AMATEUR PHOTOGRAPHY. 



325 



gredients are well mixed. It is as well not 

 to use too much pyro at first, as density 

 will be obtained before all the detail is out. 

 The plate must be placed in the dish and 

 the developer poured over and well rocked 

 so as to remove any air bubbles, and in- 

 sure even development. If the image 

 flashes up quickly, the developer should be 

 poured back into the measure and a few 

 drops of C added to it, shaken, and then 

 poured over the plate ; this will restrain the 

 developing action a little and prevent the 

 image becoming flat. If, on the other 

 hand, it is a long time making its appear- 

 ance, it is under-exposed, and a little of B 

 should be added, the developer, of course, 

 being poured back into the measure for it 

 to be added, shaken as before, and poured 

 on the plate. When all the detail is out 

 that it is possible to get, more pyro should 

 be added till the desired density is obtained. 

 The plate should then be well washed and 

 fixed. If a plate is known to be consider- 

 ably under-exposed, it should be allowed to 

 soak in B one ounce, water one ounce, for 

 10 minutes ; it will not develop in this solu- 

 tion, but it should be rocked to prevent air 

 bubbles forming. Then add a little pyro, 

 and it will develop. If it comes up slowly 

 and faint, a little more of B should be 

 added, and a little of A till sufficiently de- 

 veloped. If a brilliant negative is required, 

 it should be given a correct exposure and 

 be slowly developed, the developer having 

 10 drops of C added and a double quantity 

 of pyro. The pyro bottle should be kept 

 well corked ; otherwise when it is used it 

 will cause yellow negatives, and if the pow- 

 der is allowed to blow about, it will cause 

 little black specks to form on the negative. 

 The developer, when mixed ready for de- 

 veloping, should not be allowed to stand, 

 but should be used at once, as pyro oxidizes 

 when exposed to the air. It is also not safe 

 to use one lot of solution for more than 6 

 plates, as it gets thick and causes air bub- 

 bles. If the negative is well washed after 

 developing and before fixing, the resulting 

 negative will be clear and free from color. 

 — The Professional Photographer. 



FACTS AND FANCIES. 

 Occasionally I read some peculiar arti- 

 cles on amateur photography and so feel 

 free to give my experience. 

 t Lots of nonsense is written about nega- 

 tive filing. Put vour negath in nega- 

 tive preservers and stack them alphabeti- 

 cally. The marking of every exposure is 

 foolish, as the same view is not likely 

 to be taken again and if it is the light 

 conditions will be different. 



Then there is the chap who continually 

 asks for tLe best formula for a developer 

 or toning solution. Why does'nt he use 

 the ones given by the manufacturer, who 

 knows what he is about? 



To the pinhole man I say, dust your 

 plates before putting into holder; keep 

 holders and camera clean by wiping out 

 with a damp sponge. Don't use a damp 

 rag, as the lint when dry is worse than 

 dust. 



For flashlights, use enough powder. 

 The small cartridges sold 6 for 25 cents 

 are entirely too small for an ordinary iox 

 12 room. Use 3 of them and develop 

 with a fresh dilute developer. One chap 

 asks what makes Lis negatives thin. If 

 he uses metol he evidently does not de- 

 velop far enough, as metol developed 

 negatives lose in fixing. Develop far 

 enough and farther; if too dense, reduce 

 with Farmer's solution. Reducing clears 

 and makes good printing negatives. 



The teaspoonful man should see me de- 

 velop. I use at least 6 ounces of developer 

 in a 6^4x8^ tray, and never use it twice. 

 Pyro is my standby; stained fingers cut 

 no ice when good results are wanted. 



Trim your paper before toning if not 

 sure of the size you want; otherwise trim 

 before printing. It takes gold to tone the 

 dark edge. 



I do not see any more articles from the 

 chaps who are continually kicking about 

 the dealer. They don't know all there is 

 in the business. I have been behind the 

 counter and know whereof I speak. Had 

 one fair girl ask me if her plates were all 

 right; she said they looked pea green. 

 She had opened them in broad daylight 

 and then exposed them. Then I sold a 

 graduate of the high school a dozen 4x5 

 Vinco, telling him to read the instructions 

 carefully. Two days later he brought 

 them back and said they printed too 

 slowly. He showed a print which he se- 

 cured by leaving the paper in the frame 

 under a fair negative 3 or 4 hours in the 

 broiling sun. Yet they wonder why we 

 get sick and fill untimely graves. 



Amateurs should stick to one plate and 

 one developer, and master them. Then 

 learn to use a good glossy printing out 

 paper, a developing paper ana if your 

 bank account allows it, platinum paper. 

 With those 3 good results can be secured 

 from any ordinary negative. 



We often read that "It's all in the lens" 

 and now I believe t. I bought a Goerz 

 for $175 and though it is in a cheap box 

 I can make it do everything but talk and 

 win prizes in Recreation contests. 



A word about dark room labels. I 

 never had one and never shall have. I 

 can tell a solution by the shape and size 

 of the bottle in which I keep it. 



Vinco, Bethlehem, Pa. 



FROM BOX TO EXTENSION. 

 I read 'the Photo department of Rec- 

 reation with pleasure and profit, but do 

 not agree in condemning the box camera, 



