to what is known as Slapton Ley. It was late afternoon in November,
and from over the rounded hills behind me to the westward, the
declining sun sent warm red rays on to the belt of faded reeds which
stretched out into the expanse of the still land-locked water of the
Ley--a great sheet of fresh water which placidly lay under the
shelter of the bank of shingle which alone separated it from the
ever-restless sea--placidly listening to the ceaseless voices of sea
music, and at this particular hour reflecting the sky deep blue and
of almost leaden hue--just above the bank rose the full moon, orange
in tint, on a background of blue-green sky--the yellow reeds,
kindled into glowing amber tints by the sun's rays, flamed out from
the deep blue water--yellow the shingle bank against the blue water
and green-blue sky, deeper yellow the moon as it rose from out the
sea. So grand a scheme of colour that by its side the essays of the
most daring painter might well seem feeble, so exquisite a poem that
the intrusion of the photographer, analysing the values and tones
and calculating his powers of reproduction seemed like sacrilege. In
the main it was yellow, orange-yellow, and red standing out as
luminous against the deep blue of water and only a little less blue
sky. It was gorgeous non-actinic colour appearing as _light_ against
a highly actinic but _darker_ colour. The consequence of an
indiscreet exposure with an ordinary plate might be anticipated to
produce _dark_ rushes against a _pale grey_ background of water, and
so probably the very effect we were minded to secure, reversed and
dissipated.
This is an extreme case, perhaps, but throughout the whole range of
nature the contrasting and blending of adjacent colours is so subtle
a thing that I should feel one were throwing away at least a
possible advantage by not using colour-corrected or isochromatic
plates on nearly every occasion, and in order to get the full
advantage of isochromatic plates, I should consider the addition of
a yellow screen an essential.
The rapidity of one's plates, isochromatic or otherwise, must be
governed entirely by the nature of the subject, as also to some
degree must be development and subsequent printing.
In every case I would endeavour to get a comparatively thin
negative, with even the portions representing deepest shadows
slightly veiled. "Clear glass shadows" is an enormity and an outrage
both of science and art; equally are solid high-lights to be
shunned. With modern printing methods it needs much less than actual
opacity in the negative to produce white paper, and if the picture
requires any part of it at all to appear as quite white, no subject
will need more than the very smallest region to be so. A general
softness and very subtle gradation, with a total absence of
"sparkle" and brilliancy in the negative, will yield by at least
most processes the most suggestive print, bearing in mind that
delicate gradations suggest atmosphere, and atmosphere is one of
nature's most precious qualities.
Whilst plain salted papers sensitized with silver present
possibilities not yet sufficiently exploited, yet until such time
that something more entirely satisfactory in all respects is given
us in silver papers, platinotype and carbon, and perhaps also gum
bichromate will be the processes most suitable for our purpose.
Personally, platinotype has been the favoured medium, being, as I
believe, more ductile and more amenable to various methods of
control than is generally recognised.
And leaving much more of importance unsaid than space limits admit
of my saying, I must leave it.
_A. Horsley Hinton._
_Architectural Photography._
[Illustration]
To the majority amateurs, the photographing of architectural
subjects presents considerable, and in many cases apparently
insurmountable difficulties. Undoubtedly there are difficulties to
be grappled with, but they are neither so formidable nor so
numerous, but that any ordinary photographer with the average amount
of common sense can master them be he so minded.
Unfortunately there are a great many who take up photography as an
amusement to whom the slightest departure from the ordinary routine
presents a difficulty. It is however to the amateur photographer who
desires to be able to portray architecture, be it either of our
cathedrals, churches, historic mansions, or places of personal
interest, and at the same time wishes to be able to do the subjects
fair justice, that it is hoped the following particulars may be of
some service.
To the beginner taking up this or indeed any branch of photography,
size is of course a great consideration either from the weight
carrying or pecuniary point of view. Another reason is the fact that
young photographic workers have an idea that the smaller the plate,
the easier the working. Sound though this reasoning may appear,
nevertheless it is not entirely correct.
As a matter of fact all things being taken into consideration the
larger the plate up to 12 × 10 or 15 × 12 employed the more rapidly
will the worker progress.
Large plates, especially in architectural work, tend to make the
operator more careful and conscientious when out with the camera;
and even more so when in the developing room. So much more can be
done with a large plate than with a small one; the use of a large
plate moreover checks the common failing so prevalent among amateurs
of rushing work and recklessly using plates.
Taking all things into consideration, I would strongly recommend the
whole plate or 10 × 8 camera to the student taking up this branch of
our art.
