Landscape Nature, Photography. II 



Earl D. Huntington 



Landscape photography is relatively simple in the manipulation 

 of the camera; the tripod can usually be fully extended, which 

 permits the operator to maintain a standing position while focus- 

 ing and making his exposures; and a long exposure can be given 

 since the distant wind-swayed trees produce only a slight blur 

 in the photograph, and add to its artisticness without detracting 

 from its accuracy. 



For general landscape work, a small aperture, i. e., F-16 or 

 U. S. 16, should be used, and a long exposure given; on a bright 

 summer's day, five to ten seconds exposure will give the optimum 

 results with such plates as Cramer's Medium Isochromatics, when 

 hydrochinon developer is to be used. I may repeat that the expos- 

 ure time recommended for any brand of plates is really the mini- 

 mum and not the optimum time. Out-of-door photographers, both 

 amateur and professional are speed-mad, and insist on having "fast 

 plates." Action pictures of course necessitate instantaneous 

 exposure, but nearly all nature-photography, excepting highly- 

 specialized work, will admit of long exposure, with which the 

 best results are obtained. 



In focusing, the attention should be directed to some object 

 fifty to one hundred yards distant and its image brought into 

 sharp definition on the ground glass with the aperture wide open, 

 unless some definite object is selected specifically as the subject 

 of the picture to which the rest of the landscape will form a 

 setting. In the latter case it is better to use a larger aperture 

 so that the general setting will not appear sharply defined and 

 detract the attention from the specific object. 



For the lover of nature, a good landscape picture must not 

 only show certain definite things, but must at the same time 

 be artistic. The pictured swamp or bluff tells its particular 

 story, and the general effect pleases the artistic sense. 



After choosing the subject, both the selection of the point 

 from which to take the picture and the choice of the time of day 

 when the light will give the best results requires high art ; some 

 people show a natural aptitude along this line, but most of us 

 acquire this faculty only with long experience. However, a few 

 suggestions may be made that will prove of service to the beginner: 



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