The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, September 13, 1896, Page 26

26 THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL, SUfiDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 1896. AMATEUR PHOTOGRAPHY—PICTURES OF THE SEA Making pictures of the sea presents greater difficulties to the amateur pho- tographer than any other branch of the art science. Not only is it necessary to get a harmonious arrangement of forms and light and shade, bur it is also neces- sary to make them express somel}:mz. Every object in the picture must suit the atmospneric conditions. hyen though certain things can be found in nature is no reason they should be putintoa pic- ture. To know what to put in is art. A little explanation is, perhaps, neces- sary. Certain forms and acuion at sea are always associated with certain atmos- pheric conditions, although it is not a foregone conclusion that they always ! sunshine, with the distant mountains | looking as if they were only a few miles | off. Anything else would not be Arizona. The coast of California is associated with soft misty distances, and with long, sweep- ing waves from the Pacific rolling | monotonously among reefs of dark rocks. | Storms are unusual, but when they do | | come and the waves roll bigh the skies are | the grandest to be found in the world. The-clouds are wild and broken ana move across the horizon with great rapidity. ‘(‘unlmsls of light and shade are most violent. These conditions are harmonious, although expressing movement and | | tumult, and will surely make good | pictures. be in the field and if too late they will be badly lo- cated or have passed out of it on the other side. As much skill is required as in handiing a gun, and the same rules will apply when it comes to gauging dis- tance if you want to “hit” the subject. It is neces- sary to calculate the speed of the boat in which the camera is located as well as the boat to be photo- graphed. In some cases it is necessary to aim a little ahead, the same as when THE ROCK-BOUND COAST OF MARIN COUNTY. This is & good example of & subject that will always make & good picture. State and are very easy to successfully pnotograph. xist. The mountain wave, roling and tossing, and with clounds of spray blown from its crest, is always associated with a wild sky, and, as a matter of fact, they are nearly always found the accompaniment of one another. The smooth sea gener- ally lies beneath a sky that expresses peace in its quiet expanse. The cloudy sky and the dashing wave are harmonious, just as the smooth water and quiet sky The intermediate conditions are almost as closely defined, and any departure from them will preduce an unsatisfactory re- sult. To say that certain things were a ceriain way does not mean that the picture is good. To be good it must be character- istic of the location and the moods of the sea. One might as well go down to Ari- zona and make a picture of the Grand Canyon of the Colorado with a mist of fog hanging over the distant mountains. Such conditions can be found perhaps once or twice a year, but to put them into a picture would not be good art, for they are not characteristic and would not con- vey a correct impression of tie locality to the observer. [Ihe character of Arizona is expressed in barren rocks and burning Another difficulty in making pictures of the sea 1s the difficulty of finding subjects. The landscape photographer can go to his back yard and most likely find something | to ‘‘take’’; but the marine photographer | has to walk along miles and miles of coast or goout in sn open boat in all sorts of | weather. He has to use his judgmentall | the time, so as to know what will go | together and what it is possible to take with nis camera. Another difficulty the marine photog- rapher has to contend with is the case of quick and limited exposure. Everything must be taken practically instantaneously. There are ranges of exposure varying from the quarter of s second to the four hundredth part of a second, which neces- | sitates a good lens and a fine shutter, and also the nerve and precision of a hunter. There is no focusing on the ground glass, but the distance must be judged by eye and the composition located by the finder. | At this point nerve is required to work the | shutter at just the right time. In the case of rapidly moving objects the fraction of a second one way or an- other in opening it will spoil the result. | If opened too soon the objects will not | Such scenes are very plentiful in this ferry-boats. shooting at a flying duck. But San Francisco is the marine pho- tographers’ para- dise, for more sub- jects can be found near home than in any large city in the world. The range covers the whole field. Almost within the City is the bay, with 1ts smooih, wide ex- panse and pictur- esque islands lying on its surface. Every variety of craft can be found, from the majestic four-masted ship to the Italian lateen- rigged fishing-boat. And they are so rlentiful. The climate