84 NATURE AND THE CAMERA 



PART III 

 PHOTOGRAPHING DOMESTIC ANIMALS 



Here we have a most delightful and thoroughly sat- 

 isfactory branch of work ; the difficulties are not 

 great and the possibilities almost unlimited. Here 

 it is that the photographer shows whether or not he 

 is an artist. Having more or less complete control 

 of the animal, he can arrange his subject so that the 

 lighting will be effective, and the surroundings are, of 

 course, at his disposal. All domestic animals are fit 

 subjects for pictures, from the fat sow and her litter 

 of pink sucklings, to the soft, velvet-coated Angora cat. 

 Whether the animal is the entire subject of the pic- 

 ture or only incidental, he is an equally fit object 

 and deserves the same consideration. Beautiful pic- 

 tures may be made of animals' heads, but, curiously 

 enough, this is not done as commonly as might be 

 expected. A fine horse's head is in itself a splendid 

 subject for a picture; the same may be said of a 

 dog's or of almost any animal's head. 



All that has been said about lenses applies here, 

 but in the way of a camera it is perhaps best to 

 have both a focussing hand-camera and one of large 

 size to be used on the tripod when short-time ex- 

 posures are possible. There is every advantage to 

 be gained by using isochromatic plates of both me- 



