T? D Lf. A cr D ■? Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2016 https://archive.org/details/pocketkodakportrOOeick POCKET KODAK PORTRAITURE. WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY RUDOLF EICKEMEYER, JR. Copyright , zqoo, by the Eastman Kodak Co. THE KODAK PRESS ROCHESTER, N. Y. Folding Pocket Kodak and Portrait Attachment, HE chief end of photog- raphy, from the amateur’s standpoint, is home por- traiture. He may revel in the delights of out-door work ; may record with enthusiasm the events of the summer vacation and snap-shot every point of interest on his travels, but to make portraits — por- traits which will be like- nesses, which will be artistic and natural — such is his cherished, though ofttimes secret, ambition. And portraiture touches the human side of photog- raphy ; it has life. By it are preserved the child faces and the child habits which the years so quickly efface. Who that loves children or cherishes the affection of a friend can resist this most interesting phase of the art photographic ? The delightful child pictures which Mr. Eickemeyer contributes to this little book should prove an inspiration to every Kodaker. A careful study of the pictures alone will almost reveal their maker’s methods. Their simplicity and naturalness it has Life A Careful Study show that he has done but little “posing,” depending rather upon inborn grace of the little ones ; that he has awaited the opportune moment for making the exposure and with patience and tact has made his subjects unconscious, or at least forgetful, of the fact that they were being photographed. All of the pictures were made with a Folding Pocket Kodak, some with and some without the portrait attach- ment, the very sim- plicity of the instru- ment making it espe- cially available for work which must be done quickly, and free- ing it from details which exhaust the patience of both sitter and operator. Com- menting upon the Pocket Kodak in con- nection with the pic- tures which he made for us, Mr. Eickemeyer says : “The Kodak lies on the library table with the dictionary, and I hope it will prove as useful as the latter. In much the same way as one refers frequently to the diction- ary, one can now turn to the Pocket Kodak whenever something occurs in one’s field of vision that is considered worthy of a pictorial record. “Realizing that practical examples are better than mere theorizing, and with a view to suggesting the line which may be taken by the worker, I have made a number of pictures which clearly show what work can be done with this new camera. The majority are pictures devoid of studio char- acteristics ; that is to say, they do not depend for effect upon special lighting, painted backgrounds or other studio acces- sories, and their good points will be quite within the reach of the ambitious amateur. ‘ ‘ / especially made it my purpose to avoid any attempt at composition, but left everything in the rooms as they happened to be at the moment .” The simple beauty of Mr. Eickemeyer’s work is perhaps beyond what the beginner can expect to grasp at first hand, but it depicts the potentialities of the Kodak and becomes a help and a guide to the novice. It is the personal side of the picture that gives it the true value in the eyes of the maker and his friends, and it is to so guide Not Mere Theorizing A Help and a Guide the beginner that he can successfully engage i n this phase of photography that these few pages are written. Before un- dertaking to photograph children per- haps ’twere better for the Kodaker to make a few trials with “grown folks” in order to be- come accus- tomed to the lighting and note the e ff e c t s of shadows upon the face. The Fold- ing Pocket Kodaks lend themselves with unusual facility to home portraiture by Folding Pocket Kodak and Portrait Attachment. reason of their simpli- city, which enables the operator to give nearly his entire attention to the subject and to the lighting, and by reason of the non-hala- tion qualities of our film ( caused by its contact with the dull faced black paper which runs behind it), which materia 1 1 y reduce the too violent contrasts causedbythe uneven light- ing of ordi- nary house interiors. No tripod is necessary, any firm support Folding Pocket Kodak without Attachment. will answer, and the time exposures are made by simply touch- ing one button to open and another to close the shutter. In order