AMATEUR PHOTOGRAPHY. 



5i5 



sible, out of the reach of natural gas, or you 

 will have many rust spots to blot out. 



A knowledge of the delicate art of re- 

 touching is absolutely necessary to the 

 making of fine photographs, and I know of 

 no sure way to acquire it save to go to a 

 professional photographer and take lessons 

 till you learn. As far as possible, photo- 

 graphs should be made with the camera, 

 but there are cases where just a touch or 2 

 makes you a salable plate, of value, that 

 would otherwise be worthless. 



As to selling negatives and pictures, don't 

 be squeamish. When I found how rapidly 

 bills for plates, paper, cards, chemicals, and 

 apparatus could pile up, I registered a vow 

 to make my camera pay its way, but I have 

 not succeeded. I only wanted it to pay for 

 the material I used, so that I could have 

 large latitude in. experiments. Still I have 

 come so near it that the Deacon is still in- 

 terested in my camera and anxious to have 

 me go on. He wouldn't be if it hit him too 

 hard in the pocketbook. 



I felt like an egg-sucking dog when I 

 sold the first picture. I shall never forget 

 it. I had an idea it was a disgrace for a 

 woman, comfortably situated, to work and 

 take money for it; but the endless list of 

 expensive materials, not to mention my 

 5,000 dear friends who suddenly loomed 

 up, and all of whom wanted pictures, drove 

 me to it. 



And, after all, it is the middle class, fin- 

 ancially, who make the pictures. The mil- 

 lionaires are too lazy and the day workers 

 too busy. As the middle class has no 

 money to burn I consider it all right to 

 make your camera pay for your material. 

 If you are not a millionaire there's no use 

 trying to play you are. I know Strattons 

 by the hundred, but there's only one Win- 

 field Scott in the crowd. 



I have a rule to follow in all cases. If I 

 ask anyone to pose for a picture I give him 

 one copy of the picture. If he wants more, 

 he pays for them. If he asks me to make 

 the picture, he pays for all he gets. It may 

 be offensive to some people to sell por- 

 traits and piece work. I consider it pure 

 glory to sell negatives for illustrations and 

 advertisements. 



A DELICATE TEST FOR HYPO. 



This is often required by photographers, 

 whether amateur or professional, when 

 prints are wanted in a hurry, when washing 

 enlargements, and when working with P. O. 

 P. in summer; a prolonged washing not be- 

 ing desirable owing to the deleterious effect 

 semi-warm water has on gelatine. 



Of course, when possible, one to 2 hours' 

 washing in running water is the safest test, 

 but under certain circumstances other tests 

 have to be resorted to. 



The permanganate and starch-iodide re- 

 agents generally employed are far from re- 

 liable. Many substances have the power to 

 act on potassium permanganate (whether 

 acid or alkaline) in the same manner as 

 hypo, and some of the chemicals contained 

 in common tap-water are able to effect the 

 reaction on starch-iodide usually attributed 

 to sodium hyposulphite. The following 

 method, well known to analysts though sel- 

 dom met with in photographic works, is 

 simple, speedy, and effectual. 



A 10 per cent, solution of silver nitrate 

 should be prepared with distilled water, and 

 kept in a small dropping bottle, always be- 

 ing careful to wipe the stopper and neck dry 

 after using, or a coating of black sulphide of 

 silver will form, and some is sure to find its 

 way inside, thus rendering the solution use- 

 less until filtered. 



When any prints or plates are to be tested, 

 pour a little of the solution on a white slab 

 and lifting the suspected prints (or plates) 

 out of the washing tank, allow the drainings 

 from the bottom corner to drop into it. If 

 hypo be present, a white precipitate of silver 

 thiosulphite is formed, which, on standing a 

 short time, or immediately, if heated, turns 

 first brown, and finally floats about in black 

 specks, owing to the formation of silver sul- 

 phide. The silver nitrate must always be in 

 excess, as the precipitate is soluble in hypo. 



If only a faint yellowing is produced after 

 some time, drying operations may be pro- 

 ceeded with, as practically all the hypo has 

 been eliminated; but if a distinctly brown 

 coloration forms, the prints (or plates) must 

 have a further washing. 



Great care should be taken that all articles 

 used are perfectly clean, and that the silver 

 nitrate solution is clear. Then no difficulty 

 should be experienced in using this test, even 

 when hypo exists to the extent of 1 in 50,000. 

 — Photo News. 



DEVELOP ACCORDING TO EXPOSURE. 

 rev. dr. blake, in an English Exchange. 



What a happy thing it would be for pho- 

 tographers if the glowing promises of the 

 venders of the patent developers, warranted 

 to cure all defects of exposure and produce 

 for every worker on every occasion a per- 

 fectly graded negative, could be realized. 

 Then all the troubles of the dark room, and 

 the printing troubles which follow, would be 

 abolished. 



But, alas, it yet remains for such to be 

 discovered, and we are still obliged to in- 

 quire how we shall adapt our developer to 

 suit our exposure, whether over, under, or 

 normal in its length. 



Let us consider some mistakes in expos- 

 ure which we may make, the likely result on 

 the negative, how to counteract them and 

 restore the balance as much as possible. 