here also gives a large number of sunny days each year, and they are quite necess- ary to some marine subjects, particulariy those with vessels close in the foreground. made every year, generally from the ferry-boats. As was mentioned in regard to landscape composition, the fault is “‘emptiness.” This is the result of being too far from the subject. But then it isa bad subject to begin with. Had the cam- era been nearer, the boats in the distance would have looked to be out of the world, while the nearer one would have filled the plate. It is a difficult matter to take such subjects, and where they are done itis a the end of any of the wharves and there will surely be a subject within view. These will not require a very fast shutter, which will give a wide range of time to meet the requirements of the different at- mospheric conditions. If the day is calm and bright a twenty-fifth of a second with a small stop wil give good results. On g cloudy day half a second with a large stop will be sure to produce a pleasing nlctur.a. “The Rock-bound Coast of Marin County” is a subject that calls for all the taste and skill of the photographer. The grouping of the rocks must be so that the most prominent reef is not too far from the foreground. It will require consi_derlble skill to get a group of rocks that will com- eastern part of the country, there is no reason why one similar could not be pro. duced here. There is nothing lacking, To make negatives of such subjects the camera must be stationary or the per. spective will not be right. It is best to et the tripod on land, or a wharf, and focys it on the fishing-boats. To take the ges. gulls a very short exposure is necessary, Not more than the tbree-hundredth of 5 second, which of course would not enough fpr the boats. The b#% way to do is to take the boats by giving them the thirtieth of a secong and then, without moving the camera, pug in another plate and take the birds with the fast speed. be A [\ R BIT OF SAN FRANCISCO WATER FRONT. An upright example of a good shipping subject, and & scene that is quite characteristic of this city, and not difficult to secure from the AN AFTERNOON ON THE BAT. This is a subject to be avoided. It has the same general fault as shown last week—the fault of emptiness, The first thing for the amateur who would make pictures of the sea to learn is what not to take. This is shown in the illustration, ‘‘Afternoon on the Bay.” Thousands of pictures of this kind are good idea to see that the distant boatsare behind the ones in the foreground. Such a subject to be really good would have to be taken with the nearer boat not more than 200 feet from the cam- era and the other boats about, 100 feet farther away. This would prevent too great an angle, and at the same time give a stronger ef- fect of 'light and shade. The shipping sub- ject, “Along the Water Front,” is much better and is also easier to make. Such subjects are plentiful about 8an Francisco and easy to get at. Anywhere along the City front dozens of the same kind can be found and that of the landscape they change almost every day. . Go out to pose well. But having done this the next thing to do is to calculate the time. This will have to be very fast under any cir- cumstances; not less than the seventy- fifth of a second. Having decided on the subject, get everythin : ready to work the shutter and then watch the waves as they roll in. See that there is plenty of con- trast between the darx rocks and the white foam on the breakers and that the sky is not too smooth., With these condi- tions a picture will surely be produced. “‘Seagulls and Fishing-boats” is, from an artistic standpoint, one of the finest pieces of marine photography ever pro- duced. It has all the requirements of a fine picture and is a most graphic piece of work. Itis full of life and action. The boats are pitching and rolling in a lively breeze and the birds are flying past at a rapid rate of speed. This negative was made by Edgar Pickard of Boston, Massa- chusetts. It really is two negatives printed on the same piece of paper, a most difficult thing to do and what might be.called tricky by some, but none can assert that the end does not justify the means. Although this picture was made in the FISHING-BOATS AND GULLS ON THE ATLANTIC. Negative by Edgar Pickard of Boston, Mass. An exceptionally good marine picture. It is very difficult to take, bu the result it sufficient to compensate for many failures. . The usual method of “masking out” and double printing must then be followed and the result will be satisfactory. The fishing boats about San Francisco -are, if anything, much more picturesque than those in the accompanying drawing, They are, in fact, the m st tempting sub- jects a photographer could desire, for they are all of different sizes and unlikein every way except general appearance. It wiil be seen by a comparison of this article with the one on “Landscape Com- Pposition” that the same rules govern both, The only difference 1s