i6o 



RECREATION. 



winner was made with a good lens while 

 4th was made with a cheap achromatic, the 

 lens not more than $2. You have praised 

 the fishing scene because of the great detail 

 and sharpness it possessed, yet you have 

 given 4th prize to a photo that has no detail 

 in any part of it ; while "Resting," which has 

 good detail for the subject, gets only 8th. 

 A coyote taken at the distance that was 

 should show every hair on him, while in 

 this photo the outline of the head and ears 

 had to be touched up or they would hardly 

 have shown. The only part of the picture 

 in focus is a strip of sand about 8 feet 

 back of the beast. Why should a tame pet 

 coyote, all out of focus, standing against 

 a background that shows nothing interest- 

 ing, be awarded any place at all? The cat 

 shown on the May cover and awarded 69th 

 place is so far superior to the photo award- 

 ed 4th that a comparison would be impos- 

 sible. So much for the past competition. 

 Now for the future. 



Can you not award premiums so there 

 will be some degree of fairness? 



Why bar professionals from competition? 

 They can not and never could take a bet- 

 ter photo out of doors than an amateur. 



Photos of nests and eggs should not be 

 considered. Where is there any more 

 merit in one of this kind than in a simple 

 view of a tree or flower? 



Judge the merits of a picture s a photo- 

 graph and take into account the difficulty 

 of obtaining it, but let the make of lens 

 or camera with which it was taken be un- 

 known to the judges. 



Have professional photographers for 

 judges. Have all photos claimed to be from 

 living animals or birds passed on by some- 

 one who knows something of the subject. 



Do not give prizes to one who sends 

 pictures of captive birds as wild ones. As 

 soon as a bird becomes a captive it is the 

 same as a tame one a d ought not to be 

 considered. 



If you will adopt some such lines and 

 have everything distinctly understood at 

 the start, there will be no cause for dis- 

 satisfaction. As it is now you are simply 

 encouraging the taking of fraudulent 

 photographs, by awarding prizes to fake 

 pictures and turning down those that are 

 legitimately made. Such a competition 

 would be strictly fair in all particulars. 



Charles A. Reed. 



THE WORKROOM. 



Negatives distorted by tilting the camera 

 and not having the necessary swing-back 

 can be corrected by the following device : 

 Instead of making the print by contact, 

 make it by projection. Put the negative 

 into an enlarging camera or any outfit used 

 for making bromides. Adjust your image 



on a piece of white paper or card to the 

 size you wish and then swing, or incline 

 forward or backward the top of the carrier. 

 If the top of the image is too narrow, tip it 

 backward until the lines are straight ; if the 

 top is too wide, tip it forward. Always 

 have the part of the image which is too 

 wide nearer to the lens than the narrower 

 parts. After the perpendicular lines have 

 been corrected, focus on the center of the 

 image, which is about half-way between the 

 2 extremes. Then stop the lens down as 

 far as the other conditions will permit. 

 By using F 32 to F 64 you will get suffi- 

 cient depth of focus for the most severe 

 cases. The so-called gaslight papers are 

 too slow for this work, and a bromide 

 paper of some kind must be used. It will 

 work well with the same developer, but 

 may require more bromide. 



To keep prints from curling it is not 

 necessary to soak the whole print in a solu- 

 tion of glycerine in water. This makes 

 the paper flabby and less able to resist the 

 strain of the film. It is better to apply the 

 glycerine solution to the surface of the 

 picture. Draw a layer of absorbent cotton 

 over the edge of a piece of glass. An old 

 4x5 negative will do. Then, over the 

 outside of this stretch a piece of muslin 

 and slip a rubber band. The strength of 

 the glycerine solution depends on the na- 

 ture of the print, or rather the thickness 

 of the gelatine coating; but it is safe to 

 begin with one part of glycerine to 3 or 4 

 parts of water. This is about a medium 

 strength. A few trials will show the 

 strength best suited to the paper. If, after 

 thorough drying, the prints appear moist 

 to the touch, less glycerine can be used. 

 When, on the other hand, they still show a 

 tendency to curl, use a stronger solution. 

 Of course, only gelatine papers are suitable 

 for this treatment. The prints must be dry 

 when treated, and the glycerine solution 

 can conveniently be kept in a small tray. 



Those who use amber chimneys, with 

 Welsbach burners, in the dark room are 

 undoubtedly familiar with the tendency 

 these chimneys have to break when they 

 are expected to do service. Their diameter 

 is too small, they are too short, and the least 

 flaw in the mantel will cause them to 

 break. For all around usefulness an orange 

 or ruby-colored wine bottle, cut off at the 

 top and bottom, is much to be preferred. 

 It excels in color, diameter, he : ght, dura- 

 bility, and price. The cutting is simple. 

 Wind a cotton string 3 or 4 times around 

 the part to be cut, and tie it. Saturate 

 the string with either alcohol or kerosene 

 and ignite, turning the bottle slowly till 

 the flame has become extinguished from 

 exhaustion. Dip the bottle perpendicularly 

 into a pail of cold water. The instant the 

 water reaches the string the bottle will fly 



