S' C flbfl JL. W Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2018 with funding from Getty Research Institute https://archive.org/details/sunlightshadowboOOadam SUNLIGHT AND SHADOW Sunlight and Shadow A BOOK FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS A MA 1E UR . 1ND PROFESSION A L EDITED IIV W. I. LINCOLN ADAMS Illustrated by (Original photographs from feature “ The best in this kind are but shadows, and the worst are no worse, if imagination amend them.”—S hakespeare NEW YORK THE BAKER & TAYLOR COMPANY 5 and 7 East Sixteenth Street Copyrighted 1897 BY The Baker & Taylor Company I'KESS < 1 1 S'l N LES & \SH, NEW YORK TO MY FRIEND B ENJA MIN JVE S T KI LB URN A R TIST-PHO TOGRA /’HER preface M Y little book entitled “Amateur Photography” was designed, as its sub-title suggested, to be a “practical guide for the beginner.” The present volume seeks to aid the more advanced photog¬ rapher. It is assumed that the reader has mastered the technicalities of photography, and now desires to make better pictures. I have therefore collected from “The Photographic Times,” “The American Annual of Pho¬ tography,” and other sources, the following articles and illustrations by the best authorities on Photographic Landscape and Studio Art, including, also, some papers and illustrations of my own, in the hope that they may help, by precept and example, the photographer who desires to advance in pictorial photography. Montclair, June, 1897. W. I. LINCOLN ADAMS. Contents PAC I. The Choice of Subject - - - - 15 II. Landscape without Figures - 23 III. Landscape with Figures - - - 31 IV. Foregrounds ------ 39 V. The Sky - - - - - - - 47 VI. Out-door Portraits and Groups - - 57 VII. The Hand Camera 69 VIII. Instantaneous Photography - 79 IX. Winter Photography - - - - 91 X. Marines ------- 101 XL Photography at Night - - - - 113 XII. Lighting in Portraiture - - - - 119 XI LI. Photographing Children - - - -125 XIV. Art in Grouping - - - - • 133 Cist of Illustrations In Prospect Park (Brooklyn), By the River, Morning Mist, - Day’s Decline, Winter, .... The Jungfrau, On Lewes Creek, Woods, ----- By the Stream, - The Jungfrau, In the Highlands, - Landscape and Clouds, Shades of Evening, - Returning from Market, An English Country Scene, Study of Fisherfolk, - A Sicilian Idyll, Mending Nets (Katwyk), Here Comes Father, A Wet Day on the Boulevard, Foregrounds— No. i, “ No. 2, “ No. 3, No. 4, - “ No. 5, No. 6, - The Sky— No. i, “ No. 2, No. 3. IV. I. Lincoln Adams , 14 A. L. Eidcmiller , - - - 17 //. P. Robinson , - - - - 1S A. Horsley Hinton, - - 20 IV. H. Dodge, 24 Dr. J. Aleincr , - - - 24 H. Troth, - 25 P. Dementjeff, - - - 26 E. B. Garrison, 26 Alfred Stieglitz. - - - 27 IV. Dawes, - - - - 2S Arthur Burchett, - 29 - Her Grace The Duchess of Sermoneta, 30 Alfred Stic glitz, - - - 32 Seymour Conway, 33 Miss 1 \. G. Spink, - 34 Count Von Gloedcn, 35 Alfred Siieglitz, - 36 Jesse Poundstone, 37 Alfred Stic glitz, - - - 38 H. P. Robinson, - - - - 40 ... 41 - - - - 42 43 - 44 45 - 48 48 ' 49 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS The Sky— No. 4, - “ No. 5, ----- “ No. 6, - Hilltop Farm, ------ A Gl'Tach Meeting, ----- Intimate Friends, ------ An Alpine Cross, ------ As She Comes Down the Stairs, “ What is Your Fortune, My Pretty Maid? “ Nobody Axed You, Sir,” she said, The Shepherd,. “ He Cometh Not," she said, - A Favorite Occupation, Venice, Winter, Fifth Avenue, - A Blockade, New York, - - - - Wash-day, Venice, ------ A Hot Day, ------- In the Fields, - A Bit Near Munich, ----- . A Venetian Well, ------ A Venetian Bit, - Venetian Characters, - Katwyk Beach, ------ Mid-ocean, ------- The Diver, ------- Throwing the Hammer, - A Rise in the World, - The Start, ------- Jumping, ------- A Snap Shot, ------- A Reminiscence of Winter, - Under the Willows, - A Country Lane in Winter, - End of a Winter’s Day, - - - - Frost Laden, ------- H. P. Robinson, - - - 51 - 52 - 1 - - 53 IV. I. Lincoln Adams, - - 55 Alfred Stic glitz, - - - 57 Mabel Osgood Wright, - - 5S Alex. Keighley, - 60 R. Eickemeyer, fr., 62 Major R. H. Brown - - 64 “ “ 0 5 II. K. Noyes - 66 R. EicIcerneyer, Jr., - - 67 A If red Stieglitz, - 68 - 6g 70 - 70 71 72 73 - 74 75 - 76 77 - 73 Louis Mel don, - - - - 81 - S2 The Marquis de Alf arras, - 83 Janies Burton, - - - - 85 S8 C. C. Langill, - - - - Sg lV. I. Lincoln Adams, - - 92 “ - - - 93 A. R. Dresser, - - - 94 W. B. Post, - - - - 95 Randall Spaulding - - 96 SUNLIGHT AND S HA DO 11 Boston Public Garden, ----- Newton IV . Flwcll , A Winter Morning in Brookline, - - - A Rough Morning, ----- Frank HurndaU , Holy Loch, - - - - - - - H. P . Robinson , Mr. Gould’s “ Atlanta,” - - - - “ “ Valkyrie III, Aii.sa, Britannia, - - - “ Sky and Sea, ------ Seagulls, -------- On the Heatheruei.l, ----- Marine Study, ------- Twilight, Mid-ocean, - The Sea, -------- By Bryant Park after t he Storm, The Savoy Hotel, New York—Stormy Nigih, Entrance to Central Park, - The Giant Hotels, from Central Park, Moonligh t, Central Park, S tudy (from Reflection in a Mirror), Portrait Studies, ------ Isabel, -------- Minnie,.- - - J. M. Bemis, - T. Frank .Atkinson Harry Platt , JV. A. Fraser, - /. IVells Champney , B. J. Fa Ik, - Rosita, Rita, Lit i le Tuesday, Childhood, Ciiii D Study, Reflections, ------- “ - - Child Study, ------ Fred. Boissonas, - Art in Grouping— No. i, --------- “ “ No. 2, -------- - “ “ No. 3, - -- -- -- - “ “ No. 4, - -- -- -- -- No. 5 ,.- “ “ No. 6,--------- Scene from “ A Capital Courtship,” - - Alexander Black, - - 97 OS ICO 102 104 10 4 105 105 - 107 IO9 I JO I 12 - 114 1 '4 - I' 5 I T 6 - 117 119 120, 123 - 125 126 120 127 - 12S 123 - 129 130 - 131 133 - 131 •35 - 135 137 - 139 140 By W. I. Lincoln Adams IN PROSPECT PARK (Brooklyn) Chapter I THE CHOICE OF SUBJECT R. XANTHUS SMITH, who is an artist with the pencil and brush, as well as with camera and lens, has treated this subject in his characteristically in¬ structive st}de, in an article which was printed in The Photographic Times some time ago. The illustrations, from the portfolios of several photog¬ raphers, happen to be all of pure landscape, that is, without figures ; but here pictorial photography properly begins, and the young amateur will do well to perfect his landscape art before attempting the more difficult subject of figures. Mr. Smith says : Choice of subject is an exceedingly important con¬ sideration for the majority of amateurs. By a judicious choice of subject the finished work of one photographer will be universally interesting, while that of another, from lack of knowledge or happ}^ tact in picking out that which he photographs, will utterly fail to attract. There are three leading considerations to be taken 1 5 SUNLIGHT AND SHADOW into account in making pictures with the camera. We must either aim at a truthful representation of something interesting to ourselves or our friends ; or we must pre¬ sent a picture that tells a story and is of wide interest ; or else strive to attain a result that is purely artistic, that is, dependent for its interest and success upon its composi tion and effect. The first of these considerations is altogether the simplest and easiest. Views made as records alone need give us little care, but when we wish to give our work the wider interest of depicting some incident more or less striking or amusing, we must use our wits to the best advantage ; we must, either by readiness and lucky chance, or by careful preparation, get the numerous in¬ cidents that are taking place connected with animated nature, either pathetic or humorous. The picturesque must enter largely into our subjects. Old people, gener¬ ally of the lower walks of life, utterly unsophisticated, children and animals, give us the material that will make the most generally taking pictures, and if we can be so fortunate as to catch those incidents or happenings that are peculiar and of rare occurrence, and are such as would be interesting if described, we may rid ourselves of any care as to the artistic treatment of the subject because the picture will go upon its merits independent of