11 



DEVELOPMENT, OR WORK IN THE DARK ROOM. 



A properly exposed plate may be easily spoiled in the dark room. 

 In insect photography, where detail is the essential element desired, 

 the slower, contrast developers are better than the quicker ones used 

 in landscape and portrait work. The following developer has given 

 me good results for several years. It is also well adapted for lantern- 

 slide making: 



Ounces. 



I. Water 40 



Sulphite of soda, crystals 8 



Hydroquinone 1 



Bromide of potassium . .. £ 



II. Water T __~_ ... 40 



Carbonate of soda, crystals 8 



For use, mix equal parts of I and II. 



Usually beginners do not develop long enough. Let the image come 

 up slowly and gradually go back into the background. The appear- 

 ance of the image on the back of the plate is often a good criterion 

 when to stop. 



For fixing I use a plain hypo bath of 1 pound hypo in 2 quarts of 

 water, and I pour about a teaspoonf ul of acid sulphite of soda solu- 

 tion into a quart of hypo in my fixing tray. This acid soda prevents 

 the hypo from discoloring for a long time and helps it to give clear, 

 stainless negatives. I haA T e had considerable trouble with other much 

 more complicated acid fixing baths. 



I have made but little use of intensifying solutions. I throw away 

 thin negatives and try again. But I find a reducing solution an essen- 

 tial, especially in making lantern slides. I use an ordinary reducer, 

 composed of 1 ounce of ferricyanide of potassium (red prussiate of 

 potash) dissolved in 10 ounces of water. Pour a few drops of this 

 into a little hypo fixing solution, dip the freshly washed negative or 

 lantern slide in a hypo bath for a moment, then with a small brush use 

 the reducer locally over the plate, washing out all muddy backgrounds 

 or too dense spots. 



MAKING PRINTS. 



Make your own prints, for it is the most fascinating part of insect 

 photography, and your negatives will get better care in your own 

 hands. I have tried the " velox" and similar papers for making 

 prints, but find that the "aristotype" papers, burnished on ferrotype 

 plates, give me the most detail. With water colors or ink I often 

 paint out pins or put in hairs on the finished print. I have never 

 tried making very large bromide or other prints from smaller pictures 

 or negatives, but some very satisfactory work has been done by the 

 late Mr. V. H. Lowe and others. 



