18 WILD LIFE AND THE CAMERA 



It is during such times that the lessons are learnt, 

 that the unexpected events take place. The 

 actual photographing takes very little time, but 

 the watching is never ended for those who really 

 wish to observe and learn. 



" What sort of camera should I use ? " How 

 often have I been asked this question, and yet it is 

 always equally difficult to give an adequate and 

 comprehensive reply. (1) What sort of man or 

 woman are you ? (2) Where are you going to 

 hunt? (3) What are the conditions? (4) And 

 finally, what can you afford for the outfit ? These 

 are perhaps the principal questions, and the answers 

 are determined by further questioning. (1) Are 

 you lazy or painstaking ? If lazy and still insist on 

 hunting with the camera (though in this case it 

 would be quite against my advice that you should 

 engage in a task, or sport, that depends so much on 

 energy and perseverance) I advise an ordinary hand, 

 folding camera, using films. The pictures you will 

 obtain won't be worth much but they will be all 

 you deserve. Are you painstaking ? Then we shall 

 have to answer the other questions first. (2) If 

 you would hunt in the north, a telephoto lens of 

 moderately high power need not be considered. 

 If in a thickly-wooded country it is also of little 

 or no use. Perhaps you are surprised that I 

 should deal with the lens before speaking of the 

 camera, but that is reasonable, for the camera must 

 be of type suited to the lens or lenses you expect 

 to use. (3) Is weight an important item ? If it is, 

 plates will have to be eliminated or practically so. 

 Are you going to work from a horse or from a 