art. Of course, if we can attain an artistic treatment in addition to a well-told story, it will be so much the THE CHOICE OE SUBJECT greater triumph. But it is too much to expect to get both by photography alone. A combination of telling- incident with tine artistic qualities makes those greatest BY THE RIVER By A. L. Eidemiller SUNLIGHT AND SHADOW of triumphs that we see only in the works of eminent artists ; they are great for all time, and it seems in the MORNING MIST Ry H. P. Robinson THE CHOICE OF SUBJECT course of nature that there are not very many of them to be produced. Subjects founded on the third, or purely artistic side of art, will be the most difficult to manage. The best held for such is out-door nature. Land¬ scape, chiefly where the effects of open nature give us that vagueness and scope for the imagination, which we cannot have in dealing with close-at-hand subjects of animate life—and with sufficient knowledge and skill the most simple subjects in nature may often be made to yield the most interesting pictures. The securing of a suitable effect or treatment for a scene in nature is of prime importance. For a rugged mountain scene we do not want the calm and serene. Gathering storms and rolling, lowering mists, heighten the mysterious senti¬ ment of such places, and should there be figures, let them be hurrying anxiously, as if storm-driven and anxious to be away from the wild, awe-inspiring region. Or a lone fisherman, where a mountain torrent dashes down, might be plying his hook, utterly oblivious to his surroundings in the eagerness of his pursuit. For scenes that partake of the pastoral or beautiful w r e want a serene atmosphere, and all the intricacy and beauty of light and shadow that we can secure, and in¬ variably a large amount of vapor or haziness. In either the grand or the beautiful in pictorial art, w r e must have a considerable amount of simplicity of i9 DAY'S DECLINE By A. Hoksi.ev Hinton THE CHOICE OE SUBJECT arrangement, and the more breadth and force of effect we can have, the more impressive and interesting our pictures will be. The introduction of appropriate skies is of prime importance in landscape. Cloud effects, while they heighten and complete the interest in full landscape scenes, are absolutely the making of simple, low horizon stretches of moor, or flat, sandy coast views. All persons of a poetic or artistic nature are great admirers of sky effects. The eminent poets have dwelt upon them to the delight of thousands of readers, and the eminent land¬ scape painters have given the greatest attention to the rendering of interesting sk}^ effects, thereby enriching the interest and beauty of their works for generations of admirers. Many difficulties attend the securing of good sky effects in photographs ; but, nevertheless, we would ur¬ gently recommend all photographers to devote as much time and attention as they can to securing good skies in their work—using any of the best known means. We are confident that in so doing thej^ will be taking one of the most direct roads toward elevating their work as a fine art. Chapter ll LANDSCAPE WITHOUT FIGURES suggested in the preceding chapter, pure landscape, without figures, is properly the first pictorial work which should en¬ gage the attention of a photographer, as in this field he is most likely to attain satisfactory results at the start. The more difficult subjects, with figures, may be taken up later, and these are there¬ fore treated in subsequent chapters. Successful landscape work requires : First, a trained eye to discover and select the pictorial in nature ; and, second, a cultivated judgment for deciding the conditions under which the picture shall be photographed. There is considerable opportunity 7 for the expression of individual taste in landscape work, for one can deter¬ mine the character of one’s picture to a degree which may not at first be realized. The atmospheric conditions vary so greatly 7 through the course of a year, or even of one day, that in choosing the time when the photograph¬ ing shall be done, one can give almost any 7 character SUNLIGHT AND SHADOW desired to one’s landscape. And the chiaro-oscuro can also be intelligently determined by the time selected for the photographing. If a favorite scene does not completely satis¬ fy under certain conditions at one time, it may prove more satisfactory under different circumstances at winter b y w. h. dodc E another hour of the day or season of the year. One may study a picture in nature under the varying conditions of light and shade, atmosphere, etc., throughout an en¬ tire year, photo¬ graphing it occa¬ sionally and com¬ paring the results, until the perfect result is obtained at last, for in this THE JUNGFRAU By Dr, j. Meinek WOl'lv W 0 1UUV hope very nearly to approach perfection. 'The fruit of such a loving study of nature with the 24 ON LEWES CREEK By H. Troth SUNLIGHT AND SHADOW camera, is infinitely more precious than the portfolio of exquisite landscapes may indicate. There results a train¬ ing of the eye which is far great¬ er compensation, for henceforth one may enjoy pictures at every- hand. The character of a landscape photograph may also be deter¬ mined to a large extent by 7 the point of view selected for the photographing ; and the focus of the lens employed, the size and shape of the plate are additional woods b>- p. demextjefk factors at the photographer’s disposal in determining the character of his picture. In selecting the method for print¬ ing there is room for the exercise of considerable taste. We have so many methods at our disposal BY THE STREAM By E. B. Garrison HOW that WQ Can give a wide variety ot effects to our finished photographs. The judicious photographer will print a winter scene in a 26 LANDSCAPE WITHOUT FIGURES cold bromide or platinotj^pe. The cvanotype or “ blue ” print often produces a snow or ice picture with excellent THE JUNGFRAU By Alfred Stieglitz effect. A warm, summer scene should be printed in a warm color, of course, and so on. 2 7 LANDSCAPE WITHOUT FIGURES The mount should be selected to suit the character and tone of the print, and in most cases a plain mount without any gilt to detract the eye from the picture itself will be found most agreeable. Large cards of neutral tints, leaving broad margins, are usually most effective as mounts for landscape photographs. Thus it is, while recognizing the limitations of the camera, but using all the means at command, a skilful technical photographer with a trained eye for the beauti¬ ful in nature, ma } 7 succeed in making highly satisfactory pictorial photographs from the landscape about him, when he could only fail in similar attempts at figure composition and genre. Therefore, I advise the beginner, at least, to confine his efforts to pure landscape, without figures. The illus- 28 LANDSCAPE AND CLOUDS By Arthur Burchett SUNLIGHT AND SHADOW trations accompanying this chapter are from the collect- tions of several different workers ; but all, 1 think, show, in an eminent degree, how great the possibilities are of the camera, in the hands of trained photographers, to produce, from pure landscape, without figures, entirely satisfying pictures. SHADES OF EVENING By Hek Grace The Dl chess of Ser.moneta Chapter III LANDSCAPE WITH FIGURES FTER acquiring a certain proficiency in photographing pure landscapes, without the introduction of figures of any kind, the more difficult work of making pictures of natural scen¬ ery, in which figures play a promin¬ ent part, may properly be taken up. It is a curious fact, that while in nature the presence of one or more figures gives life to the scene, adds a certain human interest, and removes any feeling of desolateness which might otherwise exist, yet, in the majority of land¬ scapes which include figures, they appear stiff and un¬ natural, and one is left with the feeling that the picture would have been better had the figures been omitted. Andrew Pringle, in one of his humorous papers contri¬ buted to The British Journal of Photography, very cleverly says: “A very crucial test of a man’s artistic power is his selection and arrangement of figures in a landscape. 