to catch the natural expression of the sitter the exposures should be as short as will give a properly timed nega- tive and the largest stop should therefore be used, but it should be borne in mind that under-exposure makes harsh negatives. To use an old photo- graphic expression : “Expose for the shadows ; the high- lights will take care of themselves.” The lenses used in the fixed focus Folding Pocket Kodaks are of such quality that Gr e lt a< ^ m ^ a larger stop opening than Speed that used in ordinary fixed focus cameras, Helps and they are, therefore, unusually rapid, an important feature in interior portraiture. The No. 3 Folding Pocket Kodaks are focusing cameras with rapid rectilinear lenses. In the use of the portrait attachment no Folding Pocket Kodak and Portrait Attachment. Folding Pocket Kodak and Portrait Attachment. change whatever is made in the operation of the Kodak. The attachment, which can be carried in the vest pocket, is to be slipped on over the lens and the Kodak manipu- lated in the usual manner except that putting the attachment in place is equivalent to setting the focus at three and one-half feet, at which distance the Kodaks will then cut a clear, sharp picture. The use of the attach- ment, of course, throws them out of focus at other distances. In using the attachment on the No. 3 Folding Pocket Kodak the focus should be set at 15 feet. In portraiture the first consideration is the light. A top light is usually preferable, and if a north light can be used, so much the better. Raise the win- dow shades to the full limit and pin a cloth across the lower half of In the Vest Pocket About the Light the window. Have all of the light come from one source. If there is a “cross light” it will cut up the shadows, causing a disagreeable and inharmonious effect. Figure i indicates the relative posi- tions of the sitter, the camera and the light. Perhaps the simplest and best pose to begin with is obtained by seating the subject at “A,” facing the Kodak, “C,” and then turning the face slightly away from the light. Care should be taken with the eyes. They a should not be turned decidedly to either 1 Pose side, but should look in nearly the direction that the face is pointing, otherwise some very ridiculous effects may result. If the shadow on the side of the face away from the light is very heavy, a reflector should be placed at point “D.” A sheet suspended from the picture mould- FIG. I. A. Sitter. C. Kodak. B. B. Window. D. Reflection. Folding Pocket Kodak and Portrait Attachment ing, or even thrown over a chair, will Softening usually answer the purpose very well, and Shadows a little practice will show how the depth and location of the shadows can be manipulated at the operator’s will by moving the reflector. Figure 2 shows how to obtain the beautiful ef- fects of a Rembrandt B lighting — thisbeing the term applied to pictures taken from the shadow side of face, a favorite method with the great painter whose name has been given to this style of lighting — a style of which he was a perfect master. To obtain this effect we Rembrandt place the subject at point “A” facing Lighting point “ D” and set up the Kodak at point “C.” The proportions of light and shade can be changed by simply turning the sitter’s head toward or away from the light. A very slight change in position makes a wonderful change in the lighting, FIG. II. A sitter, B B window, C kodak, D point toward which face is to be turned. Folding Pocket Kodak . Simple Back- grounds Out- door Portraiture and the face of the subject should be studied carefully to obtain the best effect. Backgrounds should be appropriate and simple. Often a dark portiere produces a most pleasing effect, or walls having a plain ingrain paper will sometimes answer perfectly. Heavily figured wail papers should, as a rule, be avoided, however, as the figures are likely to draw the eye away from the subject, thus destroying all har- mony in the composition. But “ home portraiture ” does not neces- sarily mean the taking of pictures inside the four walls of a room. The shady side of the house or the subdued light of a wide veranda frequently offer exceptional oppor- tunities for portraiture, and the Kodak Por- trait Attachment can be used as well out of doors as in-doors, but two points must be borne in mind. Do not, pray do not take the subject into bright sunlight, and do not use the clapboarded side of