THE WOMBAT. I07 



under the bow, or the eddying lines of water as they swirl in 

 the wake. Both of these suggest life and motion, and it is, 

 I believe, this suggestion of motion that is the chief charm of 

 this class of picture. As you all know the actinic light of 

 the sea is far greater than that on the land, due no doubt to 

 the reflected light from the sea itself which acts like a mirror, 

 and also to the absence of trees, &c, that would otherwise 

 break up and intercept the mass of light. On the land there 

 is little, if any, of this reflection from the soil. 



Under ordinary circumstances, and with the shutters in 

 common use, it is difficult to greatly under-expose a plate, 

 unless a small stop be used or the exposure be made during 

 a dull day in winter. Good and sufficient light will be 

 found for this particular work during Spring, Summer and 

 Autumn, and even in Winter under suitable conditions 

 satisfactory results may be obtained. A clear sky with a 

 glaring sun is not by any means the day to choose for a good 

 picture. You will get your pictures easily, but with harsh 

 shadows and probably sails that will dazzle you to look at, 

 so painfully white will they be. A clear day with hazy sky 

 or light clouds is far preferable, but in many cases a day on 

 which the sun is completely hidden will give by far the best 

 results, provided you have a good subject to work on. A 

 midday sun will rarely give a good result, and as the majority 

 of our days are sunny, the best time of the day if you are 

 fortunately able to choose your time, is either in the morning 

 or afternoon. I must admit that yachts are not like views, 

 the latter being always there, and if you want yachts you 

 must go when they are out. It is a great disadvantage, and 

 the best remedy I can suggest is that you should cultivate 

 the friendship of the owners, when the difficulty will almost 

 vanish. Try and avoid a straight, black shadow thrown by 

 one sail across another ; you lose the roundness at once. At 

 the same time all sails taken in a dead white light have just 

 as bad an effect. Both these faults are difficult to avoid in 

 strong sunlight, though it may be modified by taking the 

 boat in such a position that it will show both sides of the 

 sail at once. This seems an impossibility, but the pressure 

 of the wind and angle of heel will give such curves to the 

 sails that you get portions of both lighted and shaded sides, 

 the semi-transparency of the sails giving a soft shadow 



R. C. HOCKING, 



Clerical, Livery &> Ladies' Tailor, 



PRICES MODEEATE. 

 39, MALOP STREET, GEELONG, (Opposite Bank of Victoria.) 