1 do not wish to be hypercritical, and the stone 1 throw hits myself often, but I must say that By* A. Stieglitz LANDSCAPE WITH PIC (VIES in ninety-nine out of every hundred landscapes with figures that I see, the figures ruin the whole affair. They are inappropriate figures, inappropriately dressed, inappropriately occupied, inappropriately posed, inappro¬ priately and wrongly placed, and in most cases would be better at home in bed. Whatever figures are in a land¬ scape picture, the} 7 are sure to catch the eye. If they are near the camera the eye can, with difficulty, look beyond them. If they are at a moderate distance they irritate and distract unless treated with the greatest skill. If at a distance, they look like defects in the plate ; if they appear near one side of the picture they are al¬ most in all cases fatal, while in the middle they are almost in¬ variably mischievous. 1 have never myself learned properly to arrange figures in a landscape, and I pre¬ fer sins of omission to those of deliberate commission, so as a rule I leave figures out, and among the photographers of the world 1 cannot count more than RETURNING FROM MARKET By Alfred Stiegutz AN ENGLISH COUNTRY SCENE By Seymour Conway SUNLIGHT AND SHADOW three or four who ever use figures perfectly, and not one who is always happy in his arrangement.” Much that Mr. Pringle says is undoubtedly true, and I have accord¬ ingly adopted his plan, confining myself, for the most part, to pure landscapes. It should be remembered that a picture is rarely, if ever pleasing, where the figures and the landscape both claim the attention of the observer. The one must be subordinate to the other. Take, for instance, the picture shown here entitled “Stud} 7 of STUDY OF FISHERFOLK By Miss K. G. Spink Fisherfolk.” The landscape, or rather the seascape, is of little, if any, importance. It is a study of figures ; the rest is merely a background. The same may be said ot Mr. Stieglitz’s picture, “Mending Nets.” In the little picture which is used as an initial letter to the chapter, and the picture entitled “An English Country Lane,” we have the opposite effect. They are landscape studies, with figure introduced to give life to the scene. 34 LANDSCAPE WITH FIGURES Before introducing a figure into a landscape, the pho¬ tographer should first of all consider, and consider very carefully, whether it is necessary and whether it will be an improvement. If he thinks it would improve the picture, then decide the kind of figure most suitable to A SICILIAN IDYLL By Count von Gloeden the subject. If it is not suitable, by all means omit it. How often is it apparent that the photographer has had with him some friend who is anxious to be included in the photographs. “All right,” says the camera man, “go and stand over there.” So the delighted friend goes 35 MENDING NETS (KATWYK) By Ai.i'kfd Stibc.i.itz SCXLIGHT A XH SHA DO W and stands “over there” with an attitude and expression resembling a stuffed dummy The exposure is made, the picture finished, and the friend is delighted. If the photographer possesses any artistic taste, he realizes then his mistake. He cuts off the figure and finds how much the picture is improved. In this article I give a few illustrations by Mr. Alfred Stieglitz, which will serve as a lesson much better than anything I can write. If one carefully studies these he will find how careful the artist has been to have his figures in a natural position. They are there because they are required, and because each picture would be incomplete without them. There is an absolute unconsciousness, on the part of the subjects or models, of the existence of the camera, and this is perhaps the true secret of ob¬ taining successful pictures of landscapes with figures. "HERE COMES FATHER” By Jesse Poundstone Chapter IV FOREGROUNDS N The Photographic Times for July, 1S95, Mr. H. P. Robinson, the vet¬ eran English artist, photographer, and writer, treats this important subject in his usual illuminating way. The attractive illustrations are also by Mr. Robinson. We reprint his language verbatim. In a landscape, he says, by whatever means, but in pho- tograph} T more particularly, the foreground is usually a very important part of the picture. Why the foreground should be thought of more consequence in a photograph than in a painting is not far to find. In painting, the artist has more command than the photographer over his effect in representing the more distant parts of his subject ; he can perform the function of faith and remove mountains ; he can build castles or temples just as the fancy takes him to be gothic or classical ; he can divert the course of rivers ; he can destroy or he can build up, but he cannot, without very great labor and preraphaelite skill, rival the sun artist in his power of representing foreground detail, 39 SIX LIGHT XX D SHADOW and as it is natural that all means of art should tend toward the kind of production for which it is most fitted, it follows that, however it may show its varied powers in other directions, photography almost insensibly gravi¬ tates toward the kind of effect which shows its peculiar powers to best advantage. In saving this I must not be misunderstood to infer that because a lens can always secure detail that detail is always worth securing. On the contran 7 , sharpness, as its name implies, is an edged tool, very useful in skillful hands, but if not used with caution, dangerous and sure to wound ; and indeed has caused much mischief in pictorial photography. Another reason why the photographer should value the foreground is that it is more within his reach than other parts, and offers him greater facilities for cor¬ recting his com¬ position. It also is valuable as giv¬ ing him the power of showing that his picture was not one of nat¬ ure’s flukes, and that the artist had more to do with the tune than merely turning the handle, whether the music was good or had. 40 FOREGROUNDS Here I will venture on a digression. It is the fashion of those who confound nature with art, and take only a superficial view of both, to say everything in a picture should look “natural.” This is right to a great extent, but not always all the the way ; it de¬ pends upon what is taken to be nat¬ ural, and above all, as the object is a picture, whether the “natural” be pictorial. To “look natural” is com¬ mendable, but it is not the end and aim of art. Photog¬ raphy itself ought not to be blamed for sins committed in its name. It is the result of want of thought, bad taste, stupidity or ignorance, that in nine cases out of ten, or more, when figures are designedly introduced into a pho¬ tograph, they appear stiff, stark, and utterly unnatural and out of place. Now, according to the usual perver¬ sion of things all the blame is put upon the method ; it is photography and not the photographer that is found at fault. Figures are condemned because the placer of them is sometimes condemnable. That it is not the fault of the art, but of the—operator (I won’t call him artist in 4i SUNLIGHT AND SHADOW this connection), has I think been sufficiently shown, and I go so far as to say that more natural action, more effect of sponta¬ neity in figures can be got, in ca¬ pable hands, by posing, than is ever obtained by instantaneous ex¬ posures made without the know¬ ledge of the vic¬ tim. Who ever saw the petrified figures of men standing on one leg in the streets before the “so natural” snapshottist took them unawares? Who has not wished in looking at a chance shot that this figure was more to the right or left, and that figure more in the picture, or away alto¬ gether? Nevertheless the hand camera is a splendid tool when used seriously. It is not even 7 subject that has a picturesque or suit¬ able foreground ready made. We often meet with a scene that would make a fine picture if it were not for the bald, uninteresting foreground, the level meadow, or the dusty, dreary road ; but it is often within the power of