ON THE TRAIL WITH YOUR CAMERA
=What to Photograph and How=
You cannot depend entirely upon your memory to recall the sights and
adventures of the trail, and will be only half-equipped if you go
without a camera and note-book. Several clicks of the camera will record
the principal events, while your note-book will fill in the detail.
=Selecting a Camera=
In selecting a camera remember that every ounce in weight counts as two
when on the long trail, and that to have to carry it in your hand is
most troublesome and inconvenient. The folding camera, which can be hung
over your shoulder with a strap, is therefore the best; and do not try
to carry plates, they are too heavy. It is of little use to consult the
clerk of a photographic supply shop about the style of camera you should
buy. As a rule he is not chosen for his knowledge of the goods, and his
advice may be worse than none. The better plan is to secure descriptive
catalogues from dealer or manufacturer before investing, and study them
well. The catalogues will tell you the price, the size, the weight, and
_what kind of work_ each variety of camera will do, and you will learn
the advantages and limitations of many before deciding upon one.
=How to Know Your Camera=
The camera once bought and in your hands, the next thing to do is to
become thoroughly acquainted with it. With your camera you are entitled
to a little book of instructions. Take your camera and the book, sit
down alone, and give them your entire attention. Read the book carefully
and, at the same time, carry out the instructions while the camera is
unloaded, that is, without the film. If the size of the diaphragm can be
changed, change it and look into the lens to see the effect; also try
adjusting the shutter and watch the lens for the effect of instantaneous
and time exposures. Try the focussing scale, locate some image in the
finder, and practise holding the camera pressed closely against your
body, pointing neither up nor down, tipping neither to one side nor the
other, but aimed directly at the object you are supposed to be
photographing. Then try turning the key which brings the film exposures
into position.
=Loading the Camera=
Learn how to load and to unload, first without unrolling your film.
Afterward adjust the roll in the camera and see that it is properly
placed and will turn easily, before you loosen the end of the film. If
you detach the gummed paper which keeps the film tightly wrapped before
placing the roll in the camera, the whole film will spring loose from
its spool and become light-struck before you can adjust it.
=Count the Turns of the Key=
With your first roll of films it is well to learn and remember the
number of turns you must give the key to bring a new exposure into
place. With my camera which takes a four-by-five picture, five turns of
the key are necessary between the exposures. Knowing this, I count, and
when the fifth turn is reached I complete it slowly, watching carefully
the while for the new number to appear in the little red celluloid
window. In this way, even when hurried or excited, I do not lose an
exposure by turning the key once too often. Always remember to place a
new exposure _directly after_ taking a picture, to make sure that you
will not take two on one film. In making ready for a new subject count
again, for there are four things one must be sure of with most cameras
before taking a photograph, and by counting you will know if any have
been omitted:
(1) See that a fresh exposure is in place.
(2) See that the shutter is properly adjusted for
instantaneous (or time) exposure.
(3) See that diaphragm stop is set at the proper
opening for the light you will have.
(4) See that the distance is correctly focussed.
There are cameras, however, that are of universal focus and do not need
adjustment. These are convenient ones for the trail, as they are always
ready and can be used quickly. Being small, they are also light to
carry.
=Be Economical with Your Films=
A very important thing to learn when taking photographs is to be
economical with your films, and especially is this so when on the trail,
for your supply is then necessarily limited. Merely for the sake of
using the new toy, many amateurs will photograph subjects that are not
of the slightest interest to any one, and very often, when a scene or
object does present itself that is well worth while, all the films will
have been wasted and no picture can be taken.
=Plan Your Pictures to Illustrate Your Trip=
It is a good idea to plan your pictures so that they will illustrate
your trip from beginning to end. A snap-shot of your party starting on
the trail, another of the country through which you pass, with, perhaps,
one or two figures in it, and the remainder of the films used on objects
of interest found on the way. If you can secure pictures of any wild
animals you may see, they will make the series doubly interesting and
valuable. When you go into camp a view of the camp should be included.
When the pictures are printed write on the back of each what it
represents, where taken, and the date; they will then be valuable data
as well as trustworthy reminders.
=Backgrounds=
Look for the best view of a subject before using your camera; there is
always a choice. One side may be much more pleasing or more
characteristic than the other, or may show interesting details more
plainly. If you have studied drawing you will be able also to find the
view which makes the best composition. The background, too, must be
considered, and the position of the sun. The simpler the background the
better. Near-by foliage is not good for figures; it is too confused and
the figures will mingle with it. Sometimes the adjustable portrait-lens,
which can be slipped over the other, will obviate that trouble by
blurring everything not in exact focus, and this lens will allow you to
stand nearer the object and so make it larger on the film. It is not
intended for distant views and the camera should not be more than six
feet from the subject when it is used.
[Illustration: The white birch-tree makes a fine background for the
beaver.]