the requirements of the two varieties of subjects. The idea is to fili your space. Let the light balance the dark and get picturesque forms that fit well together, and the result will pe a picture, no matter whether it he a repro- duction of land or sea. The life on the bay of San Francisco is also varied and interesting and-worthy the best efforts of the camera student. The sun-bronzed schooner captains and the hardy old longshoremen are most in- teresting characters. Then there are the Portugnese and Italian fishermen in their easy and picturesque garments, to say | boats and wharves. nothing of the graceful nets about their WiLL SPARks. HUMORS OF THE ROGUES’ GALLERY There is no rogues’ gallery now, except in name, and that a relic of the past when the pictures of criminals were displayed on the walls of every courtroom. The pictures are taken as of old and carefully preserved, but more carefully guarded than priceless treasures. No one may see them without an order from the Chief of Police, who is a jealous guardian, demand- ing very minutely the reasons for the re- quest and denying it most decidedly un- less the interests of justice demand its be- ing granted. This, as may be easily understood, is tempering justice with mercy. Justice demands a record of each person who has broken the laws, yet mercy says, *Give If a young man by some mischance has gone wrong and, learning a lesson, reforms and shows by his life that his reformation will be lasting, he may go to the Chief and ask for his picture, have the number and name obliterated and literally turn over a him a chance to do better.”” new leaf. The man who takes the pictures must have some queer experiences and see some The rogues’ gallery has fair faces and handsome ones; grave, intel- 1lectual people look at you from the cards as though wondering why they find them- selves in such company, and more than one wears a careless smile—trying to pass queer faces. it off as a joke. Some prisoners struggle. face the camera. The negative. The face was there, of course, but so distorted as to be useless for its purpose. The prisoner had “made a face” at the camera. They tried it again, a po- liceman holding him steady. Not only was the distortion there, but the eyes were closed. The policeman held him still for half an hour, waiting for the eyes to open. Then a third plate was used. The tired muscles were relaxing, but the eyes were still shut. After another half hour the face was nat- ural and was satisfactory except for the closed window of his soul, Tired of all this fuss, the Chief ordered the prisoner to the dark cell to meditate until he wished to. have his picture taken again. After a time solitude and darkness did their work, and the fifth picture is open-eyed and pleasant. There was method in his madness, as his ingenious escape proved. Women often become nervous and hys- terical at sight of the machine, and some more energetic use naughty words and re- fuse to sit. Logic, however, convinces There is one set of photographs which is a story with- out words. As the man escaped from prison and is still at large there is no vrong in describing them or printing the pictures. The prisoner most positively re- fused to be photographed at all, but the stalwart police were too much for him and he was obliged to occupy the chair and photographer snapped his button and developed the them of the futility of resistance, and with a blessing on all present they face the musie. The man who has charge of the matter now refuses to use much force or persua- sion. He is in no hurry, he will wait the prisoner’s convenience, and he rather likes the sport. The knowledge that in the end the prisoner must give up and the inability to create any excitement has a | rapid effect. Sometimes there is an air of having spruced up for the occasion, sometimes an expressidn of bravado, and often, one ‘s glad to see, a look of shame. ‘The rogues’ gallery would shake one's belief in physiognomy. There are thou- sands of brutal, criminal faces, as is natural, but scattered among them come refined and gentle countenances and heads seemingly of fine shape. One forger has the air of a gentleman, with eyes pen- sive and dovelike. All of that class seem to bave faces which would gain them entrance into church socials. The fair face of a yourg girl looks out pure and innocent. She may bea hardened criminal or a misguided child, whose first mistake will be her last, Kind motherly faces are there ana styl- ishly dressed fizures. The sweet face and silvery hair of Mrs. Davidson are there, and the nude, mutilated body of Minnie Williams must be very near the smiling pictured face ot Durrant. There are some whose eyes no patience or logic can open— the faces of the dead who died rather than be captured. About 14,000 of those mute witnesses lie waiting for a time to come when they shall be needed, and needed they are after many days. A man picked a pocket in San Francisco sixteen years ago, and now his picture is speeding