_See __In an Italian Village_
In the olden days I used to lug around big cameras. I even went so far as
to have 14×17 _hand camera_, made to take to sea with me to make large
direct marines. In the days of the old Boston Camera Club it was called
“the dog-house.” But I soon found out that it was “too much pork for a
shilling.” Now I use small cameras and enlarge. My small cameras are
mostly of the stereo-panoram variety, and a pocket Ansco, all fitted with
fast lenses and with direct vision finders, which I consider much more
practicable than the old style finders. For instance, I was on a steamer
a few months ago, waiting to leave the dock, and a lot of gulls were
flying around. I said to myself, “Here’s a good opportunity to test my
shutter and finder, and see if I can stop them,” so I used up one roll of
film on them. I made direct hits and stops on every one.
My picture “In an Italian Village” was made with my Voigtlander 45×107 mm.
stereo camera. I was on an auto trip in Italy; had nearly used up my
three months allowed by the Italian Government, and had three days to get
out or lose my deposit for duty on my car. I was on my way to the French
frontier, and ran through this Italian village—Todi I think the name was.
When I saw this picturesque old wall with some of the villagers, I said,
“I’ve got to get this whether I lose my deposit or not.” So I stopped the
car, got out my stereo, stood up in the car, leaned on the windshield, and
shot before they woke up to what I was doing. Then what happened? The
whole village seemed to want to get into the plate, and I had a mob
instead of a picture. I made several more shots, but the first one was
the best. In nine cases out of ten in like conditions I find the first
shot the best. Shoot quick and don’t give ’em time to pose. I suppose if
I had trained movie models, though, it might be different. I’ve tried
studio work, but I prefer the small camera and the quick snapshot. Luck
counts, I admit, but when it is good, the snapshot seems to me more
spontaneous than anything I can do in the studio.
My usual method of enlarging from small camera shots is this. I enlarge a
transparency (positive) up to 6½×8½ or 8×10. “In an Italian Village” was
an 8×10 positive, sharp lens. Then, either with a soft focus or a sharp
focus lens, I enlarge to whatever size I want and whatever effect I’m
after. The advantage of enlarging the positive is that you can do any
faking you want to better advantage, and when your enlarged negative is
done you can print in any medium you wish, so I always make enlarged
negatives. I don’t think I’ve made a bromide enlargement in twenty years.
“In an Italian Village” was enlarged from a part of a 45×107 mm. stereo, a
little larger than my thumb-nail. The enlarged negative is 11×14. It was
printed in multiple gum, four printings, pigment 50-50 lampblack and
indigo.