the ingenious photographer to do well with unpromis¬ ing materials. In selecting a subject we choose that 42 FOREGROUNDS standpoint which brings into prominence its most inter¬ esting feature, or it may happen that we add the leading attraction for the eye in the shape of a group of figures ; in either case we try to subordinate all the rest to the principal object. A very little variation in the point of view may make all the difference. We may hide the ugly and give prominence to the beautiful, introduce new beauties, or increase breadth of effect by possibly a movement to be measured by feet or inches. Blank spaces or flat foregrounds may often be improved by the long shadows of evening, or by the introduction of fig¬ ures, and much may be done in some cases by the judicious use of the pruning hook. If the scene be the chief consideration, the figures must be kept subordinate, but it is becom¬ ing usual among painters to make figures of more importance in their landscapes. One or two of my illustrations show how rather large figures may be sometimes used. It is really wonderful how much may be done by very little if done judiciously. A small spot of white or 43 FIG. d SUNLIGHT AND SHADOW black, and occasionally of both, may turn a poor subject into a very presentable picture. The spot, for pictorial purposes, may consist of anything, but preferably it should add interest to the subject. It would be useless to go into details as to the ar¬ rangement of various kinds of foregrounds. The student should stud} 7 the general laws of art, and with their aid, and the common sense and quick perception without which no photographer can hope for the highest success, he will be able to deal with each case as it arises, remem¬ bering that the more simple the subject and broad the effect, within limits, the better. By way of illustration I have selected a few pictures that owe a good deal of their effect to, and would not be pictcrially com¬ plete without, their foregrounds, all of which owe something to the hand or head of the photographer. Fig. i is a river scene in which the foreground consists of a mass of large-leaved plants, full of the most minute detail, yet the mass forms as a whole a breadth of light, contrasting 44 FOREGROUNDS and sending back the slightly less made out middle dis¬ tance. In this case the plants are interesting as being the largest leaved indigenous plants we have and are only met with in certain parts of the country. Pic- torially the fore¬ ground was the motive of the picture. Fig. 2, an ex¬ ample of a circular foreground. The banks rise on either side and partly frame in the cows. The banks form agreeable lines and contrast the horizontal lines of the meadows, the shade on the left being well opposed to the mass of light on the right. Fig. 3 shows how a good subject, but with some awkward lines in the foreground, has been made into a picture b)^ the introduction of figures. Try to imagine the scene without the figures—the boat may be left. However interesting the screen of trees there would be no picture. In this case something has been added to the atmospheric effect b}^ allowing the mid-distance to be a little out of focus. The use of small touches of black and white is also shown. This picture is interesting to 45 SUNLIGHT AND SHADOW me as being the first landscape I ever exposed on a gela¬ tine plate (15 x 12). This was in May, 1880. I took four plates only to Wales, experimentally, and on developing at home was astonished at the result, and at how easy picture making away from home had become. Fig. 4 is an illustration of the use of large figures in aid of the foreground. Fig. 5 was originally a negative of a boat and a beautifully composed bit of sea, with an awkward line of beach, making the whole utterly" useless as an exhibit- able picture. The crab-baskets and the whole of the foreground were added from a second negative. Fig. 6 contains splendid material for a picture, vet is a frightful example of what not to do, showing that nature without art is not enough. The light is behind the camera, making the landscape as flat as the pro¬ verbial pancake. The figure, well posed, so that there should be no room for fault on that score, is in pictorially T the worst place, but naturally-, for fishing purposes, the best, it is not only" exactly midway between the sides, but also between the horizon and the base line. There is no atmosphere and no sky T ; the photographic technics would, 1 believe, be considered perfect ; the image is very sharp and very" clean. Let me be allowed to hope that none of my" readers ever did anything, however tech¬ nically" commendable, so very" bad, so very" “natural.” 46 Chapter V THE SK} TUDY of the Sky naturally follows that of Foregrounds, and this sub¬ ject has also been treated by Mr. H. P. Robinson in a most exhaust¬ ive and satisfactory manner. We therefore reprint his article in full as it appeared in The Photographic Times, with his own appropriate il¬ lustrations. For the purpose of this article, writes Mr. Robinson, 1 am afraid 1 shall have to be uncomplimentary, where 1 should prefer to praise, but I do not see how to avoid the disagreeable necessity if 1 am to teach a lesson of any value, and I suppose we all put the advance of our art before any other consideration whatever. The weak point, then, in American landscape pho¬ tography, if one may judge by the specimens that come over the water as illustrations in photographic journals and magazines (which it is fair to assume are the best attainable) is undoubtedly the sky. The subjects of the photographs from which these 47 SUNLIGHT AND SHADOW reproductions are made are often well selected, and are of interesting scenes, but they seldom present more than the raw facts of nat¬ ure, without any of that delightful harmony of tones and gradations we find in modern photographs by those who have studied nature and repre¬ sent her as she appears to the eye of the artist rather than to the lens of the scientist. The climate, possibly, may have something to do with this (for it is not every country that enjoy-s such a changeable and artistic atmos¬ phere as we have in England) but not altogether, for we have some fine instances to the contrary. In the London salon recently we had a photograph by Mr. Eieke- meyer, “Sweet Home,” done, I believe, in America, that THE SK\ equaled anything that has been produced in delicacy and observation of subtle gradation. In London its chances of being properly seen were seriously endangered by being sent to two exhibitions at the same time—which sounds paradoxical, but is true. Fancy this picture with a white sky ! The result would be another specimen ol rawness and crudity of which we have already far too many. I hope I may be forgiven for saying that there is danger to the art in showing and praising speci¬ mens of imma¬ ture photogra¬ ph} 7 . The prom- inence given them by repro¬ duction invests them with a fic¬ ticious value which is misleading, for young beginners cannot help taking them for examples to follow, instead of to be avoided. Yet many a crude result may be turned into a suc¬ cess if the operator would try to understand, and act on the knowledge, that in almost every case a raw print of a raw negative is not fit to show as an example of what can be done to represent beautiful nature bv our art, and if the artist would begin where the chemist left off, or, FIG. 3 49 SUNLIGHT AND SHADOW rather, would do more toward depicting the beauties he ought to see in nature, but are usually unnoticed by the unsympathetic camera ; if the photographer would edu¬ cate his eye to see nature as it is, and not be so ready to believe what the scientific photographer represents as facts, we should soon discover a vast improvement in landscape photography. This matter of the sky is a case in point. The plain, unblushing photograph, the ma¬ chine-made article, usually represents an ordinary land¬ scape as being backed by a plain white paper sky, and I am not sure that reproduction does not sometimes in¬ tensity this effect. Now, white