AND TREES 



29 



There is just one troublesome feature 

 Reflections, whiich presents itself in connection with a 

 downward position of the camera, and 

 that is the matter of reflections from two sources — the ceil- 

 ing of the room, if it is light in color and strongly lighted ; 

 and from the polished front and lens of the camera itself. 

 A sky-light, of course, is worse yet, as I discovered to 

 my sorrow after working one long day in a greenhouse, 

 with no chance to develop trial exposures. I had num- 

 berless pictures of the sky-light windows in great and 

 unwelcome detail ! The only sure way to obviate these 

 reflections always — and sometimes I have worked for 

 months without once being bothered ! — is to have a wire 

 frame made to fit on the three sides of the front of the 

 camera, flaring outward, and lined with black velvet. 

 This cuts off all the si(Je-light from the lens, and if it is 

 made large enough, also shuts off the possibility of any 

 reflection from the ceiling of the room. A diagram 

 (Fig. 3) shows the idea. It is 

 made so as to hook easily over 

 the edges of the camera box, and 

 one part is hinged, so that ac- 

 cess may be readily had to tlie 

 lens. This device may fold on 

 itself, taking little space while 

 not in use. A black cloth or a 

 dark card, with a close opening 

 for the lens only, may sometimes 

 be satisfactory for the cutting off 

 of reflections. 

 The above described camera- 

 stand, which is a composite of the devices of a half-dozen 

 experienced workers, may be well made by a good cabi- 

 net-maker for from $25 to $25, and all complete with the 

 lantern-slide frame and turntable, and the ground-glass 

 attachment, which is a necessity for that use, for about f 8 

 more. A much cheaper and more simple frame, not so 

 convenient, of course, is represented in Fig. 4. In either 

 of these devices, the object is attained of securing a trans- 

 parent support for the flowers, and thus disposing of the 

 heavy shadows and objectionable background texture. 

 . „ . One more almost indispensable, but 



ocusing fortunately very simple, appliance may be 

 Device. quickly described. It is a focusing device, 

 and is shown in Fig. 5. A piece of wood an inch thick is 

 notched out into half-inch steps of a half-inch rise, and 

 on these steps are pasted large figures (from a calendar, 

 for instarice), giving the inches, whil^ a cross-line is 



Fig. 3- 



