The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, August 2, 1903, Page 11

the second of a-series of artictes by Charles. I lor, the famous artiste, trav- lecturer, ‘on’ the uses and 1ses of - photography, under: the hich ‘the talented writer, many trials and photography,” hés “launch- volume on its career, aid the ambitious be- and enable him to avoid .thé mistakes " incident to stages -of . this interesting , while at the same time bring- ing him face to face with his most glaring defects,” in a terse, snappy; authoritative way ‘that is truly edify- ing after all the bewildering. and voluminous literature omn this subject that has gone before. The third arti- cle will be printed next Sumday. W acobs & Co. IS INADVER-~ H careful; t- will mistake; g.-of holding. th€ ke the whi portion of b No. 7 uncapping, "to. draw the down- below the iens—t an’ accd 11’ 6_have a-shutter -placed s which can he done at a reas #nd thu lesve the mind freg e neééssity ‘of this precaution. same .a€rk shadow 15 also produced y allowing® the. focusing h or fall over the lens af'cr the' ¢ hias been removed: Many other- ne pictarés -have . been rufhed by sghtiessness like this. : upori the sabject of uncappwig I would mentipn’ anothér s error that 1 ha¥ve sometimes I have bgen with amateurs focuseq the picture, replaced n’the lens, drawn the slide plate holder, #imed the expos- ned thie slide to the plate hold- $ theéir anxiety.to obtain a very beautif result have entirely forgotten untap the léns. In mbst of.these in- es '] have noted the error, remained informed the operator * Jnly wige and ¢ plate was being developed. This wh was done on my part to more thoroughly impress ‘the error on the mind of the op- erator. g - 5, m t VII-DOUBLING, OR TAKING TWO PICTURES ON ONE PLATE. The amateur who has not experienced this Judicrous. effect of his carplessness will perhaps not appreciate ‘the present chapter. Think of having spent several hours tramping over. hill ‘and dale ard focusing carefully somé chatming’ prospects, only to discover when the plates are -developed that two lovely but distinctly unlike pic- tures appear, to {he utter destruction-ot each’ other, iupon - on® negative. Your time -and labor, 4s well as your plates, in such cases, have been wakted: Yet this is not ‘ap’ uncommon ocgurrénce, ~even among professionals. To: avoid it, number your ‘plate holders -consecutively, from one upward, dnd place them in thelr ré- spéctive .order when loading - your box. When you expose thess plates always be- gin at the lowest number and immediate- Iy after the exposure is made, Jot it down in a handy miemorandum book. Another. excellent. plan is to have markeq upon--the rim of the slide—(not upon the body of the slide, as a white painted letter would retdin enough light to cgude-an imprint upori the negative)<- the wotd “Exposed.” By this'means tle hold which when - loaded- have "the black edge iniviéw, after they have been expoged will make the fact apparent b; the painted word. .. A - Should you ‘use a rell film, do not fail to. turm the spoo) Immediately after tak- ing a ‘picture; Make-this your absolute custont on alf occasions; and you wilf es- cape’ the disappointing experiences illus- trated by plate No. 8. ' e . IX—HALO .OR GHOST., This ‘appearance is not of_ frequent oc- currénte, -and is peculiar fo the work of amateirs.and beginners.- It is caused by light, either reflected or direct, talllhg upon the lens of the camera. Sometimes, after alk your precautions, this ghost, as it is called, will steal in anl rob you of a perfect- picturs 28 Inspect carefully aH conditions before uncapping, and make suré that no light, direct or reflected, falls -upon the lens. Bometimes the sun shining upon & win- dow pane will cast a reflection upon fha lens and evolve the ghost. E “ e e 2 X-THE SHADOW OF THE OPERA- TOR.—The appearance of this upon the negative would .be impossible If the plc- ture were made at noon or thereabouts, when the sun is overhead; but it must be "guarded against when the rays of light are elanting, and objects cast long streaks of shadow. I have seen many valiable studies spolled by neglecting’ these principles. The operator generally becomes so engrossed in his work that he forgets to consider the position of his THE SUNDAY CALL double. Shquld his shadow, mnot come within the 1imits of the picture to be taken it would not interfere witia the suc- .cess of his photegraph; bt when it eh- croaches upon ‘the view he s about to represent, as in plate No. 10, the picture is spoiled, To prevent