8 PHOTOGRAPHING FLOWERS 



For indoor work, a rapid plate is desirable, because 

 when the relatively faint light is considered in connection 

 with the small stop often necessary to secure proper depth 

 of focus, the exposure is prolonged to minutes, and a 

 slow plate gives far too much chance for the fiowers to 

 sink down, wilt or shake, and it also puts an unreason- 

 able strain upon the patience of the photographer. The 

 Standard Orthonon and the Cramer Instantaneous Iso 

 chromatic plates are good for this work. The Imperial 

 Non-Filter and Hammer Ortho plates are' equivalent. 



The location for the indoor work is 

 Illumination, important. To begin with, a skylight is 



not required ; it is even a disadvantage. 

 A room with two windows, either opposite or at right 

 angles to each other, these windows provided with white 

 shades — and opaque shades also, if it can be so arranged 

 — is the proper thing. If one of the windows faces the 

 north, and if the walls of the room are white or any light 

 color, so much the better. I am fully aware that I am 

 sadly heterodox in suggesting two sources of light, but 

 wait ; the operator will see what the use of two windows 

 is, and it is far easier to shut off superfluous light than to 

 struggle along with half enough. If you can't get north 

 windows, take any other aspect. The principal thing 

 is to have plenty of light from some direction, and to 

 have it under control. 



In addition to the room, accessories 

 Backgrounds, of several pieces of cardboard, the full 



22 X 28 size, or larger if possible, will be 

 needed, these cards to oe both white and dark. The 

 mounting card known as "carbon black" is most excel- 

 lent as a dark surface ; and a large shaded "Rembrandt" 

 mount will also be found of much utility. The back- 

 grounds must be free from gloss, else one has an extra 

 trouble on hand when there are enough other items of 

 bother ! A dark gray cloth of rather smooth, even tex- 

 ture — as serge or flannel, or, what is even better, felt — 

 forms a very useful background ; but it must be so kept 

 as to be free from sharp folds. One of the very first 

 things the flower operator needs' to do is to photograph 

 the various backgrounds, or pieces of them, all together, 

 so that a comparative view of their various tone values 

 may be had. 



.Several of the best workers lean strongly to either pure 

 white or dead black backgrounds — the former obtained 

 by white cardboard and the latter the result of the use of 

 black velvet. While these adepts get some charming 

 effects with the violent contrasts thus afforded, the novice 



