AMATEUR PHOTOGRAPHY. 



77 



One day in making slides by reduction and 

 trying to get the correct time on a nega- 

 tive from which I had already made a 

 slide, I forgot to stop down the lens before 

 making the exposure. The slide, therefore, 

 had 3 times the exposure I intended to 

 give, so that 1 concluded it was another 

 failure. Instead of throwing the slide away, 

 however, I determined to see what I could 

 make of it. and therefore mixed the 

 following developer : 



Water 4 ounces. 



Saturated solution sodium sulphite 4 drams. 



Acetone 2 drams. 



Dry pyro 10 grains. 



To this I added 10 drops of a 10 per cent 

 solution of bromide potassium. To my 

 surprise the slide came up slowly and even- 

 ly and developed to good density without 

 the slightest trace of fog When thrown 

 on the screen it proved fairly satisfactory. 

 Taking advantage of this mistake I there- 

 after proceeded along the same lines, great- 

 ly over exposing the slides and so manipu- 

 lating them in the developer as to give the 

 best results. Since that lucky mistake I 

 have lost few slides, one exposure generally 

 sufficing where before I would perhaps 

 make 3 to 6 exposures to get a good one. 

 I do not think the above plan could be 

 followed with all developers, as the tendency 

 would be toward fogging ; but with pyro 

 acetone I have never had the slightest trace 

 of fog, and in the most contrasty nega- 

 tives the shadows will not clog before the 

 high lights and half tones gain their proper 

 gradation. The exposure I give at a North 

 window in good daylight is 3 minutes with 

 stop 16. 



Another suggestion in regard to the fix- 

 ing of slides will perhaps prove beneficial. 

 It will freauently be noticed that although 

 there is no pinhole in the slide on removing 

 it from the developer, 2 or 3 will appear 

 when the negative is in the fixing bath. 

 This generally results where the slide is 

 fixed in a flat tray. Instead of fixing by 

 laying flat in a tray, get a small box, stand 

 the slides up on edge in the hypo and pin- 

 holes will be an infrenuent occurrence. — 

 John Hadden, in Paine's Photographic 

 Magazine. 



ISOCHROMATIC PLATES; 



Isochromatic plates are especially adapt- 

 ed for obtaining color values. 



If the amateur will give a Crown plate 

 and an isochromatic of the same speed, 

 the same time and same stop, and develop 

 with the same developer, he will see a vast 

 difference, and, I believe, will use only the 

 isochromatic plate for any subject in the 

 future. The cost is only 5 cents a dozen 

 more, and the result is more than 5 times 

 better. 



A slow isochromatic plate is not the 

 best for portraits out of doors, -as 14 sec- 

 onds is too long, especially if any wind be 

 blowing. The instantaneous plate is ex- 

 cellent for outdoor scenes, especially if it 

 be stopped down to 16 F. or 32 F. For 

 all around work, the medium brand is a 

 plate hard to duplicate. The best effects, 

 of sea views or snow scenes can be ob- 

 tained on Aristo-platino paper, from these 

 plates. The surf and foam of the waves 

 show as clearly as it is possible to get 

 them. These plates are not more difficult 

 to handle than any others. Keep all white 

 light from the plate, and do not keep it too 

 near the ruby light. A red lantern, with 

 no white light coming out of any small 

 holes or openings, is as good a lamp as 

 can be had. Pyro is the best developer. 

 It brings out things more clearly and gives 

 a far better negative to print from. One 

 need not keep his hands in the pyro all 

 the time. An old knife is handy in the 

 dark room for plates sticking in the hold- 

 ers and to lift the plate out of the pyro. 

 Here is a formula for small quantities of 

 developer to be made up and used as one 

 wishes to develop ; say only 2 or 4 plates. 

 It can be made at a small cost, and always 

 full strength, giving good results : 



Stir into 8 ounces of boiled water 1 

 drachm (60 grains) carbonate of soda, 2 

 drachms (120 grains) sulphur. When dis- 

 solved, add 3 grains of dry pyro for each 

 ounce of water; less pyro, less intensity. 

 For users of 4x5 plates, 4 ounces are 

 plenty. 



In making hypo I have found it well to 

 use plain hypo and water, 4 ounces of wa- 

 ter to one ounce of hypo, and lay aside all 

 other chemicals, especially in winter. 



H. P. Wightman, Evanston, 111. 



RESULTS OF SOME EXPERIMENTS. 

 The dry plate, or film, is exceedingly 

 sensitive to light, yet people persist in over- 

 estimating its sensitiveness when taking a 

 picture and underestimating it when in the 

 developing room. Do not be afraid of slow 

 instantaneous instead of rapid instantane- 

 ous timing. Ruby light will fog a plate if 

 too near until development is well begun. 

 Last summer I bought a cow, thinking I 

 would photograph it with the children or 

 dogs or something playing with it ; also, 

 would get a genuine milking scene. When- 

 ever I tried I got everything all right but 

 the cow. She came out in silhouette, and I 

 wasted much ammunition on that wretched 

 quadruped before I found that it is almost 

 impossible to snap a red cow at 10 feet. 

 Finally, by using isochromatic plates and a 

 slow shutter, I could take my red cow 

 every time. 



. When I began to develop I entertained 

 the idea that a strong developer would be 



