[Illustration: AA. The sky and side light. BB. Two dark backgrounds.
C. The white screen in oblique position. D. The subject. E. The
camera. FIG. 30.]
[Illustration: FIG. 31.]
Silhouette portraits were at one time very popular. They are simply
made, and if the effect is well carried out will afford considerable
amusement. The best description of their manufacture was given some
time ago by Herr E. Sturmann, in _Die Photographische Korrespondenz_.
His method is as follows:
Place two dark backgrounds in parallel position about 4 feet from the
sky and side light of the studio and distant from each other about six
feet. Improvise a dark tunnel by drawing a black cloth, of
non-reflecting material, over the two dark grounds, and arrange a
white screen, somewhat larger than the distance between the two dark
grounds, in an oblique position so as to be fully illuminated.
The subject to be silhouetted must be placed in the centre of the
tunnel, one side of the face turned towards one ground, but
comparatively nearer to the white screen so that the side of the face
turned towards the camera is as much as possible in the shade.
[Illustration: FIG. 32.]
Focus must be taken accurately, so that the outlines of the figure are
perfectly sharp.
As it is the object to obtain a perfectly transparent, glass-clear
silhouette upon an absolutely opaque ground, but a very short time of
exposure is required.
Develop as usual and to secure perfect opacity intensify more than
usual. Plates of lower sensitiveness invariably give the best results.
A slow plate or one made particularly for reproduction is well adapted
for this kind of work. With ferrous oxalate or hydrochinon developer
there is scarcely any need of intensifying.
[Illustration: FIG. 33.]
[Illustration: FIG. 34.]
To obviate the shadows cast upon the floor by the lower parts of the
figure, place it upon a thick, large plate-glass, supported by props
of five or six inches in height, and spread upon the floor under the
glass a piece of white muslin. The muslin must be free of folds or
wrinkles, and be so connected with the white screen, that the division
line between is not reproduced upon the plate.
The very feeble shadows of the feet can be easily touched away with
pencil.
Single persons or groups of two or three figures can be photographed
in this peculiar style with very good effect.
For heads and busts expose in the usual manner, but to obtain
silhouettes similar to those our grandmothers had cut in black paper,
and long before photography was thought of, cut an appropriate mask of
black paper to cover the part not wanted during printing.
[Illustration: FIG. 35.]
It should be borne in mind that in this class of work the white
background only is the object to be photographed, hence the necessity
of but very short exposures. With longer exposures absolute blacks and
whites are impossible.