In selecting a camera purchase a front extending one with bellows
only slightly tapering. See that it has both rising and cross
movement to the front, and also that the amount of movement in each
case is a not too restricted one. Makers, unfortunately, do not give
sufficient attention to this matter, the usual rise allowed being
very slight whereas it should be at least equal to one-third of the
longest way of the plate; even more than this is advantageous if it
can be obtained. By the rise I mean the amount of upward movement
that can be obtained, the lens being in the centre before starting.
The cross-front should have a movement of about one-quarter of the
length of the plate each way.
It may be useful to know that a little more rise can be obtained by
the placing of the lens above the centre of the cross-front;
reference to the photograph of camera will explain this matter more
fully.
The swing-back should be a practical one, working from the centre,
and capable of being swung either to or from the lens.
In many of the cheaper front extension cameras it is not possible to
use the swing-back when tilting the camera down, only when tilting
upwards. The swing-front, although not an absolute necessity, is
undoubtedly a movement possessing great advantages, especially when
the front is raised rather high, and one is using a lens of limited
covering power. This movement should be acquired if possible.
The camera should possess double extension, focussing by rackwork,
and having a reversing back so made that it will fit on all ways; it
is then possible to draw the slide shutter out in any position.
In selecting a tripod stand purchase one of the kind known as the
sliding leg variety, two-fold is better than three, giving greater
sliding power. The top of stand should be as large as possible; this
is preferable to a turntable, as this piece of workmanship is seldom
rigid after a little use, and some difficulty is experienced when
trying to spread the legs out rather wide. A two-fold Ashford stand
is as good as any on the market.
The blocks herewith illustrate the kind of camera used by myself,
and with the exception of the turntable, which is not a great
success, it answers all requirements.
In the selecting of suitable lenses a great deal will depend upon
the inclination of the purchaser and the depth of his pocket.
There is such a great variety upon the market at the present time,
that to the young photographer the buying of the right lenses is
somewhat a difficult problem.
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
The Zeiss series are undoubtedly the finest obtainable and for
architectural work are unrivalled, possessing great covering power,
good marginal definition, and in fact very fine definition all over
the plate. The lenses of this series, although quite new, have met
with great favour amongst architectural workers.
They work at an aperture of _f_/18, but I understand that they can
be opened to _f_/16 and numbered on the _f_ system. As regards their
relative working capabilities they give about the same picture at
_f_/32 that the majority of wide-angle lenses give at _f_/64.
The Goerz anastigmats are also another very fine series but do not
give anything like the covering power of the last mentioned, and
moreover are nearly double the price. Their special merit is that
one can work at _f_/8 or _f_/11, and get a picture sharp up to the
edges. Taylor, Taylor & Hobson also make a good wide-angle lens,
possessing great covering power and at a moderately low price. With
one of their nine inch lenses I have covered a plate 12 × 10 inches.
[Illustration: "GATHER THE ROSES WHILE YE MAY, OLD TIME IS STILL
A-FLYING." ALEX. KEIGHLEY.]
For a whole-plate camera, a useful battery would be a 5 inches,
7-1/2 inches, 9 inches and 12 inches; for 10 × 8, 7 inches, 9
inches, 10-1/2 inches and 14 inches. The three last in each case are
the most useful.
Having selected the lenses, another very important point and one not
to be decided hastily is the question of levels. Four are required,
two circular and two ordinary. They are placed as follows: Fix the
circular levels, one on the baseboard near the front of the camera,
the other on the top of the back part of camera. The other two
should be placed one on the side of the back part and the other on
the back of camera just under the reversing back. Care must be taken
to purchase slow moving levels as some work so quickly that it is
next to impossible to level the camera with them, and as this is one
of the most important points in the whole business, too much care
cannot be taken in selecting and fixing the right kind of level.
[Illustration]
The focussing screen should be ruled as accompanying diagram. This
will divide the screen into inch squares, working from the centre,
and will considerably assist the photographer in "sizing his subject
up."
One other thing required is a set of clamps for binding the tripod
legs together. These are, I believe, made by George Mason, of
Glasgow, but any dealer will procure them for you.
The use of the right kind of plate constitutes a very important
factor in the production of a satisfactory negative, particularly in
this branch.
Owing to the greater difficulty experienced in developing extra
rapid plates, one generally sees the slower variety recommended. No
hard and fast rule can however be laid down. To gain the best
result, the plate must be suited to the subject.
For instance, in a very dark interior in which heavy black shadows
predominate, many of them appearing much darker than they really are
owing to their close proximity to a strong light, the quicker the
plate used the better. This tends to break down the harsh contrasts,
and at the same time the shadow detail is considerably better
rendered.
On the other hand, working in a light interior or one which is flat
owing possibly to the large amount of light present, a slower plate
can be used with advantage, and, providing the exposure is
sufficient the result will be all that is wished for.
Exteriors, particularly those in sunshine, should be photographed on
a fairly quick plate. Slow plates, although good, do not yield
nearly such good negatives, and unless very fully exposed give
excessive hardness.