Quiet water makes an excellent background, also distant foliage and
hills, flat fields and meadows. These may be obtained for figures, but
often the very things you want to photograph most are in the woods with
foliage close to and all around them; then you must simply do the best
you can under the circumstances.
=Color Values in Photographs=
Another thing to remember is that, unless in broad sunlight, green will
take dark and sometimes black; and brown or tan, being of the same color
value in the photograph, will mingle with and often be lost in the
background. If you are photographing a tawny animal, and most wild
animals are tawny, try to get it when in the sunlight with a dark or
flat background, or else against a background lighter in color than the
animal. For instance, a red squirrel or chipmunk will be lost amid, or
against, the foliage of a tree, but on a fence rail or fallen log it
will stand out distinctly.
If you have a chance at a beaver it will be near the water, of course.
Then the choice view will be where the water can form at least part of
the background. If the shore is at the back it may be difficult when the
print is made to find the beaver at all. In the interesting photograph
shown here the beaver is against the light trunk of the tree which shows
where he has gnawed it almost through. In all this the position of the
sun must be taken into account, but the rule of always having the sun at
your back, like most other rules, has its exceptions. I have found that
so long as the sun lights up the object, even when from one side, I can
secure a good picture; but I never allow it to strike the lens of the
camera, and I make sure that the subject is not silhouetted against its
background by having all the light at its back.
[Illustration: Blacktail deer snapped with a background of snow.]
=Photographing Wild Animals=
It is not easy to photograph wild animals after you have found them, but
you can do it if you are quick to see and to act and are also patient
enough to wait for a good opportunity. You will often find deer feeding
in sunlit places and can, if you stalk them carefully, approach near
enough to get a good shot. If they happen to be in partial or light
shadow, open the diaphragm of your camera at its widest stop and try for
an instantaneous exposure. Very good photographs are sometimes taken by
that method, and it is worth the experiment where time exposures are out
of the question, as in taking moving animals. A snap-shot will be of no
avail if the shadow is heavy, however, and a short time exposure may
sometimes be used. Set your time lever at No. 1, which means one second,
and the lever controlling the diaphragm at No. 16, and by pressing the
bulb once you will have a time exposure of one second. An important
thing for you to realize in taking animal photographs is the fact that
though the creature may seem quite near as you see it with your natural
eye, in the picture it will occupy only the relative space that it does
on the finder. If it covers a quarter of the space on the finder it will
cover a quarter, no more and no less, of the finished photograph.
The wonderful pictures we see of wild animals are usually the work of
professionals who have especially adapted cameras; but to take the
photograph oneself makes even a poor one of more value.
[Illustration: The skunk.
Don't get too near when you try to photograph him.]
=Shutter Speed=
To photograph objects in rapid motion such as flying birds, the speed of
your shutter must be at least one three-hundredths of a second and you
must have a fast lens; but with a shutter speed of one one-hundredth I
have taken very good pictures of things moving at a moderate rate. A
walking or slowly running animal, for instance, can be taken with a
shutter speed of one one-hundredth. You should find out the speed of the
shutter when you buy your camera, then you will not throw away films on
things beyond its possibilities. "You press the button and we'll do the
rest" doesn't work where moving objects are concerned.
Those who go a-gunning with the camera, stalk their game as carefully as
any hunter with a gun, and for really good results the following method
is the safest to adopt. Time and patience are required, but one does not
mind giving these, the interest is so absorbing and the successful
picture so well worth while.
=Set Your Camera Like a Trap=
Find the spot frequented by the animal or bird you are after, wait for
it to go away of its own accord while confident and unfrightened, then
set up your camera like a trap where the lens will point to the place
the bird or animal will probably occupy upon its return.
If it is a nest it will be easy, for you can be sure the bird will come
back there and can adjust your camera to take in the entire nest. Where
there is no nest, sight your camera upon some object between which and
the lens the creature must come in order to be within focus, and trample
down any undergrowth that may obstruct the view. Make sure that your
focus is correct for the distance and that the film will take in the
whole animal. You can provide for this by staking off the probable size
of the animal at the place where you expect it to stand, and then
looking in the finder to see if both stakes are in focus. You will
probably have to raise the camera from the ground and perhaps tip it a
little. For this a low tripod is best but if you haven't that, and very
likely you will not, a convenient log, stump, or stone will answer the
purpose. If even these are not handy you can build up a stand of stones
or small logs, or pile earth into a mound. Whatever material you use,
the stand must be made strong and firm. To have it slip or slide is to
lose the picture. Make your camera perfectly secure and immovable on the
stand, then tie a long cord to the release (the small lever which works
the shutter). The cord must be amply long enough to reach to the ambush
where you will hide while awaiting your game. The ambush may be a clump
of bushes, a convenient rock, or a tree behind which you will be
concealed. If there is no such cover near you can make one of brush and
branches. When the cord is carried from the camera to the ambush hide
the camera with leafy branches, leaving a good opening for the cord to
pass through to prevent it from becoming entangled. Then hie to your
cover and, with the slightly slack cord in your hand, await the coming
of your game.
