LMIOTOGRAIMIY 



557 



sun gets high, rest. Later in the day, as the 

 shadows grow longer, work. 



When possible, avoid working with the sun 

 shining directly on the back of the camera. 

 Let the light come from one side, or even from 

 the front, provided the lens can be shielded from 

 the direct rays. This may seem like photo- 

 graphic heresy, for the instruction books in 

 substance read, "When making an exposure 

 have the sun at your back to avoid fogging 

 the plate." The kind of fog here referred to 

 is that caused by the direct rays of sunlight 

 passing through the lens to the plate during 

 exposure. There will be no fog of this kind 

 when the sun is on the side and a little back of 

 the camera. With the lisfht on one side and 

 considerably in front, or over and in front, 

 danger of fog can be obviated by shading the 

 lens with the slide from the plate holder, the 

 hat, by placing the camera in the shadow of 

 a tree, and frequently the photographer can 

 so stand that his shadow shall fall across the 

 lens. But, in all cases, care should be taken 

 that the object used for shading the lens shall 

 not cut off any part of the view from the plate. 

 Better effects of light and shade and, generally, 

 a more pleasing picture will be secured by 

 one of these methods than when the light 

 comes directly from behind the camera. 



If the amateur, instead of dabbling at ran- 

 dom into many branches of the work, will 

 take up one line and follow it systematically 

 until he has mastered it, then successively 

 start on other lines, pursuing each in the same 

 manner as he did the first, the sooner will he 

 qualify himself to meet emergencies and, even 

 under trying and unfavorable conditions, to 

 produce good work in various branches. 



Exposure 



The term ''normal exposure" is ambiguous; 

 it is a rock over which the beginner stumbles. 

 It has no established standard, and there is 

 not written the chapter clearly defining it. 

 There is no general rule for exposure. To 

 secure a good negative a certain amount of 

 light action is essential; but there may be an 

 increase of that light action, or exposure, and 

 a negative equally as good obtained. This 

 latitude in exposure varies with the amount 

 and the intensity of the light action on the 

 plate or film. In a shady ravine, the woods in 

 summer, or an interior, the latitude is greater 

 than in an open field. There will be more lati- 

 tude when working with a small stop than with 

 the open lens. 



» 'Even as we were writing the first lines of this 

 article, the postman brought two letters: one 

 from Pennsylvania, stating that the corre- 



spondent's plates are cither over or under ex 

 posed, and asking if we recommend a certain 

 maker's exposure meter. The other letter is 

 from Minnesota, and says "Is it best to use 

 an exposure meter?" is the question so often 

 asked by the novice. He then argues that a 

 better way is to keep a record of each exposure, 

 to which one can refer after a few dozen ex- 

 posures, and find the correct time for any sub- 

 ject; and then writes, "This is a far more 

 accurate way than to find out the strength of 

 light by the use of printing-out paper, as new 

 paper prints faster than old and the different 

 brands vary in the time required to print to a 

 given shade." 



To the above inquiries we would say we 

 know men who use exposure meters who are 

 strong advocates in their favor. But having 

 had no occasion to use an exposure meter our- 

 selves we are not in a position either to recom- 

 mend or condemn. Twenty years ago we 

 were working on the seemingly complicated 

 problem of exposure. We never let an article 

 on the subject pass without reading it. All 

 indicated that there was but one exposure which 

 was right, and that all others were wrong. None 

 helped us in the solution of the exposure prob- 

 lem. We worked always in doubt and with 

 no confidence until we tried the following 

 experiment, which was suggested to us by a 

 veteran photographer: 



Select a subject, and when it is in focus 

 be sure that the general illumination on the 

 ground glass is uniform; that one side is not 

 strongly lighted and the other in deep shadow. 

 Insert the plate holder, but instead of drawing 

 the slide as usual, draw it but a short distance, 

 a half-inch or an inch. Make a short exposure, 

 a half-second or a second in the field, or a 

 quarter or half-minute for an interior. Then 

 draw the slide a half-inch or an inch farther; 

 expose, giving the same time as was given for 

 the first. Repeat until all of the plate is ex- 

 posed. The negative when developed will 

 show a series of exposures, the last of which 

 will be timed the least, the next twice as much 

 as the last, and so on. If ten exposures were 

 made, and the time given each one second, the 

 negative will show the result of a series of 

 exposures running consecutively from one 

 to ten seconds. From this the photographer 

 can easily determine, not only the correct ex- 

 posures, but also the latitude. It will be well 

 to repeat the experiment several times, but 

 under different conditions of lighting, and 

 using a different stop for each experiment. 



This experiment is also a good one for de- 

 termining the exposure in the printing of gas- 

 light papers, bromide enlarging and lantern 

 slide making by having all but a small part of 