a house for a background. A trellis of vines growing up over the veranda, or an open doorway, makes a most excellent background in photographing grown people, while a clump of bushes is often equally desirable as a background for a portrait of young children at play. Having before us some of Mr. Eickemey- er’s charming work with the Kodak, what he has to say of his methods is particularly interesting: Folding Pocket Kodak without Attachment. Hints from Mr. Eickemeyer Uncon- scious Subjects “Among my old Colonial possessions is an oak chair with a little table-like rest on the right arm, such as are still found in New England homesteads but which have become quite rare and with which their owners are loath to part. This chair is just the right one for interior photography, for, when seated, with the Kodak resting on the little table on its arm I can look into the finder and make pictures in the easiest manner imaginable. ‘ ‘ One morning, resting in my den, perus- ing the papers, with the camera within reach, my little nephew and my two little nieces came in to spend a few hours with us. The boy soon tired and went out of doors, and only came in from time to time to see if luncheon was ready, and for that reason only figured once in my pictures, and I must say I was really glad of this as he might have interfered with the work I had planned. The little girls stayed and played about the room as unconcernedly as if nobody was there. They thought I was reading, while in reality I was watching them attentively through the Kodak finder, waiting for the moment when the whole picture harmonized. Thus I was able to obtain several pictures of my unconscious subjects. “ When luncheon time came, one of my little guests sat down at once at the table. Folding Pocket Kodak without Attachment. and telling her to sit quietly I photographed A her by resting the Kodak on a large book Book in front of her. The picture with its dark, Tripod distant background gives the figure envel- ope, and in this respect it is an example of its kind. “ After luncheon we shifted the scene of action upstairs where I composed several pictures with the two little girls at the win- dow. A potted chrysanthemum is the object of interest, with an old Colonial high boy for a background. “In the meantime my wife, equally fond of Colonial objects as myself, had donned, at my suggestion, a Rococo gown and now Difficult came in for her share in my experiments situation with the new camera. I took her in two different attitudes. In one standing before a chiffonier with a distant window in the line of the camera, and in the other seated at her writing desk with a window reflected in the mirror fronting the camera. Both were difficult photographic situations. “ Another attractive picture is of the lit- tle girl opening the door of an old Colonial cupboard. The little, mischievous face is marvelously clear and plastic, and full of character. It is also noteworthy in its range of local values, from purest white to opaque black. “ Growing still more ambitious I did not wish to end my work before I had tested the camera making bust portraits, pure and simple. ‘ ‘ Every amateur has, no doubt, experi- enced the difficulty of managing in close surroundings the shadow side of the face, the daylight being too concentrated and rarely diffused enough, but by using a piece of white cardboard as a reflector the shad- ows can be materially lightened. But only in extreme cases of light and shade will a reflector be found necessary. “Formerly those photographers were considered fortunate whose apparatus was unlimited in quantity, or of the most expen- sive quality, but now the amateur whose outfit alone consists of a Folding Pocket Kodak and a Portrait Attachment, is afforded an opportunity to make good por- traits with an instrument of most complete pattern. ’ ’ With Mr. Eickemeyer’s work, and his explanation of his methods as a guide and inspiration, we believe that this modest lit- tle work will prove of value to every ama- teur into whose hands it may fall. Each step that one advances in photographic work so increases its charm, opens up such new and delightful fields to the amateur that to stop at the mere taking of out-door snap-shots is the throwing away of untold pleasures. A dozen years ago there were indeed few who could afford the time or Unlimited Apparatus not Necessary An Increasing Charm Other Kodaks money