across the con- tinent to where he lies awaiting identifica. tion in a Massachusetts jail, When the prison was at the old City Hall, on Kearny street, the photographer used to have a little fun with the public. He kept a few pictures of notorious crimi- nals where they could be seen, and mixed in the likenesses of prominent citizens and philanthropists. The comments of i the public were various and impartial. One day for a new picture he put up that of a clergyman, a saintly man and well- beloved. Sogn, in came a small crowd, and they pounced on the pastor. He had the face ofa murderer, one said, while another in- clined to think him a forger; and the third said: “Anyhow. you can tell he is a rascal, one of the smooth, easy kind that is wickedest of all,” And 2 young teacher who came in was taken just for fun with her sailor hat tipped and face slightly twisted. Sue looked Among its numer- ous marvels Stock- ton boasts of a bull- dog which gives promise of becoming as famous in its way as Steve Brodie or fohn L. Sullivan. The Bowery boy never jumped off Brookiyn bridge twice in the same day, and the bean-eater had all he could do palmy period; but this Stockton bulldog has a record of meeting in deadly battle and killing successively a California lion, a wildcat and a coyote. This would seem to be quite enough work for one day, but this canine wonder was still fresh and vigorous after those several fierce and bloody contests, and it wound up the gory carnival by slaughtering 100 “eeow n\ =0 big rats in a rat-pit in less time than the (ent.wu ever accomplished by any other cur in existence. > This prize-fighting dog is called Daisy and her owner is Jim Lutje, who is a strong patron of the barbarous sport of the dog-pit. Banjo, another of Lutje’s. curs, “‘tougher” than hall the pictures in the collection. Verily we be very near akin, In Paris the houses the streets narrow. was not only a rattling good fighter, but had a predilection for chewing up great thick planks. Once in a burst of mis- Placed confidence in his luck he ate a tub are very high and | of soff. soap, which cleaned him out of existence. | to score one knock-out per night in his ‘ | | \'\,s THE CHAMPION DOG OF STOCKTON But Lutje’s favorite dog is Daisy. The two are inseparable companions, and Jim would go hungry himseli rather than deny that dog a meal. There is never any fluke when Daisy fights. When she fightd to a finish nobody yells *‘fake” when she concludes her job. *‘Her three big battles in succession,” says S. L. Robbins, “took place in a strongly barred cage covered with heavy wire-netting. The lion had been cap- tured some weeks before in the mountains - e~ crmm oz in Calaveras County, as were also the coyote and wildcat. At first Lutje de- murred at the idea of allowing hisdog to tackle the lion, but, after an argument, in which the silver question played an im- portant part, he consented. When time was called y was placed in the cage with the panther, and both stood eying each other for a few seconds. Then, with a growl like the distant rumbling of thunder, the panther made a spring, but Daisy was sharp and quick, and re- ceived only & passing blow on the head, when, rolling on her back, she seized the panther by the throat, cutting it open with her teeth as clean as a knife would have done. Af- ter struegling and biting for a few sec- onds the panther, by an extraordinary effort ,reieased himself from her grasp and ran to his corner, but Daisy, with the blood of the panther cover- ing her jaws,was after him. Another spring on the panther's part,another grip by Daisy ou the fore part of the stomach of the panther, and, literally by the force of the spring and the strong, sharp teeth of Daisy, the mighty beast of the forest was disemboweled and lay weltering in his blood. The spectators sickened at the sight, and most of them turned away from 7 e ~voe—m—e o _ ... o 8 PG e G0 900000 /v 0 e aw bl the scene. Two hours thereafter the wild- cat was brought in and placed in the cage. Daisy could not bring the cat out of its corner, and, making one spring, she seized the cowardly feline by the.throat, but in the struggle received a blow which came near taking an eye out. The dog, becom- ing crazea by the pain and getting a firm hold on the throat of the cat, killed it in four minutes. “‘Daisy was allowed to rest for a couple of hours, when she was pitted against the coyote. This was a short affair.” ‘“There is no more fun for the sportsman in California,”’ was the pessimistic remark of a knight of the gun the other day to a crowd of sympathizers. *“The land, the marshes, the brooks, even, where the trout loves to gambol, all have been appropri- ated by individuals or incorporated coun- try clubs, and nothing 1s left for the solitary sportsman whose keenest enjoyment comes with the advent of the open season. It is not every one who loves a hunt that is able to afford the luxury of along journey ana an expensive outfit, such as the sportsman of to-day must have in order