326 



RECREATION. 



Gundlach Optical Co., Rochester, N. Y. 

 Manhattan Optical Co., Cresskill, N. J. 

 New York Dry Plate Co., Guttenberg, 



N. J. 

 The Adams & Westlake Co., no Ontario 



St., Chicago, 111. 

 The Bullard Camera Co., Springfield, 



Mass. 

 The J. C. Millen Mfg. Co., Denver, Colo. 



The form referred to above is as follows: 

 I herewith express my approval of the 

 policy adopted by the several companies 

 subscribing to the circular letter of the 

 Independent Photographic Manufacturers' 

 Association of America, dated January 

 15th, and wish to express my intention of 

 handling such of their products as I may 

 elect, in conjunction with such other prod- 

 ucts as I may elect, not mentioned therein. 



Yours truly, 



I should suppose every intelligent dealer 

 in the country would subscribe to such a 

 proposition at once. I can not under- 

 stand why any sensible man should allow 

 himself to be dictated to by any combina- 

 tion of camera makers. The houses named 

 above make about all the good cameras 

 produced in this country, except the East- 

 man line, and they are not in the trust, 

 either. — Editor. 



MAKE PICTURES-NOT SNAP SHOTS. 



I note with pleasure the added space in 

 Recreation devoted to amateur photogra- 

 phy, and to me the most interesting de- 

 partment of that excellent magazine. I 

 wish to sound a note of warning to be- 

 ginners in photography. Don't go out 

 with 2 or 3 plateholders, or a magazine 

 full of plates, and snap at everything that 

 takes your eye. Most of the beginners 

 who, after a few months' experience, throw 

 away their cameras because of the expense 

 and poor returns, do that very thing. They 

 never get a taste of the real pleasure ex- 

 perienced by those who start right. Per- 

 haps you have bought a camera with the 

 idea of catching a lot of snap shots of 

 people, or things, under ridiculous or un- 

 usual circumstances. For instance, a trav- 

 eling man of my acquaintance makes a 

 collection of photos of "good-bys" — ridicu- 

 lous, pathetic, or otherwise. He bought 

 a kodak, and, when I last saw him, after 

 carrying it several months, he hadn't one 

 good negative. You must learn, as he 

 did, that it is not once in 100 times the 

 light will favor your snap shot; and when 

 it does you may not be at the eight angle 

 to catch the interesting features of the 

 scene. Study the capacity of your camera. 



Learn to know a good subject for a pic- 

 ture. If you have an ordinary camera, do 

 not try to take long-distance views. You 

 must have an extra long focus attachment 

 for such work. If you think you have 

 found a good view, don't plant your tri- 

 pod and shoot from your first point of 

 view. Change position; get a look at the 

 scene from different angles. Study your 

 light. If a water view, study its capacity 

 for reflections with a calm surface and 

 proper light. If everything is not favorable 

 pass it by and return when you think 

 it will be right. One or 2 good pictures 

 will give you more pleasure as a reward 

 for a day with your camera than a lot of 

 commonplace things, which you will look 

 at but once and then relegate to a box 

 of kindred subjects. 



F. G. Corbin, Waterloo, la. 



SPOT CAREFULLY. 

 Few novices realize that if they would 

 learn to spot negatives and prints properly 

 their work would be wonderfully improved. 

 If a dust spot is left on the negative it, of 

 course, makes a corresponding mark on 

 the print. Every hole on the negative 

 should be carefully filled with India ink, 

 opaque or other medium, and every white 

 spot not belonging on the print should be 

 neatly filled with spotting color laid on in 

 light touches with a fine pointed brush. 

 These colors are to be had at supply stores 

 suitable for all tones on Aristo paper. For 

 platinotypes drop black mixed with a little 

 Prussian blue makes the correct tint. 

 Large spots that need 'filling on prints 

 should never be filled in one dab. It will 

 show. Fill with properly matched color 

 in little touches at a time until the whole 

 spot looks even with the rest of the print. 

 Make it a rule never to fill a spot in one 

 dab when it can be done in 10 or 20. Also 

 remember that if the tint does not exactly 

 match the tint of the photograph the work 

 might as well not have been done. It may 

 encourage many an amateur who has nega- 

 tives with pinholes or black spots in them, 

 or who occasionally finds a spotty piece of 

 printing paper in a lot, to know that the 

 same trouble is constantly met in the 

 largest galleries, although after a little 

 work has been expended on them the de- 

 fects are never visible in prints delivered. 

 Hardly a print leaves the professional pho- 

 tographer that is not more or less spotted — 

 painted, in other words. White spots are 

 neatly eovered. eyes and eyelashes as well 

 as scant eyebrows, etc.. darkened suitably 

 and shadows emphasized, if necessary. 

 Beginners who may not understand the 

 value of this spotting should try to see the 

 work done in a large establishment. The 

 difference between a spotted and an un- 

 touched print is quite as pronounced as in 