to go extensively into photography but the Kodak has changed the conditions. Cost of apparatus and detail of operations have been reduced to a minimum and now he who will, may Kodak. What Mr. Eickemeyer has accomplished with the Folding Pocket Kodak can, of course, be done as readily with the box styles of Kodaks which are their equals in everything except compactness, while the Cartridge Kodaks, with their noiseless pneu- matic shutters and rapid lenses, are partic- ularly adapted to portraiture. Kodak Cartridges are now made for two and six, as well as for twelve exposures, enabling one to load economically and in broad daylight for a few exposures at home. The delights of home portraiture are thus within the grasp of every Kodaker. All of the foregoing illustra- tions were made with a Folding Pocket Kodak on Eastman's Transparent Film. In the six head and shoulder pictures the Portrait Attachment was used. RUDOLF EICKEMEYER, JR. Yonkers, JST. Y., Dec., iqoo. KODAK PORTRAIT ATTACHMENTS. The Kodak Portrait Attachments are simply extra lenses which are made to fit our fixed focus instruments. (And the No. 3 Folding Pocket Kodak.) They are attached by simply slipping on over the lens hood or inserting in the opening in front board of Kodak as the case may be. They in no way affect the operation of the Kodak except that they make it cut sharp at a distance of three and one-half feet and consequently, of course, throw more distant objects out of focus. They are therefore to be used for bust portrait work only. Kodak Portrait Attachments are made for the Folding Pocket Kodaks, No. i, No. iA, No. 2 and No. 3, and for the No. 2 Bulls-Eye, No. 2 Bulls-Eye Special, No. 2 Bullet, No. 2 Bullet Special and No. 2 Flexo Kodaks. Price of attachment to fit either of above instruments, fifty cents. Be sure and give exact designation of Kodak when ordering. A BIT OF DETAIL ABOUT FOLDING POCKET KODAKS. In the preceding pages we have shown something of what can be accomplished with these little instruments in the way of home portraiture. Here, a few lines descriptive of the cameras themselves may not be devoid of interest. The Folding Pocket Kodaks are made of aluminum, are covered with the finest seal grain leather and have nickeled fittings, thereby combining strength and lightness with elegance of finish. They embody that perfection which can only be secured by the use of the best machinery, the employment of highly skilled mechanics and the most rigid inspection and testing. Absolute accuracy is required in every detail of their manufacture. They are fitted with the Eastman Automatic shutter, which is always set. The simple touching of one lever makes a snap-shot. Time exposures are made by touching another lever, once to open and again to close the shutter. Especial attention has been given to the lenses, every one of which is tested individually with the utmost care. Those used on the No. i, No. i A and No. 2 have a fixed focus and are meniscus achro- matic. The No. 3 Folding Pocket Kodaks have Rapid Rectilinear lenses and are fitted with focusing scales. Folding Pocket Kodaks of all sizes have brilliant view finders and sets of three stops and in common with all Kodaks use our light-proof film cartridges with which they can be Loaded in Daylight. THE PRICE. No. 1 Folding Pocket Kodak, for 234 x 334 pictures, $10.00 Transparent Film Cartridge, 12 exposures, 234x334, 40 Do., 6 exposures, 20 Folding Pocket Kodak, No. 1 A, for 2% x 434 pictures, 12.00 Transparent Film Cartridge, 12 exposures, 2^ x 434, 50 Do., 6 exposures, 25 No. 2 Folding Pocket Kodak, for 334 x 334 pictures 15.00 Transparent Film Cartridge, 12 exposures, 334x334, 60 Do., 6 exposures, 30 Do., Double-Two Cartridge (4 exposures), .20 No. 3 Folding Pocket Kodak, for 3 34 x 434 pictures, 17.50 Transparent Film Cartridge, 12 exposures, 334x434, 70 Do., 6 exposures, 35 Do., Double-Two Cartridge (4 exposures), .25 Kodak Portrait Attachment for either of above (be sure and specify instrument to be used with when ordering), . . .50 EASTMAN KODAK CO., Rochester, N. Y. KODAK, Limited, London, Paris, Berlin, Liverpool, Brussels, St. Petersburg, Glasgow, Vienna, Moscow, Melbourne. KODAKS, FROM $5.00 TO $35.00, ARE FULLY DESCRIBED IN OUR COMPLETE KODAK CATALOGUE, WHICH MAY BE HAD FREE AT ANY DEALER’S, OR BY MAIL. EASTMAN KODAK CO. GETTY RESEARCH INSTITUTE 3 3125 01140 1664 “ If it isn’t an Eastman it isn’t a Kodak.”