AMATEUR PHOTOGRAPHY. 



407 



able of producing good material for illus- 

 trations. I often receive prints which I 

 should be glad to reproduce, but which 

 would go all to pieces in the reproduction. 

 Many of the prints reproduced appear in 

 the half tone reproduction gray and flat, 

 and are by no means so effective as they 

 might be with a little care on the part of 

 the photographer. I shall, therefore, re- 

 produce in Recreation, from time to time, 

 certain guide prints as suggestions and 

 some articles from the pen of K. Rowa on 

 "Picture Making with the Aid of the 

 Camera." — Editor. 



LIQUID LENSES. 



A new rapid lens has been invented by 

 an Englishman and patented in both the 

 United States and Europe. It is probable 

 that it will be on the market the coming 

 season. While not such a wonderful affair 

 as was first heralded, it is of a sufficiently 

 advanced nature to make its possession 

 desirable, providing the price does not soar 

 too high. 



The lens is composed of thin pieces of 

 glass between which is a liquid of prac- 

 tically no dispersive power, but as tem- 

 perature has much to do with its availabil- 

 ity, it must be kept at a temperature be- 

 tween 46 and 72 degrees F. Dr. von Hoegh, 

 of the firm of Goerz, says that a change of 

 temperature of only 2 degrees will cause 

 a decided change in the optical ^constants, 

 but this extreme sensitiveness to heat and 

 cold is denied by the makers. It covers a 

 field of about 60 degrees, and Dr. Grun, the 

 inventor, says that he can sit in the stalls 

 of a theater and take perfect pictures of 

 the performance with an exposure of 1-100 

 second. 



Thus far the largest instrument made 

 for sale just nicely covers a 4x5 inch 

 plate. With such a lens it will be pos- 

 sible to get bright views of conventions in 

 session ; of noted men making evening 

 speeches, where the illumination is only 

 ordinary gas or electric light; and of those 

 social occasions which now can only be 

 preserved photographically by the use of 

 flashlight powder, with its objectionable 

 smoke and dust. — Editor. 



BROMIDE ENLARGEMENTS. 

 Will some reader of Recreation please 

 explain the art of enlarging with a common 

 focusing camera? By making a mask for 

 the window, in a room that has but one 

 window, and cutting a square hole out near 

 the bottom of the mask, just the size of the 

 plate or negative to be enlarged, then ex- 

 cluding all other light, placing a negative 

 over the opening, removing the ground glass 

 from the camera and placing the camera 

 back up to the opening, a perfect enlarge- 



ment of the negative will be thrown on a 

 white screen placed in front of the camera. 

 Is there a developing paper that will print 

 the negative enlarged if placed on the 

 screen? Will someone explain how this 

 will work and if it can be done what kind 

 of paper to get and where to get it? 



J. E. Brackett, Newport, Maine. 



ANSWER. 



Royal bromide enlarging paper will print 

 such a negative. This paper can be pro- 

 cured at any regular photographic dealer's, 

 with instructions for development. It is 

 developed in the ordinary way. Large trays 

 can be procured for the purpose. In mak- 

 ing the picture, first get the focus on the 

 screen; then extinguish the light. Fasten 

 the bromide paper, cut to required size, to a 

 strong frame or heavy board surface so as 

 to occupy exactly the position of the white 

 screen on which image was focused. — 



Editor. 



SIZE OF STOP. 



I have a folding camera with Iris dia- 

 phragms. What stops should I use on a 

 bright day and on a cloudy day? For in- 

 teriors, how long should I expose the plate? 

 How can I keep my plates from frilling 

 at the edges ? For distant views, should 

 I extend the front of my camera? 



I. C. Beers, Gervais, Ore. 



ANSWER. 



If you want sharp pictures with strong 

 contrast, use small stops on a bright day. 

 If the day be cloudy let more light on 

 your plate by using larger stops. Without 

 seeing the interior and knowing the con- 

 ditions of the light to be used, the charac- 

 ter of lens with which the view is to be 

 made and the plate on which it is to be 

 taken, it is not possible to say what ex- 

 posure should be given. Try a few ex- 

 periments. Use comparatively little light, 

 a medium stop and a long exposure, and 

 develop with slow developer. Parafin 

 is sometimes rubbed round the edge of a 

 plate to prevent frilling. If immersed in a 

 solution of formalin a few minutes after 

 fixing, plate will not blister nor frill. In 

 summer the developing bath should be kept 

 cool. You will find it more necessary to 

 extend the front of your camera for near 

 than for distant views. — Editor. 



A UNIVERSAL DEVELOPER. 

 I occasionally see complaints from ama- 

 teurs in whose hands velox paper blisters. 

 I have made hundreds of prints on velox 

 and have never had but one case of blister- 

 ing. That was caused, I am sure, by wet or 

 damp fingers coming in contact with the 

 sensitive surface of the paper before de- 

 velopment. 

 - It is surprising how many otherwise well 



