March, 1920 
Z3l)fc~!Flowfcr (Brower 
43 
Flowers and 
By Wai.ti 
[ IV rirten expreitly for The Flower Grower. ] 
We that follow flower growing as a 
hobby, without thought of monetary 
profit, are ever reluctant to see the 
ephemeral loveliness of the work of 
our hands and hearts fade away in the 
death that claims all living things. 
And especially is this true of those 
flowers that are expensive, or of which 
we may have but a single plant. The 
lovelier they are, the more we hate to 
see them depart out of our lives for the 
space of twelve months; the shorter 
their period of bloom and keeping 
qua ities, the more unwilling are we to 
let them go. But go they must, the 
fairest and the finest, even as the 
homeliest and the cheapest, leaving 
behind nothing but memories to re- 
main with us during the long year that 
must be traversed before we can have 
them amongst us once more, with the 
tedious, bleak hours of winter in be- 
tween, wherein we can do little for our 
work except dream of and plan for the 
next season of floral endeavor. 
True, one should not care to see the 
same flower in the same vase for 
months at a time, in which case the 
most beautiful would become common- 
place; but it hurts to see some extra 
handsome specimen wilt after but a 
day or two of pleasure-giving. One 
feels almost as does the parent that 
bids good-bye to a child just starting 
on a long and hazardous journey, from 
which it may come back changed from 
its present self. One fain would keep 
it yet a while longer. One does not 
like to be dependent on memories only; 
for memory is ever an elusive fellow, 
whose nimble limbs enable him to 
evade our efforts to hold him fast. 
Here comes to our aid the camera 
and its work, the photograph. The 
fond parent has photographs of the 
child to turn to while it is absent— a 
meager substitute, it is true, yet a true 
likeness of the loved one. Of course, 
one may not have so many children as 
flowers; so, obviously, to remember a 
child were much easier than to remem- 
ber a single blossom amongst dozens 
or hundreds of different varieties. It 
were like a school teacher trying to re- 
member the exact appearance and 
dress of each of her numerous pupils, 
to recall, later, how a certain flower 
looked during a certain season. 
Therefore, why not photograph the 
flower, even as we would photograph 
our children ? — and I am sure that most 
of us look on our flowers as at least 
fairy children. Why not make perpet- 
ual their charms, to pay us further for 
our work and care of them? Why not 
make it possible to show an equally 
enthusiastic flower-growing friend or 
neighbor the quality of our blossoms, 
instead of merely trying to describe 
them, a proceeding that is ever difficult? 
Why not store up a world of summer 
cheer in pictures of summer and her 
fair flowers, to fill many an otherwise 
dreary winter evening with pleasure in 
reviewing them? Why not combine 
the Camera. 
D. Boyd. 
the camera hobby, at least as far as it 
applies, with that of flower growing? 
And here I might add a suggestion 
to the commercial grower, for there 
may be often profit where there is 
pleasure. I know from my own ex- 
periences in buying flowers from cata- 
logues, that those pictured appealed a 
great deal more to me than those 
simply described, though I shall admit 
that one could not in reason illustrate 
each variety of the many flowers now 
on the market. Why not have copies 
of photographs made of several good 
or new varieties not pictured in the 
price list, and enclose one now and then 
in letters to prospective customers? 
For a picture ever tells its story better 
Gladiolus varieties A /ton, Azalea and Crinkles photo- 
graphed by the author on ordinary Eastman film with- 
out color filter. 
than a wordy description. And I am 
sure that the recipient of such a photo- 
graph would value it, even if that par- 
ticular flower was not purchased, and 
thus a feeling of friendliness would be 
built up between seller and buyer, and 
friendliness in business is a great factor 
in governing sales. 
Granting, then, that picturizing our 
flowers were a good thing, what type 
of camera shall we use? There are 
several kinds that are well adapted to 
this class of photography, and others 
that can be used to good advantage. 
Personally, I use a revolving-back Auto 
Graflex, 3j x 4|, fitted with a B. & L. 
Tessar Ic f4.5 lens and long bellows ex- 
tension, and think it the best ever; but 
any reflex camera, or camera with 
ground glass back for focusing, with a 
long bellows extension, which enables 
one to get “close up” to the subject, will 
give fine results— the lens need not be 
an expensive one either. The reflex 
type and that with the ground glass 
focusing back allow for perfect com- 
position of the picture, as well as 
eliminating the usual bogey of close 
up pictures— out of focus. And even 
the less expensive kodaks and cameras, 
fitted with a portrait attachment, give 
very good results, though one is not 
able to work so close to the subject to be 
portrayed, thus giving a smaller image 
by reason of the limitations of this 
appliance. With large flowers, an en- 
tire plant, or a large vase of flowers, 
the portrait attachment will do the 
work; but to picture a single Gladiolus 
bloom, or a single Rose, showing each 
line and vein and color gradation, a 
long-bellows camera is necessary, or 
the picture taken with the portrait at- 
tachment must be enlarged, a pro- 
ceeding not very desirable, to my 
notion, on account of the likelihood of 
getting the flowers out of due pro- 
portions. For use afield, when I do not 
care to take my heavy Graflex along, 
I use a Premo No. 12 with portrait at- 
tachment and color filters, the filters 
in the form of gelatin film, cut so as to 
fit inside the portrait attachment, 
which gives fine results within the 
limits of the attachment. 
Further, for the best results, a color 
filter suited to the subject to be por- 
trayed should be used; and for the very 
best, a panchromatic (sensitive to all 
colors) plate should be used in addition 
to the filter. This is advisable, if the 
very best results are desired, on ac- 
count of the ordinary film and plate 
being insensitive, or nearly so, to cer- 
tain colors, notably, yellow and red, 
which photograph almost black, while 
blue is registered almost white or en- 
tirely so. However, the panchromatic 
plate and the filter are not absolutely 
necessary to get good pictures, they 
merely do much better work than with- 
out them; for fine pictures may be 
made with the common roll film and 
film pack. 
And the procedure is easily mastered 
that makes for successful flower pic- 
tures. One needs but to buy a Bur- 
roughs “Wellcome” Exposure Record, 
learn the range of lighting in the room 
in which the exposures are made, so 
that, once finding the factor best suited 
to one’s workroom, all subsequent ex- 
posures may be easily figured out. A 
room with a southern exposure, I think, 
is best, the subject being placed about 
three feet from windows, in a room of 
two or more windows, nearer, if only 
one window or poor light, care being 
taken not to let direct sunlight fall 
upon either flower or background, 
which should be white in most cases, 
and, for best results, placed two or 
more feet back of the subject. The 
exposure record, which gives the cor- 
rect exposures under varying conditions 
of season, lighting, and film, is worth 
its weight in gold to all that desire to 
make successful photographs of any 
nature. The price will be saved on the 
first two or three rolls of film or boxes 
of plates. 
Of course, flower pictures, for the 
most satisfactory results should be 
“time” exposures, and the indoor ex- 
posures cannot be made in any other 
way. In the case of a vase of flowers, 
or a plant, with individual blossoms at 
different distances from the lens, focus 
should be made on the most distant 
