AMATEUR PHOTOGRAPHY. 



325 



the smoke of the first has settled, a pleas- 

 ant picture will invariably result. The 

 flashlight stare can be avoided by having 

 the usual lights in the room burning full. 

 The short time elapsing between uncover- 

 ing the lens and igniting the flash will 

 not impress any image on the plate. 



In focusing a family group, or any such 

 subject, in a parlor, care must be taken that 

 none of the lights in the room shine direct- 

 ly into the lens, and that there is no mir- 

 ror or other highly reflecting surface 

 which will reflect back the flashlight. 



It is not advisable, for safety or economy, 

 to mix or experiment with new compounds. 

 This has already been done and there is 

 record of a few martyrs in the cause. There 

 are several excellent and cheap flash com- 

 pounds on the market ; also flash sheets, 

 which are convenient for small work. 



Home portraiture, which is difficult at all 

 times, is less so by flashlight. If the sub- 

 ject is sufficiently trained not to move be- 

 tween, it is advisable to ignite a small 

 charge to one side and rather low down, to 

 soften the shadows, and then a double 

 charge slightly above the level of the head 

 and a little to one side. If a piece of 

 cheesecloth stretched on a frame is held 

 between the flash and the sitter, the light 

 will be sufficiently diffused without the 

 double flash, but allowance must be made 

 in the quantity of powder consumed for the 

 loss of light passing through the screen. 



In placing a subject or the figures in a 

 group, do not have the faces turned directly 

 toward the camera. This gives a flat result, 

 as in daylight work. There are great pos- 

 sibilities in genre work by flashlight. The 

 accessories of any room in the house are 

 always convenient, rendering possible ef- 

 fects that could never be obtained by day- 

 light. A long evening may well be spent 

 in arranging, posing, and portraying will- 

 ing members- of the family in graceful atti- 

 tudes among their natural surroundings. 

 Such pictures can not fail to be interesting 

 to friends, and if the work is skillfully done, 

 and the picture made to tell a story, it 

 will prove entertaining to those who are not 

 acquainted with the subjects. 



The quantity of powder consumed to 

 properly illuminate any subject, is, like 

 the timing of daylight exposures, best 

 learned by experience. It is governed by 

 the speed of the plate, the diaphragm, the 

 distance and the color of the walls in the 

 room. It is not necessary, as some advise, 

 to ignite the flash behind the camera. If 

 the lens is shielded by a hood, a cardboard 

 tube, or a cone of paper, the flash may be 

 made considerably in front of the camera, 

 with a gain in illumination and economy of 

 powder. There are some flash compounds, 

 however, that scatter slowly burning par- 

 ticles in the air. These should be avoided, 



held so as to prevent the sparks falling in 

 the line of the lens, or the shutter should 

 be closed immediately after the flash. 



In photographing an interior by flashlight, 

 where there are no animate subjects, it is, 

 of course, unnecessary to confine the opera- 

 tion to one flash. By arranging 2 or 3 

 small charges of powder around, so that 

 the strongest light is from one side, it is 

 possible to do work that could not be ex- 

 celled by a well timed daylight exposure. 

 In fact, it is possible to photograph inte- 

 riors by flashlight that could not possibly 

 be obtained otherwise. 



For work in small rooms the flash sheet 

 is to be recommended. It can readily be at- 

 tached by a pin to a piece of protecting 

 cardboard, and touched off with a taper. 

 For general work the powder is best and 

 cheapest. It is put up by various firms in 

 little wooden boxes containing sufficient for 

 an ordinary exposure. A fuse of celluloid 

 or other substance attached to the box is 

 convenient and safe; as a scorched hand 

 will soon show that any flash compound 

 can only be safely ignited at a distance. 

 After some experience has been gained in 

 the work, it will be cheaper and better to 

 buy the flash powder by the ounce or 

 pound. It can then be measured out accord- 

 ing to the requirements of the subject. 



There are numerous flash lamps adver- 

 tised. Some are good, and one should be 

 bought if much work is to be done. Such 

 a lamp should be so constructed that it can 

 be held at a safe distance or be conveniently 

 placed on a stand. It should have a long, 

 narrow pan, so the flame will be spread as 

 far as possible, and a reflector back of the 

 pan, which will also serve to shield the eyes 

 of the operator. The appliance for igniting 

 the powder should be never-failing in its 

 action, and respond instantly to the touch. 

 Flash pistols are good for several purposes, 

 and they facilitate the taking of unexpectant 

 subjects. They are like the snap shot hand 

 camera compared to the tripod camera. 

 As flash compounds give a white light 

 of short duration, true color values are 

 best obtained by an orthochromatic plate. 

 Any plate that is of a high sensinometer 

 number will, however, prove satisfactory. 

 The negatives should be developed in a 

 developer that is diluted with twice the 

 usual quantity of water. This will help to 

 bring out the fine details and counteract 

 the tendency to harshness and extreme 

 contrasts. There is no developer better 

 for flashlight negatives than a weak pyro- 

 soda solution, say 1^2 grains of pyro to 

 the ounce. — J. P. Chalmers, in The Cam- 

 era and Dark Room. 



MORE LIGHT IN THE DARK ROOM. 

 Until recently I have found the one 

 drawback to proper development in the 



