The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1880-12-19
INSTANTANEOUS PHOTOGRAPHY
Pictures TaGem in the Eundredth
Part OF u SecOud-HOW il is Done.

The process of instantaneous photography,
as perfected recently in London and in this
country by lockwood, has resulted in many
changes in the mode Of taking ordinary pho
tographs and has enlarged the field Of pho
Biography by bringing wthinit the work Of
picturing objects in motion.
The historyo of the instantaneous process of
pho ,raphy is, like that of all other inven.
{ IS, full Of failures. The gelatine used in
stead of collodion as medium for the
chemicals employed in making mega
tigo3 is delicate substance, the
manipulntiona Of which need great
experience and judgment; its prop
or preparation is 10 tedious thu It is not
probable thatthe photographer will attempt
to prepare their own plates o' at present, but
will buy them already r epared in large
quantities, the plate boir dry and practical
ly inalterable The gelalno is first boiled for
msny hours, then mixed with the necessary
salts of silver and potassium, then passed
cd through sieve-lills cloths, washed in water
to extract the excess of che meals, boiled
again for day and then spread on the ga S
plates. Even the minutest care in propor-
items and treatment results in plates of differ
ent quality. Some plates ara too sensitive
and become black, even after an exposure of
fraction of second others do not give
clear pictures. So rapid is the effect of light
| that tho motion Of the hand has been
found TO be too slow and pneumatic device
| has been introduced by which the slignt pres.
sure of rubber bulb throws up skwhch
covers tho aperture Of the camera and brings
| it down again. In Mr.. RccAwood's studio a
long tube goes from the camera to any part
Of the room, the bulb which ends 1t being
carried in the operators hand. When he
sees good expression or position on the part
of the sitter he squeezes the bulb, no matter
in what part of the room he may be, and the
picture is taken. But even this pneumatic
disk is not rapid enough TOR pictures taken
out of doors. For this purpose o
wooden slide is used with round
hole in it, AS the slide falls the
opening passes the camera aperture and gives
view of the scene, which lasts for about the
hundredth part of second. In pictures Ia
ken ut the Battery by this process of gelatint
coating and slides the finest ropes on ships
steamboats, going at full speed sre as distinct
as if tho boats had been at rest, and each wavt
was distinctly pictured as it was at that frac
ton Of second
For artists the instantaneous process Offer
the most valuable kind of aid. No mstto
how animated scene it Can be photographed
| n tahl A hall
dancing going on, the musicians hddling
people talking, laughing sad ysWning, cal
now DO photographed with ease. Rogers
thu sculptor, has used tho process TO taxi
pictures of sthestss struggling. The meT
struggle without any taought of tho camera,
and when thsy get through there are hal
dozen pictures OF the men in posi- tioEs which
struck Rogers a, effective. All hehad to do wa
to squeeze his rubber bulb and the thing wa
done. Horses trottins md cows grazing sr'
easily taken. One picture taken last w-ek
represents five pigs feeding, one old fellow
scratching his bach as he gazes stolidly al
the camera. A cat and her kittens make
pretty group.
In taking Chidrsn and very old psrSen
the advantages of this process syo invaluable
The child is allowed 10 move about until i
tSkes q good position, whom the picture il
made. Old people who dislike the ordsn
of sitting are photographed before thsy
knew it, all such things as head
rests and props being dens away
With. Pictures of persons laughing art
full Of life, aad it may be said of all pictures
taken by the instantaneous process that tht
sti1, unnatural expression slmsss upavods
bic when person is obliged to iit with hcat
proppod up, staring at camera for half 4
minute is done away with. In the osision o
many persons it will not bs long bofera pho.
tosraphers' head rests will DO SOLD for old
| iron