PHOTOGRAPHIC OUTFIT 21 



the paint must, of course, correspond with that of 

 the plate at the place where the hole is in the film. 

 For retouching prints both paint and pencil are 

 used. For the platinum papers a soft pencil or char- 

 coal gray and white (water-colour) will serve. With 

 the smooth, glossy papers, water-colours mixed with 

 a little albumen or gum arabic will allow of almost 

 any degree of retouching. In doing work for repro- 

 duction, it is often necessary to accentuate detail in 

 the shadows. It should, however, be done carefully, 

 as the photographic effect is easily lost. 



Exposures. — There is but one master who can teach 

 us how to expose a plate correctly under all condi- 

 tions. That master is experience. Correct exposure 

 depends so much on the quality of print we want 

 that it is impossible to give any rules on the subject. 

 An under-exposed plate yields a hard negative with 

 strong contrasts, while the result of over-exposure is 

 flatness — lack of contrast. To a limited extent 

 these defects may be corrected in the developer, but 

 if the plate is very much under-timed, no power can 

 save it. On the other hand, a very much over- 

 exposed plate may, with care, be made into a good 

 negative. So if you are in doubt about what expo- 

 sure to give, be sure to give enough — too much 

 rather than too little. 