the pregence of this thtriider make your exposures about.the time of the sun's meridian, or.place your camera at the side of the subject, ér increase -the distance between the camera and the ob- ject to be photdgraphed. i 1t 4s fo' be rememberéd that shoirld you make your exposures about the.time of the-sun's meridian, your resuits will be more flat and lifeless than')f made.at another tinfe of tha day, eithér before or after the noon hour. 2 It'is desirable.to have your subject well lighted and well modéled in shade; this gives character and effect to the picture.. It is very monotonous to ihe tve to view a landscape flat In color and vold of con- trast as regards effects in_light' and shade. . : 5 ¢« o o i XI-TOO MUGH FOREGROUND.—This cannot be.called a yery serious defect in a picture, but it is inartistic and objec- tionable from the fact that too. much urattractive material is included in the prospect.- It may.be said that the super- fluous foreground can be- cut off—and that {s true—but the picture would be . reduced and you ‘would thereby lose an effect you -might otherwise attain. Many things are to be considered in proportion- ing the foreground. Of course the hori- zon must not divide the picture into two equal parts. It may appear either above or below the middle of your subject. But the appearance of too much foreground In eny study, unless it be tne ascent of -a mountain or roadway, offends the crit- ic's ‘eye-hence it should be avolded. 5 . W o XIF—TOO MUCH SKY.—The artist would say of such a pletire as appears in Hju.!tru;!on No. 12, “There is too much canyas ‘to’let’ here.” This’ fault is just as objectionable as a dispfoportionate amount of foregiound. There are, it 13 true, many pictures in whiéh exquisife cloud effects charm the béholder. - The “words “to -much” cannot be apolied to these-faithful portrayals by an apprecla- tive and gkillful pliotographer. You will learn.to judge, after many-trials, of the proportions to be included.in'a landscape that will give It the most artistic valtie and” eifect; Experience and observation wilk be your teachers. In Jlooking through -the album of an amafeur’ a short time ago I pertélved ‘that, in the majority of the photographs, .three-fourths of. the picture’ lovked quite insignificant ih the remaining space. ~ Stydy mature 4n her every-day dress, as well as in her most enchanting appear- ancés. Know why a certaln’ scene makes “an attractive picturé, #nd you will allow no undug Proportions to enter your plc- tures. i 2 - g 0 .. XTII-HOLDING THE CAMERA LEVEL % WHILE FOCUBING. | Plctures like that shown in illustration No. 13 are quite common with the begin- ner; they are not the result of incor- rect focusing, but of sheer carelessness in regard to the position o} the camera. I have knawn amateurs fo overcome all the early difficulties in photography and yet to fail repeatedly in their pictures, because they forgot to make sure that CHARLES TAYLORJRR the camers was perfectly level while fo- cusing. Many operators use a small cam- era level.glass, which can be placed per- manently on the side of the instrument; but this is nét necessary if proper care is ‘given to the position of the camera. There are, on the other hand, beginners who are so anxious to have a ‘“stralght plcture” that they lose sight of the char- aster of their subject, and in their per- sistent but mistaken efforts to have things level present many odd .and un- truthful effects, such as losing sight . of the true horizon and making their hills and ascending roads appear on the' level. .1 have in.mind an example of this kind of ‘work. standing upon a wharf, while the water in the background runs uphill, when in truth it -should be perfectly- level. You can imagine the ridiculous effect of such a scene, 1 would suggest an .easy and simple remedy.” Take a lead pencll and .draw upon the ground glass of the cam- era a true horizontal and a true perpen- dicular line. . This will materially ald the ‘eye of the operdtor In his work and secure abso- lutely correct lines in his results. In my early days with the camera I used every possible means of becoming proficient in manipulating the instru- meént, and read many voluminous .writ- ings on the subject, but found no infor- ' mation which speedily brought ine face to face with the causes of my most glaring defects, and at the same ‘time suggested methods by which they might be prevented. # 1In order to increase my stock of knowl- edge by observation and association with others Interested in this line of art, It is -a photograph of a man . 