1 6 Photography for the Sportsman Naturalist 



and who have the best opportunities for obtaining 

 valuable photographs, for they have the first es- 

 sential, — knowledge of the wild life which they 

 would photograph. Also they have the time to 

 devote to the work which a great many of us can- 

 not give, and the pursuit of their quarry takes 

 them, naturally, to such places as are most favor- 

 able for photographing wild life and where it is 

 most prolific. 



Let no one enter this field, however, without 

 a due appreciation of the difficulties which are 

 before him, for if he begins with the idea that it 

 is easy sailing, the undeceiving process is likely 

 to prove painful. There is no pursuit that I 

 know of that contains more disappointments, and 

 there is none that requires a larger amount of 

 patience. Job would have made a good nature 

 photographer, if all the accounts which we hear 

 of his stock of patience are true, for with a suffi- 

 cient amount of this commodity judiciously mixed 

 with a modicum of ingenuity and common sense, 

 every obstacle that presents itself can be over- 

 come. 



It is no unusual thing for one to work a whole 

 day, and work hard too, only to be forced to quit 

 at nightfall with no results to show. I have done 

 this frequently. The most disheartening part, 

 though, is to take home a batch of exposed plates 

 which we have every reason to believe should 