[Illustration: The porcupine stood in the shade but the background was
light.]
=Taking the Picture=
As the animal approaches the camera grasp your cord firmly and steady
your nerves to act quickly, and when it is in focus, not before, give a
quick, firm pull to the cord, releasing it immediately, and the thing is
done. Don't become excited at the critical moment and make your shot too
soon or jerk the cord too hard. If a bird is to be taken upon the nest
and the nest is in shadow a short time exposure can be given, or a bulb
exposure. For bulb exposure set the lever that controls the shutter at
_B_ (meaning bulb), and the lever controlling the diaphragm at No. 16.
When the bird has settled upon its nest pull the cord, count three
slowly, and release it. The shutter will remain open as long as the cord
is held taut and will close when released. This method cannot be used
for long time exposures. When you become more practised in the art of
wild-life photography you will know how much time to allow for the
exposures. There will be some failures, of course, but one good
photograph among several will repay you for all your trouble and will
make you keen to try again.
[Illustration: Photographing a woodcock from ambush.]
=Photographing the Trail=
You can get a good picture of the trail with a snap-shot when it is in
the open, but a forest trail must have time exposure. When your eyes
have become accustomed to the dim light of the woods it will not seem
dark, and you will be tempted to try a snap-shot because it is easier,
but if you do you may certainly count that a lost film. It is not
possible to hold your camera in your hands and succeed with a time
exposure of over one second. The beating of your heart will jar it, a
breath will make it move, so some kind of a rest must be found as when
taking the animals with bulb exposure. If the light is very dim first
set the lever controlling the shutter at the point _T_ (time), then set
the lever for the diaphragm at No. 16, press the bulb, and allow from
fifteen to twenty seconds', or even thirty seconds', exposure.
=Timing Without a Watch=
You can time it without a watch by counting in this way:
one-and-two-and-three-and-up to the number of seconds required. One-and
is one second.
[Illustration: The country through which you pass, with a trailer in the
foreground.]
When the seconds have been counted, press the bulb again and if the
camera has not moved you should have a good negative. No hard-and-fast
rules can be given for this work because conditions vary; you must
rely some on your judgment and learn by experience. It is said that
overexposure is better than underexposure and can be handled better in
developing the films, so when in doubt it is well to allow a little more
time than you think should be necessary. Curious results sometimes come
from underexposed films. I once had a print in outline, like a drawing,
from a negative made in the Rocky Mountains. It did not look in the
least like a photograph, there were no shadows, but it was a good
illustration of the scene.
=Photographing Flowers and Ferns=
If your camera will focus so that you can place it near enough to take
small objects such as flowers and ferns, another field of interest is
open to you and you can add a record of those found on the trail to
complete your series. A camping trip will afford better and more
unhurried opportunities for photographing flowers than a one day's
trail, unless you carry a box or basket with you for securing specimens
that you can take back and photograph at leisure. Do not break the stems
of the flowers or plants, take them roots and all. Loosen the soil all
around and under the roots so that which clings to the plant may be
undisturbed and taken up with it. If the soil falls away, cover the root
with damp loam or mud and tie it up in a large leaf as in illustration.
This method not only keeps it from wilting but will enable you to take a
picture of the growing plant with all its interesting characteristics.
If you put your plant with its clod of earth in a _shallow_ bowl, pour
in as much water as the bowl will hold, and keep it always full, it will
remain fresh and vigorous a long while and may be transplanted to
continue its life and growth after you have finished with it.
[Illustration: METHOD OF PROTECTING ROOTS TO KEEP PLANTS FRESH WHILE YOU
CARRY THEM TO CAMP FOR PHOTOGRAPHING
MUD AROUND THE ROOTS
WRAPPED IN LEAVES]
Just here must come the caution not to tear up wild plants by their
roots unless they are to serve a real purpose. Some of our most
beautiful wild flowers and rarest ferns are now in danger of being
exterminated because of thoughtless and careless people who, in
gathering them, will not even take the trouble to break the stems. When
the roots are gone there will be no more flowers and ferns.
=Look at the Date on Your Film=
Even the best photographer cannot take good photographs unless he has
good films. On the box of every roll of films is stamped the latest date
when it may be safely developed and it is foolish to try to have a film
developed after that date has passed. When you buy your films be sure
they are fresh ones and that the date insures you ample time; one year
ahead is none too long.
Do not open the box or take the wrappings from a roll of films until you
are ready to load your camera. Then save both box and wrappings, and
when your films have been exposed, use them for covering the roll again.
Keep the wrapped and boxed rolls in a dark place until they can be
developed. Dampness will spoil both films and plates. If you are in a
damp climate, or on shipboard, keep them in a tin box, tightly closed.