1 jolned several well-knawn photographic clubg - and socleties; but .my progress was still so slow and tedious that finaliy 1 determined to receive practical jnstruc- tion from one of the best comnrercial pho- _tographers An the city. This course hap- plly proved most successful; the “dan- ger line” was’at last passed. Disappoint- ments over ruined plates became of less frequent occurrence, undér and: gver ex- posures ceasedl to be a perplexing prob- lem, unattractive posing now seldom wor- ried me—in short the-generally unsatis- factory results of the beginner - soon changed to that pleasurable contempla- tion ‘of work achleved, which, I think, is one bf the greatest enjoymenis of those who ““know how."” Hence 1 strongly advise this course to those who would excel i pho- tography. The permanent advantage thus gained at the outset will save the ama- teur many trials and discouragements, for ft is a grievous mistake to think that this accomplishment is of such a minor importance, compared with the fin® arts, that it may be used oily as an amuse- ment for children. Sya To the skilled manipulator the camera offers a scope for imagination and In- genuity in obtaining picturesque effects which vie with that of the artist in ofls and water colors.- * 3 { Therefore one may not hope to master its Intricatles in too short’a time, and. without labbr and study. Ap amount of application and perseverance, almost equal 'to that bestowed upon the kindred: arts is necessary here. In this relation 1 cannot refrain from protesting: against the. aversion to the camera, frequently, expressed by ‘artists of note. This preju- dice, however, exists fo a less extent than heretofore, since ‘mary painters of the present day, either openly or in ‘secret, make use of this once despised instru- ment as an auxillary to their work en canvas. In making this statement I do not wish to be misunderstood. The artist’ uses the ‘camera merely to register on paper an impression, hitherto the office of the memory. . ~ An amusing interview took place not long. ago between a- prominent marine artist and the author of this work, in which the camera was held as a cup of polsoy in the fingers of the painter. I had suggested it to him as a means of preserving the appearance of ocean waves. The proposition was received with a scornful refusal, accompanied by some harsh comments In reference to my valued little friend, the camera. Several latter - " gets from ChMe for use in fertilizers months liter the same artist called m me with the request.that I would pur- chase.a camera for him and give him & dtruction-in u One eshould mot _be disheartened 1if fails. at. first to equal the work of masters. ‘In:_this - art—éspecially in magter of . pictorial effect. Perse labBr, stidy naturs in’ connectio: the :camera, . and, as a . lasting re Your dream of success will become & ality, your. perplexities will grad fade Into péthingness and the fascinatin -art of photogrdphy will become one off the greatest pleasures of your life. . I do not wish'to convey to the m impréssion that this limited ‘covers all the errors of beginn from. it. It is. simply intended to drm the attentlon of the novice to & meth of hapdling ‘the camera, by which will incur fewer disappointments and taln more satisfactory results. . —_——— The annual report of the Nitrate clation of Chile, which controls ‘wobld's #upply ‘of nitrate of soda. -the. production in 1%2 “to have b 2,982523,800 pounds from seventy-eigh "works. The nitrate beds are near surface and are. worked as stons qu _ries: It is anticipated that the nen amount -of nitrate the United States n ultimately be supplied by factories ing it by electrical process from the as is_being done at Niagara Falls. DR. CHARLES FLESH FooQ For the Form and Complexio * Dutrition fesds Wasting tissues. Removing Pimples § Asif by 3 application 57 ) showing a - S - able improvement. DB. CHARLES FLESH FOOD is positivel the only -preparation known to medical et that will round out hollows in the neck produce firm, healthy flesh on thin cheeks, and bands. FOR DEVELOPING THE BUIP Or breasts shrunken from nursing it has higbest indorsement of physiciacs. Two b is "olften suffictent to make the bust large and beautiful. SOLD BY THE EMPORIUM AND OTH - DEPARTMENT STORES AND DRUGG: Regular price, $1.00 a box. but to ail take advantage of this SPECIAL OF send us one dollar we will send two in plain Wrapper. FREE Justrated, will b gent fres to am ing 10 cents to pay for cost of mailing. DR. CHARLES (0., 19 Park Place, New York.