paper represents nothing in this world except a plain space of unsuggestive blank¬ ness, and, on the other hand, not one inch of the space it is supposed to represent in a photograph is without tone and gradation. I do not suggest that the sky is never one even tone all over, but in that state it is seldom of much use to the artist, and it is tone—not white paper. A plain blue sky, without cloud, is perfectly gradated from the deep blue of the zenith down to the pale horizon. The sky is the one thing that gives expression to nature. It would be a monotonous world without the smiles and frowns of the sky. The artistic possibilities of the clouds are infinite. It is the most valuable ele¬ ment to the photographer ; it is the one department of nature which lends itself to the landscape artist, and he neglects it. With a properly selected sky he can alter his 5° THE SK 1 composition and rule his chiaroscuro. In short, it is one of the most potent elements to aid him in rescuing his art from the machine. Given the necessity of a sky, then science interferes. The photographer is usually deluded into endeavoring to discover some method of taking the sky with the land¬ scape, and almost certainly gets into a semi-scientific state of mind which takes more pleasure in conquering a useless chemical difficulty than in obtaining a splendid effect with ease that would give pleas¬ ure to the world. Experiment for experiment’s sake is the en¬ chanted forest in which many who have grown up into good photographers get mazed and lost. There are, of course, occasions when it would be advantageous to secure the sky with the landscape on one plate, but they depend upon as many ifs as Touchstone’s. //The lines of the sky compose well with the ground ; if some other arrangement would not be more conducive to pictorial effect ; if the sky will come as strong as it is in 5i FIG. 4 SUNLIGHT AND SHADOW nature ; if it can be got without sacrificing the landscape, and a great many other “it's,” then the sky would be better taken on the same plate as the ground, but not otherwise. Ever) 7 land¬ scape photogra¬ pher who would represent nature truly, should make a collec¬ tion of sky negatives for future use, always noting the time of day and of the year, the direction and altitude of the sun, and the aspects of nature at the time each sky negative is taken. Every variety of effect should be secured, and the attention should not be entirely confined to the grandest effects. To save those who may be tempted out of the straight path toward art by technical diversions, I will give a full and complete formula, which will not require any modifi¬ cation whatever, for taking skies, so plain and clear that it should prevent even the weakest photographer from having any frivolous thoughts toward chemical discovery. Any slow plates, isochromatic preferred. Shutter exposure. 52 THE SK) Pyro and ammonia developer. Formula to be found on any paeket of plates. Patienee in developing. The result should be clean, thin negatives, nearly clear in the cloud shadows. The method of using a sky negative is so well known as to scarcely bear repetition. When a print is taken the place where the sky ought to be will be white, or if it prints gray the space may be stopped out with black varnish on the back of the plate. Now take a suitable cloud negative, place it in the printing frame, and adjust the print on it so that the sky shall print in the proper place. When exposed to the light the landscape portion should be covered with a black cloth or other suitable mask. Success depends on the care and skill in which any effect of the join is hidden and truth to nat¬ ure is observed. There should not be a bit of plain white any¬ where about a photograph, ex¬ cept, perhaps, in minute quantity, such as in a figure. There is no such thing in nature. Even in a woody scene, where very Fir,. 6 SUNLIGHT AND SHADOW little sky shows through the trees, as in Fig. i, the treat¬ ment of the sky makes all the difference between a good picture and an ordinary photograph. It will be noticed in this illustration that the strength of the clouds is very slight, but the various gradations harmonize the differ¬ ent forms and help to concentrate the light. A plain white sky would have grinned through the trees. To make the picture complete there ought to be a pictur¬ esque figure on the path. Although there may be only a small portion of sky peeping through a corner it would not be wise to neglect it. Fig. 2 is an example of this. If the sky had been left blank the light and shade and composition would have tumbled to pieces. The same may be said of Fig. 3 , where the sky and figures make a picture out of very simple materials. Fig. 4 is an example in which the sk } 7 forms an im¬ portant part of the composition. Repetition of a light or form, but not of the same strength as the principal, is a useful device in art. In this case the sk } 7 was selected because the general effect of the clouds echoed the forms of the sheep. I know that this is sometimes called con¬ ventional, or fancy composition, but I also know that it produces a pleasing effect on the ordinary spectator with¬ out their knowing exactly how it is done. Fig. 5 shows how breadth may be attained by a judi¬ cious use of clouds, also how a picture ma } 7 be made out THE SK\ of scarcely an} 7 materials at all. Fig. 6 is an example of an extension of the use of combination printing, which, perhaps, takes it out of the region of the clouds, for it includes the sea on the same plate as the sky, with the figures and foreground on another plate. In order to show that this attention to the sky is not a new “fad” I select old pictures as illustrations. Fig¬ ures i, 3, 4, and 5 were done in 1869 on wet collodion ; 2 and 6 on the earliest gelatine plates I ever used. I should add that if the student cares to make photo¬ graphing of the sky of real interest he will study the nature and forms of the clouds. The best chart of the sky, showing the forms, heights and names of clouds that 1 know, is the frontispiece to Mr. Richard Inwards’ most entertaining volume on “ Weather Lore.” HILLTOP FARM By W. I. Lincoln Adams Chapter VI OUT-DOOR POR TRAITS AND GROUPS N treating the subject of “Open-Air” Portraits in the American Annual ok Photography for 1889, Mr. John Bart¬ lett relates an anecdote of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth of England, who de¬ manded, it was said, to be painted as if in an open garden. It seems that none of the painters of her day could paint objects as seen out of doors, and so the} T painted the poor queen without any shadow at all. Doubtless she was not slow in giving her opinion of their work, and in her peculiar expressive way, too. Had good Queen Bess lived a little later she would have blessed Gainsborough and De Hooge for their skill in giving to her portrait the appearance of out-door freshness. Out-door portraiture is the besetting sin of the ama¬ teur, and his futile attempts at a counterfeit presentment of the human face divine often delight the professional. Nevertheless, the freshness and naturalness of the work he sometimes produces, might well cause the professional to hide his diminished head with shame for the leaded and smoothed-out caricatures which are blazoned forth as artistic portraits. 