Taking this class of work all round, the quick plate is the more
useful of the two and is undoubtedly the best for interior work,
particularly such interiors as one meets in our English cathedrals.
For all subjects possessing strong high-lights, such as windows,
stained or otherwise, rapid plates combined with a suitable backing
composition yield the best results, and I would impress upon the
reader the fact that no plate should ever be placed in a dark slide
without being covered at the back with a suitable composition for
the prevention of halation.
[Illustration]
The value of this agent is distinctly demonstrated by the
accompanying illustrations, and I would point out the fact that the
negatives were both developed with the utmost care. The unbacked
plate was so developed as to prevent the appearance of halation as
much as possible, and it will be noticed that all portions of the
photograph, other than that where halation has occurred, are nearly
as good in the unbacked as in the backed one.
Having obtained all the apparatus and materials, a very good subject
to begin on and one giving good opportunities for the exercise of
the various movements connected with the camera, etc., is a general
view of the choir in some cathedral or church near at hand.
Having erected the camera, the next thing is to decide upon the most
pleasing point of view.
Speaking from my own experience I would advise the shifting of the
camera either to the right or left, so that the centre aisle is
thrown slightly in perspective. This tends to give a much better and
decidedly more pleasing effect to the resulting photograph. Of the
two sides, moving to the right seems to be the best. The next item
is the fixing of your ground line, this must be so arranged that it
is quite clear, not obstructed by the backs of chairs, etc., which
look very badly if left standing. Personally, I have generally found
it necessary to move one or two rows of chairs so as to make the
ground line myself.
In adjusting the height of the camera from the ground it is well
never to exceed six feet. Five feet to five feet six inches is the
most useful height. This will give a photograph in which the point
of sight is the same as that of the person actually viewing the
subject.
The placing of the camera on step ladders, chairs, or other
supports, so as to overlook objects in the immediate foreground is a
practice to be condemned, giving results very rarely pleasing and
always bad from the sightseer's point of view.
Having settled upon the point of view and the lens to be used, the
student should then roughly focus the image. Notice the amount of
subject on the plate and how much rise is required.
If having a camera such as described, the rise is easily
accomplished and the camera can then be truly levelled up. Care
should be taken over this as unless you have the camera exactly
level you cannot expect a true picture. The bubbles of the levels
should be _exactly_ in the centre, _a little bit out will not do_.
[Illustration]
If it is found that the rising front fails to give the amount of
subject required, recourse must be made to the swings, and it is
here that the swing front triumphs over the swing back.
To swing the back necessitates the shifting of the camera and tripod
stand, and at once throws all the levels out of gear. Then comes
re-focussing, etc. Sometimes this will have to be gone through five
or six times before the desired amount of swing has been achieved.
Owing to the re-focussing required every time the camera is moved it
is very difficult, especially for the beginner, to rightly estimate
the amount of rise required.
With the swing front the desired amount of rise is attained easily
and quickly, and it can be worked with the head still under the
focussing cloth, which is a great convenience. At the same time the
baseboard and back of camera always remain level.
After gaining the correct amount of rise the sides of the subject
should be considered. A golden rule to remember in this class of
work is when you show a column, show the base of it, and always
start the sides of plate with either half or three-quarters of a
column. It looks very queer to see the bend of an arch wandering
away out of the side of the picture without any apparent support. In
arranging the sides it is usual to have a preponderance of subject
on the opposite side to which the camera is, and to start that side
with a column. Sometimes the subject fails to fit the plate nicely,
in that case it is better to trim the print than to have
uninteresting features present.
Of course a great deal depends upon the personal taste of the
worker, what one man considers right another will rebel against; so
although I advocate the use of columns to fill the sides of the
plate it does not follow that that is the one and only method of
photographing these subjects.
The student having carefully gone into these matters and arranged
the subjects to suit his own satisfaction the question of what point
to focus for arises, and indeed in very dark interiors the question
of focussing anything at all comes in. A method I use myself is to
roughly divide the distance from the camera to the farthest object
in half, and then to focus midway between the camera and the middle
of the subject. Then stop down the lens until the most distant
object is sharp. In practice I have found this rule so good that I
can recommend its adoption for all subjects, and if carried out
correctly will always result in the production of crisp negatives.
Exposure is not a very difficult thing to overcome. Arrange the
focussing cloth well over the head, open the lens out to its largest
aperture and remain under the cloth until you can see the image
distinctly all over the plate. Then without uncovering the head
proceed to slowly stop down until you can only just see the image
all over the plate. Now using a plate of the rapidity of Barnet
extra rapid, an exposure of ten minutes will yield a satisfactory
fully exposed negative.