to enjoy unmolested his passion for the chase. There are, to be sure, the mountainous regions of the State and plenty of game, but these are inac- cessible in the winter; or one can g0 to Trinity County and other spots volves time and meney, and there are but few persons who can afford it; but around San Francisco, say within a radius of a hundred miles, it is the invariable rule to find posted in a conspicuous locality wherever game is likely to abound a warning to all trespassers, and hunters in particular, to abstain under penalty of the law."” A silent protest is all the time going out from every sportsman who has not the entree to one of the country clubs at the appropriation by a few individuals of almost all the hunting and fishing grounds within a reasonable distance of this City, and it §s said that a strong combination will be present at the next session or the State Legislature to secure the passage of laws directed against the leasing of large bodies of land for the few and curtailing and defining the privi- leges of those wealthy clubs which control these large tracts. - The Country Club, which has leased ab- solurely or secured shooting and fishing privileges over an immense tract on the western slopes of Mount Tamalpais, isan instance which sportsmen, whose privi- leges have been curtailed by its means, regard #s one of the greatest of the offenders. The ciub is realiy an offshoot of the Pacific-Union of this City and its privileges come high. Only the mem- bers or a favored guest and then under restrictions are allowed to enjoy the great privileges of the club. One mustbe a mil- lianaire 10 become a member. ‘The number of the members is limited, and as few die and none ever resign the chance of joining it is very small though the list of applicants is always large. The latesi of these corporations founded upon the general plan of the Country Club is the Miramonte, which has been in existence a little over a year. 1tis located on the great Burdell Tract on Petaluma Creek, about half a dozen miles below that flourishing city. The club has leased and fenced in 10,000 acres of mountain land, embracing all that tract extending west- equally retired, but such a journey in- | THEY FENCE 18 THE WHOLE EARRTH ward to Point Reyes and northward to the Sonoma County line. All this tract has been fenced in and stocked with deer, quail, pheasants and wild turkeys, which are rapidly increasing in numbers, and in time will afford the rarest sport. The land isespecially adapted for all kinds of game and has been leftin its natural state so far as possible. Those enemies of the game family, the native foxes, are very numerous and destructive, but the efforts of the club will eventually exterminate these and like pests. Besides the forest lands the club con- trols over 1300 acres of marsh, which, in the duck semson, swarms with game fowl of every description and affords enfrancing sport. The open season for game soon begins and the Mira- monte will be in its glory. The club is a close corporation and consists of only a dozen members, seven of vfh?m adorn the official list while the remaining five are necessarily private. The house of the Miramonte Club, de- signed by Architect Sam Newsom, ison a mound which rises in the expanse of marsh overlooking the whole tract and affording a magnificent view of San Pablo Bay. It is built in the S_pnn- ish style and is liberal iu its din_wnumns. being 136 feet long and 58 feet wide, with wings. Under this roof are reception rooms, kitchens, bath and billiard rooms, dormitories and armories and storerooms for the usual paraphernalia for hunting and fishing. The main hall is the place of 1 eneral rendezvous, and sitting before_tba great fireplace on a frosty mgl}t enjoying the rest that comes after a day’s sport is the very acme of comfort and en- joyment. Here the great prevaricators of the club flourish in undisputed superior- ity, and bere originate those fish stories which astonish two continents by their superlative mendacity. The club has several steam launches, one of which periodicaily journeys to San Francisco and returns crowded with the lady friends and relations of the members, duly chaperoned, and who often spend a day or two there with the utmost enjoy- ment. The winter coming promises to be a notable one for the club. The comple- tion of the new clubhouse isto be cele- brated ip a social way by an event that will bring together al:’ hiendsc:l'the f;zb istant day and be an occasion r'd :&: nl?ed :e:mmb:'red. W. R. Whittier is president of the Miramonte; N. N. Wilson, vice-president; J. B. Burdell, secretary and treasurer; and L. 8. Adams Jr., H. P, Houghton and M. S. Latham constitute the board of directors, and with F. Follis, James Follis, Downey Harrison, W. Hill, W. H. Fairbanks and A. H. Whitney make up the exclusive twelve whose purpose is a perpetual control of 11,300 acres of California land, the discourage- ment of transfer and improvement and its relapse to a state of nature,