57 SUNLIGHT AND SHADOW A glass house, after all, is merely a protection against the wind and rain. The amateur who aspires to portrait¬ ure need not sigh because he is not favored with a certain tilt of roof when he has the broad expanse of heaven for his skylight. All that he needs is good judgment and a knowledge of what good lighting of a face consists in. INTIMATE FRIENDS By Mabel Osgood Wright Unless one can judge from the image focused upon the ground-glass of the camera whether the distribution of light and shade is harmonious, he cannot hope, unless by accident, to get a pleasing result, at least not such as would be rewarded by an embrace from any fair subject. The picture upon the glass screen, to an inexperienced eye, does look beautiful. The rich modulations of color OUT-DOOR PORTRAITS AND GROUPS in the human face completely mask to the untrained vision the abrupt shadows which the remorseless him relentlessly registers. One must divorce color from the object and look only for the values, that is the relative tone or darkness, of one part with another, and the blending of the shadows into one another. To place a sitter directly in a broad light and expect to get fine gradations, or in fact any result which looks like a human face, is the height of photographic presumption. There are certain conditions absolutely necessary. If possible select a corner in your yard where two walls join at an angle. It is immaterial in what di¬ rection the walls stand, so that a contrast of light and shade is secured. There should be a principal light coming in the en¬ closure at an angle of about 45 degs. Of course we do not mean by the downcast light, sunlight, but a soft, diffused light from a bright sky. The chief defect in amateur portraits made out of doors is due to a predominance of top light, which causes heavy shadows under the eyes and gives a general woe-begone expression to the countenance. The top light should be shut off as much as possible by means of a canopy or roof. Generally sufficient re¬ flection from the top will be obtained to serve as a high 59 SUNLIGHT AND SHADOW light, provided the roof of the canopy is not too low. If an}?' additional top light is needed, a sheet of white paper or muslin tacked on the top will increase the illumination. Care, too, must be taken not to have the side light too strong. AN ALPINE CROSS By Alex. Keighley 6o OUT-DOOR PORTRAITS AND GROUPS Of course, reflectors are necessary to illuminate the shadow side of the face. Have them as large as the di¬ mensions of the enclosure will allow, and place them at some distance from the sitter. They may be of white paper or muslin. Ordinary newspaper answers well as a reflecting surface. The character of the background depends much upon the taste of the photographer. For single heads a plain background should always be used, but for groups individual fancy may be allowed more play. On general principles the background should not be too obtrusive. A three-quarter face is the best position for the con¬ ditions w r e have arranged. The face should be turned towards the principal light so that the highest light may strike the forehead and along the nose. If the figure is properly illuminated less time will be needed with a diffused light than with a compara¬ tively strong light when the subject is improperly illumi¬ nated. In an improperly illuminated head the high light receives the allopathic dose while the shadows get only the homeopathic treatment. We have found the best time of day for taking out-door portraits to be either in the morning or in the evening, at a time when the sun is considerably above the horizon to brightly illuminate the sky, but itself com- SUNLIGHT AND SHADOW Suppose, for instance, the sun to be in the southwest, as it usually is towards evening during the months of the pletely hid by the surrounding buildings and so pre¬ vented from entering our little enclosure. By R. Eickemeyer, Jk. AS SHE COMES DOWN THE STAIRS 62 OUT-DOOR PORTRAITS AND GROUPS year when out-door portraits are taken, and suppose the background wall to be towards the north, the shadow side of the face towards the east, the illuminated side towards the southwest. If we place our camera at the south or southwest, according to the position of the face we wish to take, we shall have the greater part of the face in full light and the less portion in shadow. This style of illumination is very pleasing to the artist, notwithstanding the professional prefers to light up the small side of the face, although the photograph does look flat. When these arrangements are complete, wait until the southwest sun drops behind the houses, then make your exposure and you will find that the resulting photo¬ graph will present a nice roundness and a rich gradation of shadows which rarely needs any interference of the retoucher’s pencil. The operating ma,y continue until the light becomes too feeble to reflect from the side screen upon the shadow side of the face. It may be that everyone cannot secure the arrange¬ ments suggested. The conditions must then be imitated as closely as possible by building up a structure and sur¬ rounding it with screens to cut off the direct rays of the sun. The back wall of the structure should be rather high so as to secure the lens from any extraneous light. The 63 SUNLIGHT AND SHADOW frame-work of the enclosure should be constructed in such a manner that it may be placed in a position to obtain a brightly lighted side and a shadowed side. It “ What is your fortune, my pretty maid ? ” By Major R. H. Brown 41 My face is my fortune, sir,” she said. should also be of sufficient firmness to withstand ordinary casualties. As the face is directed toward the light, the eyes should be allowed to rest upon some dark object of suffi¬ cient size, otherwise the strong light, by causing the pupils of the eyes to contract, will give an unpleasant expression to the face, besides there is danger of a frown or squint. Blue and other light colored eyes require special care in this respect. The great danger in this latter kind of out-door pic- 64 OUT-DOOR PORTRAITS AND GROUPS tures is from the entrance of bright light b } 7 reflection or otherwise into the lens, causing fog or flare. A large cone, blackened inside, placed over the lens is recommended. It is useful if a pneumatic shutter is used, but rather inconvenient if one is obliged to remove the cap before making the exposure. In Grouping, Mr. R. E. M. Bain, a skilful amateur photographer of St. Louis, has had much success. He tells of his methods in a short article also contributed to The American Annual of Photography. The operator “Then I’ll not marry you. my pretty maid.” By Major R. H. Brown “ Nobody axed you, sir,” she said. must bear in mind, he says, that the combination is here the end to be sought, and that however well a figure posed here, and two or three there, might look, by them- SUNLIGHT AND SHADOW selves, the result will prove a lamentable failure, if thev do not harmonize. It is usually best for the photogra¬ pher to pose the group without the assistance of others. A combination of ideas on the subject generally culminates in a combination of results, more startling than artistic. A suit¬ able background is ver}^ hard to find when want¬ ed. One of trees, with sunlight percolating through, is very tempting but usually very poor, the sunlight giving strong, hard lights, making the faces look black by contrast. A good ground is a cliff or bluff, or a somewhat dense growth of foliage. The former usually admits of a greater variety in posing and offers the advantage of allowing those in the rear to show to equal advantage with those in the foreground. It is best not to have sky, or strong bright lights of any kind as a background, if they can be avoided, as the halation thus produced will generally mar an otherwise good picture. When it can be so placed, the camera should face the sun rather than 66 OUT-DOOR PORTRAITS AND GROUPS have the subject to do so. Strong sunlight is a disad¬ vantage in out-of-door portrait or group work. The subjects should be arranged in easy natural attitudes, and the whole, when possible, divided into smaller groups, each of which is independent of the other, yet forming together a harmonious effect. Give each of the groups a line of thought and action which will impress itself on their minds and lead them not to think that they are being photographed, Copyright 1893 By R. Eickemeyer, Jr. but rather that they are "he cometh not,” she said acting a part. This feeling once impressed, the balance of the work is rendered much easier. As an instance, if it is desired to make a group of tennis players in costume with spectators and friends, arrange the principal per¬ formers toward the center, one, with the assistance of some others, explaining