The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, February 3, 1901, Page 10

mateur took @ Kings River cahyon with sixty his return, si Then he remem- lat He made On exposures, the camera on two rocks In the middle of the The e of Moss Brae Falls was taken from a tiny island in the middle of the rapids The camera fixed, then comes the most trying part—the waiting. The ~hotograph- must wait on He must wait for the right cloud effect: the fog to life from the mountain top: the sun to break through that cloud r he must select and instantly take the best'of the many expressions that are constant over the face of nature. like everything The adept has se stream. ic er nature. passi This aptitud ith practi d years of apprentic Ise. comes bered that he had not thought to remova Ship. Perhaps he served his apprentice- p from the lens during the whole ShiP as'a kodak or camera fiend: a serious photographer of to- S ndscay tography the sucéess o *What he knows from experiments with hiz - fag largely on t gt v ndpoint After the matter of a foreground and ex should be made only after carefully exam- point of view has been decided the ques- r ¢ ining the selected scene from every poinr tlon of light comes up. It has been found of view. The best place for the camera may be up in a tree or on the face of a cliff, or perhaps knee-deep in water, but the enthusiast Goes not mind these draw- backs. In taking this pictuie of the source of the Sacramento River I had to balanco e must do ier the most only force of habit by experience that as a rule the early morning or evening hours are the best. Then the shadows are more pronounced and give the most pleasing effects in [ picture. Pictures taken at noon are the most unsatisfactory. The most difficult lesson matAthe begin- THE SUNDAY CALL. ner nas to learn is in connection with the lens. Here he reaches the limitations of his art. Actual experience will teach him that the phetograph of his friend, who as- sumed an easy and comfortable pose, may develop in the finisheq picture to be a monstrosity, with the féet of a giant and the head of a baby; the vista of trees, with its.sunshine and shadow and delicate coloring, is represented in the finished pieture like soot and whitewash. ch one has to learn these lessons for him- self. But little ald can be recelved from others. The handiest kind of a lens is one In which the front and back series of the combination can be used separately. Then the photographer has a choice of three different fuca and can choose the one that renders the view approximately as he sees it. The accompanying picture of Moss Brae Falls was taken with a panoramic cam- era, in which the Jens revolves. This is a great invention in modern photographic art. Previously small photos of adjoin- ing scenes had to be pasted together for a continuous picture of this length. Now a continuous panoramic picture can be taken in one long strip. |_ = = = 7/ Many other new lenses help the pho- tographer in his work. Whereas the pho= tographer used to have but one lens, thy modern operator has a lens for every dif- ferent kind of picture, and practice tells him which one to select. He has lenses so keen that the veinis of the leaves can be seen. But this lens will not do for a large scenic effect jng the plate it is better to err de of overexposure, excepting in scenes where distan: mountains are in- cluded. Then a slight underexposure is better, so that their outline dces not merge into the sky. California, in its wonderful! variety scenery, offers every inducement to the of photographer—the high Sierras, with their snowclad ruggedness and their tempest- worn trees; fit subjects for the pencil of a Dore! Then in lower altitudes, In the timber zone, what vistas of trees and lakes ang rushing waters are his for the choosing. The ‘valleys and low tide lands, with the sea in the distance, are replete with op- portunities for camera work. Study and patience are sure to be rewarded with charming bits. The sea coast with its bold headlines and the surf with its light and shade can be rendered properly only by one who is not afrald of being drenched. The development of the plate s the most critical part in the process, The directions on the developer seem stmple, but the theory and practice must g0 hand in hand. For this reason it is better to stay by one brand of plates and one good formula for the developer until their capabilities are thoroughly under- stood. There are developers from A to Z and dry plates of many different makes, and every developer and plate has its own peculiarities. Experimenting tends to con- fuse rather than to establish the definite rules so ngcessarv to the beginner. For, as I said before, the mechanical steps, the routine of details in photography should become fixed habits. For when the mind is free to look at the work from the artistic point and not be bothered by the details, the best results naterally fol- low. Here is a good formula for a devel- oper. I recommend the following as be- ing the best for all around work: Water, soft or distilled . 22 ounces Metol ...i.... - 15 grains Hydroquinine g - 60 graina Sulphite sodium Mried, powdered).. 1 ounce Carbonate sodfum (dried, powdered).. % ounce Potassium bromide’ < 4 grains Dissolve in the order named and remember that while this amount of bromide ls usually mfficlent, it may at times be found that more » the bromide solution must be added as per This developer is excel- alluted with two parts of feveloping directions. ent for negatives water. In developing the plate #he photogra- e in mind the mental im- at the time the plate 1 the developer can be so Itant ering of the same. for the prin type of the care and pa- cessary, the back to the mind ene and the securing it pher should ha negative will es the t is anything but what was expected this will only en- w@ase the true d e of the camera, urging him on to do better next time. p he w ave better plc- On his next t s than on h photog way ha aphers in San Fran e collected thot alifornia. e a good excusa vilized man who orn tramp needs v of the photog- rapher Is not always above suspicion, as a Sheriff of a n He and his of an hour workir to cliff up the st town could testify spent-the better part their way from ¢ p mountain in the hot sun, only to-find an innocent photogra- pher prowling in arch a suitable standpoint, and not the escaped convict they were looking for. He explained that though he had often been called crazy, ad never before been taken f a con- vict, and that he could not conscientious- ly claim the right to o free board and lodging furnished by t te. Sometimes hot er has to walt ays for the right atic conditions. The storles i told by the moun- langer with the ells of the enormous his heel and of the tain photographer vie in pioneer miners. rattler that buzzed at etiniy r that walked up to his cam- era, took a look and walked away. But of these stosles we have no evidence save his unsypported word R RS R Three of the Presidents of the United States dled. on the anniversary of the sign- ing of the Declaration of yIndependence. Jefferson and John Adams died on the same day, July §, 1826, and only an hour apart. James Mdnroe died on July 4, 1531