242 



RECREATION. 



stead of paper. The sensitizers now on 

 the market can also be used on glass, cel- 

 luloid, wood, silk, paper and postal cards. 

 If a sufficient number of Recreation 

 readers wish an explanation of this process 

 I will give it. A strong 5x7 landscape 

 negative prints exquisitely, for framing, 

 on coarse linen; and portraits of beautiful 

 ycung girls and children on fine linen or 

 silk. For old faces, if they are frail and 

 delicate, use fine linen; if they are strong 

 and lined, especially typical heads, use very 

 coarse. 



The Nepera Chemical Company wrote 

 me they had sent me samples of their new 

 sensitized postal cards and a heavy, rough 

 paper. When the package arrived I laid it 

 carefully away in my print paper box. 

 Two weeks later, having a little leisure, I 

 decided to try it. I made a trip down town 

 for chemicals, got out several negatives I 

 wanted to try, and the whole chemical ap- 

 paratus, mixed my stuff and put up the 

 shutter. Then I carefully opened the pack- 

 age and took out some beautifully printed 

 business eards! 



The December number of the Photo- 

 American contains an article on develop- 

 ing, in which it says: "Just snap the thing, 

 and then develop, develop, develop until 

 the negative is as hard as granite. Then 

 after fixing, wash thoroughly and use per- 

 sulphate of ammonia according to form- 

 ula published in this journal. The fore- 

 ground will remain the proper strength, 

 while the other distances will simply clear 

 up and maintain the proper balance." The 

 thing in question was the Dewey arch. 

 When doctors disagree, who shall decide? 



A certain magazine for December con- 

 tains some reproductions of photos of elec- 

 tric sparks, made in the line of scientific 

 research, by J. K. Tarrant. To the naked 

 eye a spark of electricity is a mere flash; 

 to the wonderful dry plate it is an exquisite 

 figure of almost mathematical precision. 

 From a central point branch out long 

 feathery fronds, reminding one of the most 

 delicate sea ferns and mosses in undulating 

 water; or the exquisite tracery of Jack 

 Frost on our winter windows. 



The motto of the amateur photographer 

 is to "expose for the shadows and let the 

 high lights take care of themselves." 



Later I shall quote some authorities on 

 the question of time. 



PHOTOGRAPHIC RETOUCHING. 



G. A. MACK. 



Last summer I reached the portrait 

 stage of photographic art and tasted of 



(hat knowledge which increaseth sorrow. 

 My estheticism led me to choose subjects 

 from among the pretty girls of my acquain- 

 tance, and, Eve-like, they fed me with 

 apples. , 



The first thing over which I tripped was 

 the light. Not -possessing a specially con- 

 structed studio, I used a room lighted from 

 the North by 2 large windows. No pos- 

 sible arrangement in it of background and 

 reflectors would give an even lighting. It 

 was all right for Rembrandt and other 

 freak effects, but those were not popular 

 with my subjects. Few ladies care to have 

 a shadow cast over any of their charms. 

 Finally, I took to posing my victims on 

 the lawn in the shade of the house. When 

 I had impressed the family clothes-horse, 

 draped with light gray cambric, into ser- 

 vice as a background, lo! the light problem 

 was solved. 



Then my portrait lens developed a mi- 

 croscopic attention to detail that was posi- 

 tively disgusting. If a girl was blessed by 

 Hygeia with just enough freckles to be al- 

 together charming that morbidly conscien- 

 tious lens saw in her face something re- 

 sembling a faded checkerboard with fea- 

 tures. However, I got around that diffi- 

 culty by vignetting, and, in severe cases, 

 by covering the printing frame with one 

 or 2 extra thicknesses of silk bolting cloth. 

 Of course, this made printing slow; but 

 ■ art is long at best. In this way I produced 

 portraits which I saw were good. With 

 feminine perversity my subjects refused to 

 see what I saw. They pouted. They made 

 disparaging remarks: "Oh! do I look like 

 that!" "How big you've made my mouth." 

 "I don't think it looks a bit like me." 



Averaging their comments, I learned 

 that every pretty woman thinks herself 127 

 per cent, handsomer than she is. Then I 

 took counsel with myself and vowed I 

 would yet make a portrait of some snub- 

 nosed, freckle-faced girl more beautiful 

 than that of an houri fresh from Paradise. 

 Alas! To say is one thing; to do, another. 

 I bought materials, made a retouching 

 desk, and strove manfully. Experience 

 taught me that there are refinements in 

 retouching beyond the ordinary amateur. 



To do really artistic work one must 

 have been born an artist, yet any one may 

 learn by practice to greatly improve an un- 

 satisfactory negative. Freckles, moles and 

 wrinkles may be removed from a portrait, 

 bones hidden, hollows filled out, eyebrows 

 curved and defined, under lips plumped 

 and straggling hairs clipped from careless 

 coiffures. The enlargement of an eye, the 

 straightening of a nose and the change of 

 expression come within the province of 

 the artist. 



"Spotting out" is a delusion and a snare. 

 It requires work on both negative and 



