-room lantern, a combination of ruby and yellow glass or paper. We should always test our dark room and light by means of a plate before we trust them to actual working conditions. Take a fresh plate and cover it half with a piece of cardboard, or if it is in a holder draw the slide half way out and allow the dark-room light to strike it for five minutes, then develop the plate just as you would an exposed negative, and if the test plate shows the effect of the exposure and darkens, we shall need to make our light safer either by adding a sheet or two of yellow or ruby paper or we must examine our room carefully to stop up any cracks where rays of white light may enter. We must remember that a plate sensitive enough to record instantaneous exposures of 1-500 of a second must be sensitive to any tiny ray of outside light also. Almost any room will make a dark room, especially if it is used at night. By drawing the shades and by doing our work in a far corner of the room away from outside light we are comparatively safe. Of course an electric street lamp or other bright light would have to be shut out, but this can easily be done by pinning up a blanket over the window. When we have loaded our plate-holders we are ready to make a picture. Suppose, for example, it is to be a house or a vista of some kind such as a group of trees or a bit of water: the first thing of importance is to obtain a point of view that will not only give us the picture we desire but that will leave out any undesirable features that we do not care to take. Some cameras are provided with a small view finder for snapshot work, and this may often be used to get a general idea of what the picture will be.

Successful photography consists largely in knowing just what to take and what to omit. Sometimes an ugly piece of fence or a post will spoil an otherwise excellent picture. We must also remember that in a photograph our colours are expressed in black and white, and therefore a picture that depends on its colour contrast for its beauty, such as autumn foliage or a sunset, may be disappointing as a photograph.

When we have decided upon our subject, the next step is to set our camera in the proper position to permit the plate to take in what we wish. Usually it will be necessary to shift our position several times until we find the proper position. The tripod should be firmly set on the ground and the camera made as level as possible. The camera should then be focussed with the stop or diaphragm wide open. The fact that the image is inverted as it appears on the ground glass will at first be confusing to a beginner, but we soon become accustomed to it and never give it a thought. Our focussing cloth should be tightly drawn about the head to keep out as much outside light as possible. At first we have some difficulty in seeing the image on the ground glass, but after we learn to look at the glass and not through it we should have no further trouble in this respect. By moving the lens backward and forward we finally strike a position where the principal image to be photographed will appear sharp and clear. The camera is then in focus, but we shall discover that other objects more in the background or foreground will appear blurred and confused. Often it is desirable to have a blurred or “fuzzy” background, but if we desire to bring the indistinct objects in focus we must “stop down” our lens first by trying the No. 8 stop, and if this does not accomplish the results the No. 16, and so on until we get what we wish. As we look at the image on the ground glass, it will be evident that as we stop down our lens, the more remote objects are gradually brought into view with a sharp outline, we shall discover that the image on the ground glass becomes less and less distinct, which shows very clearly that we are admitting less light, and the lesson to be learned is that when we make the exposure we must give a corresponding increase in time as the amount of light admitted decreases. An exposure that would give a perfect picture at No. 8 may be very much under-exposed at No. 32 diaphragm.

Having focussed our camera and set the stop, we then close the shutter, insert the plate-holder in the back of the camera and carefully draw the slide. Omitting to pull the slide is a common mistake with beginners. We are now ready to decide just what exposure to give our plate. Rules for exposure are almost useless, but in general it may be said that the modern plates are lightning fast and that in bright sunlight at midday the average exposures will not be over 1-25 of a second. An “exposure meter” will prove to be of great assistance to a beginner, but such arrangements are not often used by experts except in doubtful cases. We soon find that we can guess at average exposures with considerable accuracy, especially if we adopt a certain brand of plate and become accustomed to its working qualities. Of course all of these speeds must be indicated on the shutter, and all we can do is to set our shutter at this point and squeeze the bulb. Correct judgment in exposure will only come after experience. In taking interior views or making pictures on dark days we shall be less likely to make a mistake than in bright sunlight. I have made two interior views, to one of which I gave ten minutes and the other an hour, with practically the same result in the negative. An over-exposed plate is flat, which means that the print will lack contrast and be unsatisfactory as a photograph.

After the bulb is squeezed and the exposure made we are ready to develop our plate and to see what result we have obtained. Of course in practice we make a number of exposures before we begin to develop. Some photographers use numbered plate-holders and keep a record of the pictures, time of day and of exposure, stop and any other items of interest. We now take the plate-holder in our dark room and prepare our developer. There are a great many developers on the market and we can scarcely make a mistake with any of them. Probably the best of all is “pyro,” but the fact that it stains the fingers is a serious objection to it for amateur use, and almost any other developer, such as metol, eikonogen or hydroquinone will be better.

These stock developers usually come in dry salts, which must be dissolved and mixed. All of this work must be done in the light so we can see that we are getting the proper proportions and that the chemicals are thoroughly in solution. The developing trays should be washed thoroughly and placed conveniently at hand so that we can find them in the dark. In addition to developers we must have what is called the “hypo” fixing bath. This is a solution of hyposulphite of soda, a chemical which is used in development and which renders the plate no longer sensitive to light, but dissolves that part which has not been acted upon by the developer. The hypo should be in a tray or box placed conveniently at hand but not so located that it will be liable to become mixed with the developer or in any way to splash or spot the plate. We must always wash the hands thoroughly after immersing a plate in the hypo before handling a fresh plate, as a very few drops will ruin a negative.

After we have prepared the hypo and the developer we are ready to develop the plate. Place it face side up in the tray and quickly pour the developer over it, being sure that the solution covers the surface immediately, to avoid unequal development. While we should not develop in a strong red or yellow light we can at least place our tray in such a position that we may watch the process of bringing up the image out of the creamy surface of the plate. This is the most fascinating part of photography. First the high lights will appear and then the shadows, and then after an instant the whole image will come into view and then begin to fade away. To know at what point development should stop will only come by experience with negatives of all sorts of classes. Generally speaking, when the image fades from view and begins to appear through the film on the glass side we should wash it quickly and immerse it in the hypo. The “fixing” in hypo will take probably five minutes and should be continued until the white coating is thoroughly dissolved. The plate may then be brought safely to the light and should be washed thoroughly either in running water for half an hour or in at least twelve changes of fresh water. Care must be taken not to touch the film side of the plate during development or fixing, as the gelatine coating becomes very soft and will show the slightest scratch or abrasion. We must dry the plate away from dust, sunlight, or artificial heat. After it is dry we are ready to make a print.