the method of using the racquet, a few in easy attitudes listening. To the right and left of the main group are some lolling on the grass, others seated on camp stools in appropriate positions. The im¬ mediate foreground supplied with various accessories of 67 SUNLIGHT AND SHADOW A FAVORITE OCCUPATION, VENICE By Alfred Stieglitz the game. The picture can in this way be easily com¬ posed in a pyramidal or other form, and while all have an easy, graceful pose, not one of the party needs stare at the lens. Explain to each his particular part in the tab¬ leau and impress the idea that upon each one is devolved the responsibility for the result. Endeavor to keep your subjects in sympathy with you, feeling the same desire to obtain a creditable picture that you have. 68 Chapter Vll THE HAND CAMERA MR. ALFRED STIEGLITZ, to whom the editor of this book is indebted for many of its most at¬ tractive illustrations, has treated this subject most intelligently and completely in the American An¬ nual of Photography for 1897. The illustrations are also by Mr. Stieglitz. He says : Photography as a fad is well nigh on its last legs, thanks principally to the bicycle craze. Those seriously interested in its ad¬ vancement do not look upon this state of affairs as a misfortune, but as a disguised blessing, inasmuch as pho- tographv had been classed as a sport by nearly all of those who deserted its ranks and fled to the present idol, the bicycle. The only persons who seem to look upon this turn of affairs as entirely unwelcome are those engaged in manufacturing and selling photographic goods. It was, undoubtedly, due to the hand camera that photography became so generally popular a few years ago. Every Tom, Dick and Harry could, without trouble, learn how 69 Winter, Fifth Avenue By A. S. SUNLIGHT AND SHADOW to get something or other on a sensitive plate, and this is what the public wanted—no work and lots of fun. Thanks to the ef¬ forts of these people hand camera and bad work became synonymous. The climax was reached when an enterpris¬ ing firm flooded the market with a very ingenious hand cam- supreme. Originally known un¬ der the odious name of “ Detective,” necessarily insinuating the owner to he somewhat of a sneak, the hand camera was in A BLOCKADE, NEW YORK nouncement, “You press the button, and we do the rest.” This was the beginning of the “ photographing-by-the- yard” era, and the ranks of enthusiastic button pressers were enlarged to enormous dimensions. The hand camera ruled WASH-DAY, VENICE THE HAND CAMERA very bad repute with all the champions of the tripod. The } 7 looked upon the small instrument, innocent enough in itself, but terrible in the hands of the unknowing, as a mere toy, good for the purposes of the globe trotter, who wished to jot down photographic notes as he passed along his journey, but in no way adapted to the wants of him whose aim it is to do serious work. A HOT DAY By A. S. But in the past year or two all this has been changed. There are many who claim that for just the most serious work the hand camera is not only excellently adapted, but that without it the pictorial photographer is sadly handicapped. The writer is amongst the advocates who cannot too strongly recommend the trial of the hand camera for this class of photograph} 7 . He frankly confesses that for many years he belonged to that class which opposed its SUNLIGHT AND SHADOW use for picture making. This was due to a prejudice which found its cause in the fact that the impression had been given him that for hand camera ex¬ posures strong sun¬ light was sine qua non. The manufac¬ turer is chiefly to be blamed for this false impression, as it was he who put up the uniform rule that the camera should be held in such a posi¬ tion that the sun¬ light comes from over one of the shoulders, in order to insure such lighting as to fully expose the plate. In short, the manufacturer himself did not realize the possibilities of his own ware and invention. In preparing for hand camera work, the choice of the instrument is of vital importance. Upon this subject that able artist, J. Craig Annan, of Glasgow, who does much of his work with the hand camera, says : “ Having secured a light-tight camera and suitable lens, there is no more important quality than ease in mechanical working. The adjustments ought to he so simple that the operator 7 2 THE HAND CAMERA may be able to bring it from his satchel and get it in order for making an exposure without a conscious thought. Each worker will have his own idea as to which style of camera comes nearest to perfection in this respect, and having made his choice he should study to become so intimate with it that it will become a second nature with his hands to prepare the camera while his mind and eyes are fully occupied with the subject be¬ fore him." To this let me add, that whatever camera may be chosen let it be waterproof, so as to permit photograph¬ ing in rain or shine without damage to the box. The writer does not approve of complicated mechanisms, as they are sure to get out of order at important moments, thus causing considerable unnecessary swearing, and often the loss of a precious opportunity. My own cam¬ era is of the sim¬ plest pattern and has never left me in the lurch, al¬ though it has had some very tough handling in wind a bit near Munich 73 SUNLIGHT AND SHADOW and storm. The reliability of the shutter is of greater importance than its speed. As race-horse scenes, express trains, etc., are rarely wanted in pictures, a shutter work¬ ing at a speed of one-fourth to one twenty-fifth of a second will answer all purposes. Microscopic sharpness is of no pictorial value. A little blur in a moving subject will often aid in giving the impression of action and motion. As for plates, use the fastest you can can get. They cannot be too fast. Do not stop dowm your lens except at the seashore, and set your shutter at as slow speed as the subject will permit. This will ensure a fully ex¬ posed plate. Under exposures are best relegated to the ash-barrel, as they are useless for pic¬ torial work. The one quality absolutely necessary for success in hand camera work is Pa¬ tience. This is really the keynote to the whole matter. It is amus¬ ing to watch the ma¬ jority of hand camera workers shooting off a ton of plates helter-skelter, taking their chances as to the ultimate A VENETIAN WELL By A. S. 74 THE HAND CAMERA result. Once in a while these people make a hit, and it is due to this cause that many pictures produced by means of the hand camera have been con Isidered flukes. A VENETIAN BIT At the same time it is inter¬ esting to note with what regu¬ larity certain men seem to be the favorites of chance—so that it would lead us to con¬ clude that, perhaps, chance is not everything, after all. In order to obtain pictures by means of the hand camera it is well to choose your subject, regardless of figures, and carefully study the lines and lighting. After having determined upon these watch the passing figures and await the moment in which everything is in balance; that is, satisfies your eye. This often means hours of patient waiting. My picture, “Winter, Fifth Avenue,” is the result of a three hours’ stand during a fierce snow-storm on February 22d, 1893, awaiting the proper 75 SUNLIGHT AND SHADOW moment. My patience was duly rewarded. Of course, the result contained an element of chance, as 1 might have stood there for hours without succeeding in getting the desired picture. 