1314 



PHOTOGRAPHY 



con is fuiiii.l ti> lie (if enormous advantage, and the teach- 

 ing or c'liii-riaiiiiii.'Ml is iiKiili- m.. re fflii-ient through this 

 means, ■riicirfun-. all l.raTu^li.- of horiiciiltural activity 

 are con.-.nii-'l witli |.lii.i(ii.-i:i|.li\ . aiLil tlie progressive 

 instrurlor il.'aliiii; witli Imrticultural problems in an 

 educational institution, or handling the government's 

 money in the experiment station work, must be able 

 to practice photography with a fair degree of profi- 

 ciency, if he is to acrnmplish the host res^nlts. 



As Horticultnrnl l'!i<.f,.-.'r:,|.l.v .liff.-i-- .■~^-,-nfi-ilIv from 



the line of work •..■■■ !■•■■'' •',■■ <■•■■> -. !....i.-,ii ,,ii,,t,,^c. 



rapher is engai^i ., ^ i - ui nis 



of equipment an I m, ; , ■,\|,rri- 



effective. Tlie-e \\ li.i .1, ,,; ■. ' I iier,\vith many 



. I iiie to know and 



;m . . , "f the ordinary 



.i i".il, :i^ iM, ,|,,i|.mentand skill 

 the liuinaii face and form. Not 

 s satisfactory and eflftcietit horti- 

 .irk come from the professional; 

 eultural instructor or tradesman 

 ; up photography in an indepen- 



profi-s^i.'lial, wl 



only I'm I i:< i>i' 



CUltUlM 



and. tier, n.rr . 

 is best ser%e,l 1 



dent manner. 



4p/)arn(HS.— For views outdoors of trees, plants, etc., 

 any view camera of the regulation or of the " folding " 

 type will answer, though, as it is often desirable to 

 obtain relatively large details of fruits or flowers or 

 plants in situ, a bellows of more than the usual focal ca- 

 pacity or length is preferred. The modern "long-focus" 

 cameras are suitable, and the size most used by horti- 

 culturists is that taking a plate 5x7 inches in dimen- 

 sions. For such size a rectilinear lens with a focal length 

 of seven or eight inches is advisable; and if one of the 

 two lenses forming the combination is available as an 

 objective of about double the focal length of the cotn- 

 bination, and the camera is provided with a bellows 

 which draws out several inches beyond the focal length 

 of this single lens, mtich facility in operation is provided. 

 Any of the modern high-class view lenses are suitable, 

 and those of the anastigmatic type, which are not only 

 rectilinear but also render views in a flat and correct 

 perspective, are preferable. It need not be assumed, 

 however, that the very highest grade lens is essential, 

 for in the hands of a thoughtful and reasonably skilful 

 operator, an ordinary rectilinear lens, costing, for the 

 size mentioned, but $15 or $20, will often do satisfactory 

 work. Whatever letis is used, it should be fitted into 

 a quick - working shutter, as outdoor exposures, with 

 modern rapid plates, must be made in small fractions 

 of a second. The shutter, it may be explained to the 

 unacquainted reader, is merely a convenient device for 

 opening and closing the lens to the light for the inter- 

 val of time desired by the photographer. 



As there is frequent misconception of the work done 

 by a lens, and as even lens-makers sometimes give 

 faulty advice as to the proper objectives for any specified 

 uses, it may not be amiss to suggest to the inquiring 

 horticultural photographer an investigation on his own 

 account. Photo-Miniature No. 1, "Modern Lenses," is 

 a brief, clear and concise statement of the principles, 

 properties and construction of lenses, which may be 

 consulted to advantage. The focal length of any lens, 

 in connection with the size of the plate upon which it is 

 to be used, determines the angle and amount of view in- 

 cluded. The human eye is a lens of about 16 inches 

 focal length, and to have a photograph render perspec- 

 tive as seen by the average eye, an objective of the 

 same focal length is required. Thus, on a 5 x 7 plate, a 

 lens of 8 inches focal length will include twice as much 

 in the view, and show it in half the size as seen by the 

 eye. This forced perspective is sometimes desirable 

 and sometimes unpleasant. If the 8-inch lens is com- 

 posed of two elements on what is known as the symmet- 

 rical plan, the rear element may usually he used ahitio 

 (by screwing out the front lens), and it will hav.- a|e 

 proximately double the focus of the comhination. This 

 will give about the perspective seen by the Iniman eye. 

 and will need to be used in connection with a bellows 

 of at least the same length or "draw " as the focal length 

 of the lens. Some of the high-grade lenses are now 

 made on what is termed the "convertible " plan, each of 

 the two elenient.s being of a different focal length. Thus 



PHOTOGRAPHY 



a certain lens which as a whole is of 73^ inches focus, 

 includes one element of 12 inches focus and one element 

 of 18 inches focus. Either of these single lenses, or the 

 combination, may be used separately, so that from a 

 given position three views, including proportions dif- 

 fering as 5, 8, and 12, may be made. 