The varying exposures for other plates and stops are easily
obtained. For instance you find the image can just be seen all over
at _f_/32 and you wish to use _f_/64 The exposure will be forty
minutes.
After having used this method for over seven years, and having
invariably found it correct, I can unhesitatingly recommend its
adoption, and if used with a little common sense the worker will
seldom suffer from his plates being either badly under or
over-exposed.
In photographing side aisles, transepts, or long rows of pillars,
the worker is often troubled by the unnatural way in which the floor
runs up. This is more especially noticeable when there are no
prominent objects in the immediate foreground. A considerable amount
of this can however be overcome by the lowering of the camera to
about three feet from the ground. It is here where the sliding legs
of the tripod stand become of service.
I would ask the student always to use the longest focus lens
possible, consistent with the effect desired.
The use of extreme wide-angle lenses has had a disastrous effect
upon the public taste in respect to architectural photography due
principally to the abortions one sees exposed for sale in the shop
windows of our cathedral cities.
It should be seldom necessary for the amateur to use very wide-angle
lenses. Of course, when it is a question of getting a detailed
photograph in a confined situation a wide-angle lens is of great
service. But it is when you see the whole length of a cathedral
photographed on a whole plate with a five inch lens that the fault
is so noticeable.
In photographing exteriors great care should be taken in the placing
of the camera in a suitable spot. Try and so arrange it that the
short side of the building does not run off too violently, indeed,
it is often much better to leave out a portion of the subject rather
than to cram the whole subject upon the plate.
General views are much better if photographed when there is a little
sunlight. This gives to the subject a sharp, clean-cut appearance.
Details on the other hand are better if photographed in a subdued
light and slightly over-exposed.
In focussing very high subjects some difficulty will be found in
getting bottom and top in focus at the same time, especially if the
lens be strained by either altering the back or front of the camera.
The best place to focus is a little way above the centre of the
screen, so that when stopped down the bottom of the building is
quite sharp. A slight softness towards the top of the subject is
scarcely noticeable in the final print.
The exposure of exteriors varies between three seconds at _f_/64 to
ten minutes, and no correct guide can possibly be given. To the
beginner a Watkins' exposure meter will here be of some service.
If people are continually passing and repassing stop the lens down
to _f_/64 and give as long an exposure as is possible; this will as
a rule completely obliterate them. I have found that an exposure of
from ten to twenty seconds entirely destroys all trace of moving
objects.
Another method of making an exposure where there is much traffic
past the building, and perhaps people standing about whom you cannot
very well ask to move, is, to break the exposure as many times as
possible. Expose for two seconds, then wait until the traffic has
somewhat altered; then give another two seconds and so on until
finished. By this means I have been able to photograph buildings in
the centre of a crowded street or thoroughfare without a trace of
anybody showing.
It is often interesting for the student to be able to successfully
tackle the photographing of drawing-room, ball-room, or other
apartments either of his own or friends' houses.
This work is considerably more difficult than it seems; and it is in
such subjects that the taste of the operator becomes manifest. A
great deal depends upon the point of view chosen and also upon the
arrangement of the furniture.
If a long room, the camera should be placed at one end at about a
quarter of the width of room away from one side and from the end
wall. Keep the camera parallel with the sides of the room and use
the sliding front so as to obtain more of the opposite side of the
room. This will give the ceiling a true square appearance and the
side of the ceiling will not run off with an unpleasing effect.
In some subjects it is perhaps necessary to include one or more
windows. This can of course be accomplished by the aid of backed
plates, but it is always better to block those particular windows
out. This is usually done by covering the outside with black cloth
or brown paper or pulling the sun blinds down. To get the effect of
the windows you must remove the paper or cloth at the end of the
exposure for a few minutes, three minutes being generally
sufficient. By this means it is possible to show the landscape as
seen from the window. Do not place your camera too high. Four feet
to four feet six inches is quite sufficient. If the camera is higher
you look over the immediate foreground objects, touching the ground
past them, which is undesirable.
In arranging the furniture be careful that round or oval objects are
not placed so that they appear on the edges of the plate which gives
them an exaggerated appearance.
In exposing on all such interiors I would strongly recommend a very
full exposure, the object being to flatten the subject. A great
thing to study in this branch of work is the careful lighting of
your subject. This can be largely varied by the use of the inside
blinds, also by the sun blinds found outside many windows. It is
_not_ advisable to draw the blinds up to their fullest extent. By so
doing you accentuate your cast shadows thrown by tables, chairs,
etc. In fact, the softer the light in the room coupled with a
corresponding exposure, the better the result. Another point to
notice is that a comparatively dull day is often the best for
interior work, the light being much softer and subdued. As a slight
guide to exposure I would suggest that an additional twenty-five per
cent. be added to that recommended for church work.
_John H. Avery._
_The Hand Camera and its use._
[Illustration]