AMATEUR PHOTOGRAPHY. 



with f 16; and to my mind nothing comes 

 up to good tripod work. Plates need not 

 be developed at once, and don't be in a 

 hurry when you do go at it. 



Take a few pictures each day. Use 

 Metol-Hydrochinon developer, and acid 

 fixing bath. The plates may be allowed to 

 soak over night, while the weather is cool. 

 For a 4 x 5 plate a good soaking dish is a 

 y 2 gallon flaring stone crock. Fill it with 

 water and place in it the plate, film side 

 down, so the chemicals will drop to the 

 bottom. A few washings in such a dish are 

 worth many in a tray where the plate is 

 placed face up. 



How many of my fellow " graphers " 

 have negatives, taken while they were learn- 

 ing, that were good in all respects? 



Many thus taken are good in every qual- 

 ity save that they were over exposed, or 

 over developed, thus making them print 

 slowly and causing the prints to lack clear- 

 ness. Now, during these long winter even- 

 ings, no more pleasant occupation can be 

 found than taking these over exposed plates 

 and treating them to a dose of reducing so- 

 lution; or, if very much over exposed, to 

 an intensifying solution. In this way we 

 may yet get some good prints from them. 



Many amateurs use the fixing bath too 

 sparingly in handling solio paper, in sep- 

 arate baths. I take a gallon jug, put in it 

 13 ounces clear Hypo, 1 gallon water, Yo 

 ounce hardener and allow it to stand over 

 night," for ripening. No matter how small 

 the batch I have to fix, I use a large, white 

 wash-bowl and the whole gallon of fixing 

 bath, handling the prints from bottom to 

 top, rapidly, for full 20 minutes. I use this 

 fixing bath over and over, until I have fixed 

 nearly or quite a gross of cabinets or their 

 equivalent. Keep the solution in the jug, 

 and well corked. 



" Combined bath " is a delusion and a 

 snare and, to a struggling amateur, a con- 

 stant source of regret. It is also harder to 

 use than the separate bath. Try the latter 

 once or twice, carefully following direc- 

 tions, and you will agree with me. 



The amateur who has not the advantages 

 of a city home, where he can enjoy the 

 luxury of a well regulated camera club 

 room, and the associations connected with 

 it, should exchange prints with other 

 amateurs, everywhere. " Swap " prints, 

 methods, opinions and ideas. Write long 

 letters and take good advice from your cor- 

 respondents. You will learn more, during 

 the winter, in this way than in almost any 

 other. You may be a good operator, and 

 may consider yourself almost perfect; but 

 the first exchange you make may give you 

 a pointer in the right direction, and may 

 shatter some of your pet ideas. 



What an interesting collection of prints 

 you can have, in time! I enjoy pictures 

 made by brothe ■ amateurs, if good and well 

 chosen, as well as those I make myself. 

 I would be pleased to hear from all ama- 

 teurs who would like to exchange prints. 

 F. R. Archibald, Rock Creek, O. 



In spite of every precaution, amateurs 

 sometimes find their finger tips stained 

 from pyro. 



Instead of wearing the skin away by rub- 

 bing it on pumice stone (a method which 

 I find several amateurs adopt), the stains 

 may be got rid of in the following man- 

 ner: — 



Take 7 ounces of hot water, dissolve in 

 it 1 ounce of hyposulphite of soda, and *4 

 ounce of powdered alum; immerse the dis- 

 colored members in this for about 5 min- 

 utes and the stains will disappear. 



Bromide prints which are a trifle dark 

 may be lightened and toned to a beautiful 

 sepia at the same time, in the same bath, 

 allowing them to remain in for half an 

 hour. 



R. A. T T., in " The Photographic News." 



Karasek suggests the following method 

 for stripping gelatine negatives: Bathe the 

 plate 10 minutes in a 10 per cent, solution 

 of formalin; dry, and heat gently. Then 

 coat with a solution of gelatine made of — 



Water 1250 parts 



Gelatine 300 parts 



Glycerine 35 parts 



When dry, the negative should be bathed 

 in a 5 per cent, solution of glycerine, the 

 damp film cut round with a sharp knife, 

 and then transferred to a sheet of glass 

 which has been well cleaned with talc; then 

 the edges bound down on the glass with 

 gummed paper, and, when dry, it may be 

 coated with enamel collodion, or negative 

 varnish, and then stripped. Old negatives 

 cannot be stripped by this method, but re- 

 quire soaking in dilute hydrofluoric acid. — 

 British Journal of Photography. 



To photograph machinery set your cam- 

 era level. Use a small stop, in order to 

 get good, sharp detail. Use a quick plate. 

 If polished surfaces are too bright, give 

 them a dark coat of paint or wipe them with 

 a dirty piece of greasy waste. If you have 

 not light enough use white cardboard as re- 

 flectors; but do not put it in view of the 

 lens. A. S. R. 



In making up your list, of Holiday 

 presents put down a yearly subcription to 

 Recreation, for each of your best friends. 



Mr. L. T. Brodstone of Superior, Neb., 

 will exchange unmounted prints with other 

 amateur photographers. 



