44 Photography for the Sportsman Naturalist 



the bottom of the plate uncovered or out of focus ; 

 and the lens can be used to include a very wide 

 angle on a larger plate than the one it is really 

 intended to cover. 



In nature work the entire success of a pic- 

 ture depends upon the sharpness of focus that is 

 obtained. There must be no diffusion of detail 

 in any part of the main object, and as much of 

 the surroundings as possible should be in sharp 

 focus also. It is therefore obvious that we should 

 pay particular attention to how we focus our lens. 

 As has been before stated, objects at different 

 distances from the camera may be brought into 

 equally sharp focus by stopping down if there is 

 not too great a distance between them. One of 

 the first things a beginner will observe, when he 

 is trying to photograph an object that is very near 

 to the camera, is that the whole object cannot 

 usually be rendered sharply with the lens at the 

 full aperture. In these cases he must focus 

 sharply upon the point nearest the camera, and 

 then stop down until all is brought into the 

 field of sharp focus and make his exposure 

 accordingly. 



In the care of lenses one cannot be too particu- 

 lar. They are expensive articles, for they are made 

 by the very highest class of skilled labor. They 

 are easily damaged and should be treated accord- 

 ingly. They should be kept as free from dust. 