To photograph an object in natural size, the double lens 

 is preferable. If the lens be of 8 inches focus, it will give 

 natural size when placed equidistant between the object 

 and the cround-hi-- f.„M,«i„L---reen of the eamer.-l. at 

 .lonhie its f,„-ai i.e .'I: TI.M> ,1,.. l„.|l,,ws w.M.i.l l„M-d 



from the lens. 



A tripod, capable of adjustment as to height, and of 

 sufficient rigidity to sustain the camera in a moderately 

 high wind, is easily obtained. The cheaper forms are 

 fairly efficient, but the photographer who has mueli 

 traveling to do finds it preferable to obtain one of the 

 more expensive and carefully fitted types, which fohl 

 into a smaller compass. 



For indoor wnrlv. ie--iii'liTv_' t)ie making of photographs 

 of fruits, tlowiis ,.1 ,1 ..... ... I:i,i;e detail, a special 



form of i-a ra-si.i! .. : .. nalde. One arranged 



so that the canii 11 I . .: uiii'd in an inclined or 

 nearly vertieal I'lan. , w in I. i i;.- ..l.je.-t tobe photographed 

 rests on a plate-glass exposing stand in front of the lens, 

 gives great facility and ease of operation, and does away 

 with many difficulties of illumination. A few experiment 

 stations possess devices of this kind. A form which has 

 been found exceedingly satisfactory in practice is de 

 scribed in No. 13 of the Photo-Miniature, "Photographing 

 Flowers and Trees," and is here reprinted by permission 

 in Figs. 1708 and 1709, showing the camera-stand both 

 as arranged for horizontal and for vertical work. In 

 operation with this device, the fiower, fruit or plant to he 

 photographed is laid upon the plate-glass stand, and the 

 camera, fastened by its tripod screw upon a movable 

 bed, is moved backward or forward as a whole, or 

 through its bellows, initil the ilesired size and focus 

 are obtained. The i.a.l>-r.iinMl may be varied to any 

 extent desired bv .■.n.il.i.anis ,.i- cloths placed below 

 or back of the ].late-i;lass siaiid. out of focus. The 

 camera-stand is mounted on casters, so that it may 

 be readily moved about to secure the most favorable 

 lighting. Objects which can best be handled on a hori- 

 zontal plane may be disposed somewhat as shown in 

 Fig. 1708. For work of this sort a north side-light is 

 foimd vastly preferable to the conventional sky-light. A 

 greater mis"take in the equipment of a studio for hor- 

 ticultural work could not be made than to provide the 

 sky-light deemed essential by old-fashioned professional 

 photographers, although now happily abandoned by the 

 more progressive workers for a "single-slant" light, 

 which gives far better results. There should be pro- 

 vided in the work-room of the horticultural photog- 

 rapher several i:: 1 reflecting surfaces, so that the side 



of the oliji-.t ..|.|..,site tlie main source of light may be 

 properly iliuniiiiated. 



Plates iiiifl ,-nl„,-nihi,'s.-As practically all Horticul- 

 tural Photography has to do with the tints of growing 

 things, the well-known color inaccuracy of the ordinary 

 dry-plate is a serious disadvantage. The ordinary plate 

 responds most actively to the rays at the blue end of 

 the siierh-uiii. and is very sluggish in taking an iin- 



liressii.ii I'liiiri i;i ii. yellow and red, the latter color, 



itnlee.i. lieini: reii.iered itractically the same as black. 



eolo 



par 



which, to a certain extent, correct these .lilli.-iiltics, aii( 

 the skilful operator may, by the use ot lhi. proper plati 

 and in some cases a suitable ray-filler, give tipproxi 

 mately corre.t values t<. all the colors of the spectrum 

 For all or.liiiary li..rii. iiltural uses, where blue and yel 

 low are net t'<.itti.| in tlie same subject, the isochromati. 

 plate of the nii.st ra|.iii speed is satisfactory. It give; 

 yellow its pmiier value, at the same time improving thi 