1 remember how, upon having developed the negative of the picture, f showed VENETIAN CHARACTERS By A. S. it to some of my colleagues. They smiled and advised me to “throw away such rot.” “ Why, it isn’t even sharp, and he wants to use it for an enlargement! ” Such were the remarks made about what I knew was a piece of work THE HAND CAMERA quite out of the ordinary, in that it was the first attempt at picture making with the hand camera in such adverse and trying circumstances from a photographic point of view. Some time later the laugh was on the other side, for v r hen the finished picture was shown to these same gentlemen it proved to them conclusively that there w 7 as other photographic work open to them during the “bad KATWYK BEACH By A. S season ’’ than that so fully set forth in the photographic journals under the heading, “ Work for the Winter Months.” This incident also goes to prove that the making of the negative alone is not the making of the picture. My hand camera negatives are all made with the express purpose of enlargement, and it is but rarely that I use more than part of the original “shot.” 77 SUNLIGHT AND SHADOW Most of my successful work of late has been pro¬ duced by this method. My experience has taught me that the prints from the direct negatives have but little value as such. The hand camera has come to stay—its importance is acknowledged. A word to the wise is sufficient. MID-OCEAN By A. S. Chapter VIII INSTANTANEOUS PHOTOGRAPH} HIS subject naturally follows the preced¬ ing ; in fact, both are properly closely allied, for Hand Camera Work is usually instantaneous. Mr. Walter E. Wood¬ bury, editor of The Photographic Times, has written a most instructive editorial on this subject for his magazine which 1 here reproduce. The illustrations are by various workers in this fascinating branch of photography. As a rule, writes Mr. Woodbury, when an amateur is initiated into the mysteries of the photographic art, he is seized with two desires : to make portraits of all his rela¬ tives and to photograph express trains going at the rate of 60 miles an hour and other rapidly moving objects. Usually his attempts at home portraiture are quickly blighted by the candid criticisms of the sufferers who object to being caricatured, so that he turns to instan¬ taneous photography for his next field of work. Now, portraiture and the photographs of rapidly mov¬ ing objects are, perhaps, the two most difficult branches. 79 SUNLIGHT AND SHADOW It is with the latter we intend to deal. No one should attempt this kind of work unless—First, he has the most rapid plates, and knows how to use them, for it must be remembered that the faster the plates the more difficult they are to work with. Secondly, he must have a lens which gives a well defined picture with a large aperture. Lastly, he must possess an efficient shutter, by means of which a very rapid exposure can be given. The reason why there is a so much greater per¬ centage of failures among hand camera workers than with other photographers is no doubt due to want of thought when employing this instrument. Instantan¬ eous exposures are given when photographing subjects which a little thought would have shown to have required several seconds. Haphazard photography rarely gives a good result. In instantaneous photography, unless we want a whole waste box full of failures, we must study the necessary conditions, and whether they are suitable or not. We have already stated what is necessary in the way of apparatus for this kind of work. The next points to be considered are what to take and how to take it. Position is everything in this class of work; and many make the mistake of getting too near the moving object. If we study a table such as the one in the American Annual of Photography, which gives us the displacement of a moving object on the ground glass, we shall see that the greater the distance the object is away from us 80 THE DIVER By Loins Meldon SUNLIGHT AND SHADOW the more latitude we have in exposure, always bearing in mind that we must give the fullest exposure possible to obtain a sharp image ; it will be seen how important it is to retire to a considerable distance. If a large image is required it is better by far to enlarge afterward, a sharper result being thus obtained. The direction in which the object is moving has also a most important influ¬ ence. When traveling broadside to the cam¬ era we get the maxi¬ mum ; when moving directly toward it, the minimum. If at an angle of 45 degrees, we could give with safety double the ex¬ posure to that required for the maximum move¬ ment and still secure a sharp image. For express trains and similar objects in motion this is perhaps the best position. In photographing other subjects, for instance, horses galloping, etc., it must be remembered that it is not the distance traveled by the horse that we must take into A RISE IN THE WORLD By The Marquis de Alfarras SUNLIGHT AND SHADOW consideration—it is the movement of its legs, principally the hoofs. In a carriage it is the wheels, and in the wheels the top spokes are, as we know, traveling faster than the bottom ones. The last but by no means the least important con¬ sideration is the light. Attempts at very rapid photog¬ raphy made in anything but a very bright, actinic light will never result in anything but failures. The immense strides that have recently been made in instantaneous photography, owing chiefly to the ad¬ vent of the dn^-plate process, have caused photography to become useful to almost every branch of science. To Marcy, Muybridge and Anschutz we are greatly indebted for the advance made in instantaneous photog¬ raphy. These gentlemen have succeeded in photograph¬ ing moving objects hitherto considered impossible to be photographed. Galloping horses, swift-flying birds, and even bullets and cannon-balls projected from guns have been successfully photographed, showing even the little head of air driven along in front of the bullet. Both Muybridge and Anschutz have also succeeded in making series of twenty-four or more photographs of a horse during the time it makes a single leap, and thus illustrate its every movement. The value of these and other possibilities with the camera for artists cannot be overestimated. Its aid to meteorologists in photograph¬ ing the lightning, to astronomers in stellar, lunar, and 84 SUNLIGHT AND SHADOW solar photography, and to all other sciences would re¬ quire a work as large as this to describe. For the making of instantaneous pictures a large number of suitable cameras have been devised. In most of these the lens is a very rapid one, and in some cases so arranged that all objects beyond a certain distance are in focus. With an instantaneous camera a secondary image is necessary, so that the right second can be judged for making the exposure. This is usual ty produced by a “ finder.” In making instantaneous exposures the follow¬ ing tables will be useful : A man walking 3 miles per hour moves. A man walking 4 miles per hour moves. A vessel traveling at 9 knots per hour moves. A vessel traveling at 12 knots per hour moves. A vessel traveling at 17 knots per hour moves. A torpedo boat traveling at 20 knots per hour moves. A trotting horse. A galloping horse (1,000 yards per minute). An express train traveling at 38 miles an hour. Flight of a pigeon or falcon. Waves during a storm. Express train (60 miles an hour). Flight of the swiftest bird ... . A cannon ball. Approximate distance per second. 4feet per second. 6 15 19 28 35 36 SO " » 59 61 " 11 65 SS 294 1,625 » " An object moving— 1 mile per hour moves. 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 feet per second. 3 9 TO 1 2 12 13 14 ^ 15 86 INS TANTA NEO US PHO TOGRA PH V 15 miles per hour moves . . 22 feet per second. 20 " •' 2 9 " 25 » » 37 3 « " " 44 35 " " . 5 1 40 " " 59 * 45 " " 66 50 " " 73 55 " " So 60 « « 88 » 75 » " 110 100 " » 147 125 " " 183 150 « « 220 200 ” « 257 " With these tables it will be very easy to hnd the dis- tanee that the image of the object will move on the ground glass screen of the camera. To do this, multiply the focus of the lens in inches by the distance moved by the object in the second, and divide the result by the dis¬ tance of the object in inches. Example, hnd the movement of the image of an ob¬ ject moving 50 miles per hour at a distance of ioo yards with a lens 9 inch focus. 9 X 876 = 7,884 ~h 3,600 = 24 inches per second. We must also hnd out the speed of the shutter re¬ quired to take the object in motion, so that it will appear as sharply defined as possible under the circumstances. To do this the circle of confusion must not exceed T