Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-06-18
ABANDONING THE SUN.
PrOgr ess OF Picture Taking by
Means OF the Electric Light
Independent Of the
he

FLO&f ess OF Picture Taking by
Means OF the Electric Light
Independent Of the
Weather.
81 would photograph the catacombs OF Rome
II somebody would put an electric light In
them" said an enthusiastic north sth street
photographer yesterday. Electricity will be
great power In the art OF picture taking In time
Its possibilities are simply nmitless 1t Will
enable US to defy the weather and tell old Sol
10 hioe his head and be hanged. The only rea-
son why it has not come into general use is be.
cause 1t Is new thing, and. as yet, rather
costly; The generators cost six or seven hun
have the required steam-poTer In the build.
1Dgs In which their studios are"
The use of the electric light for Photographic
Wn has not as yet used
successful operation In London, Paris and other
CUES IN Europe. II Is used by two or three
houses In New York with excellent results In
tives 1t has been employed experimentaily
Dy photographers In this city but has not as
YET neen permanently adopted. Among the
were the storing room at Betz's brewery and
the restaurant at the Continental hotel Both.
OF course. were taken at night, and the pic.
lures are really excellent.
THE INSTRUMENTS EsED,
''The instruments used with the electric
light" said the photographer above alluded to,
ARE the same as those employed in solar work.
lou lou nave me ordinary camera, lens and stand.
way. but made sensitive to q greater degree
than usual. The light is placed 70 the side and
little forward OF the sitter and a reflector is
USED 1or the purpose Of diffusion. The light
might be placed directly over the sitter, but
practically it seems to be more effective when
put on the SIDE. The shadows are softer,
sunlight, and one can do away altogether with
screens and curtains for 'toning down The
only difficulty fs to find the best angle OF refec.
tlon, and that, OF course would be overcome
"One OF the photographers OF Regent street,
LOnOon, mas Dulll up large business In taking
Photographic at night with the use OF the cleo.
URIC light. He opens his studio about O'Clock
IN the evening. Ladies and gentlemen on their
way to or from parties, balls aud the opera
crop In TO have their pictures taken in full
and it Is becoming the correct thing to have
every new evening toilet perpetuated by the
S ,eleetric pnotographer.' The pictures that 1
sunlight, though they may be tride less bold
and sharp. Some people, however, rather ad-
1t 'SOftness.'
"iEpsr Pen DE OF TIE WEATHER OBTAINED"
An Arcn street dealer In photographers sup
plleS who Is also connected with one OF the
leading electric lighting companies, said that In
me work OF enlarging photographs the success
use the ordinary solar camera said he, ''but
supplant the sun with an electric lamp. The
negative Is placed In the barrel OF the camera.
TO which mirror is affixed. The rays of light
rejected from the mirror are passed through
the negative and the cOndeGSlng and objective
lenses and the photograph is thrown in an en-.
laTged form on sensit1zed surface In the rear
AIter the regular chemical manipulation the
enlarged picture Is ready to be sent OUT, The
advantage OF the electric light for this kind of
WORK Is really immense. 1t makes the photo
grapher completely Independent of the Wea-
ther ard he can work at night Just as well
as IN Daytime. 1t frequently happens that
just at the photographers busiest season.
aDouI christmas time, for instance, the
weather Is very 1nclement. 1t often rains for
GAYS , But orders for enlarged copies OF pic
lures intended for presents come in briskly.
Formerly about three-fourths of our patrons
would be disappointed The bad weather would
MAKE IL simply impossible to execute their
orders. But now all that Is changed. No mat
Ter TO what number the orders accumulate they
90 not worry the photographer He sends them
OH to one OF the 'enlargiDg houses which use
the electric light. and they are all done on time
no matter what kind OF weather there NAV be-
photographers value 60 much the certainty OF
getting their work completed on time that these
houses always have all the work they can do.
photographers send them work from all paris
.! the east. The charge by the electric light
Plan is no greater than with the use OF Sunlight
me cost 10 the operator is little more. but
tnat is FAR exceeded by the value OF the time
saved. The electric light for portrait taking
VIII be slow making its way into general use'
Most photographers Will prefer to stand by the
cheap, Old fashioned sunshine But 1t win only
De question OF few years till every extensive
house use the electric nght-PhNa.