The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-08-09
IN THE PHOTOGRAPH GALLERY.
Having Picture Taken-How Some People
Sit Before a Camera.

Sit Before u Camera.
Philadelphia North American.
''Queer sitters? Hundreds Of them" said D.
B. De Morat, the photographer yesterday, re-
peatlng question and answering it. my great
est trouble with sitters is that they will almost
invariably sit if they had swallowed a ram
rod. A man will come in, sit down as stiff as
poker, and say: want my picture taken this
way l take it that way, and as matter of
course, he is dissatisfied Had he said: Take
it the way you think best he would have been
sure of good picture. Very few people know
how to assume proper expression, and really
they have no business to assume any expression
but o natural one. like to see business men
come in, for they give me very little trouble,
having no desire to look better than they are.
1t is very funny to see some people trying to
look pleasant. One day philanthropst, whose
countenance is as mild as womans and beams
with gentleness, wanted to be photographed.
His face had a strained look as he sat in the
chair and told him to assume more cheerful
expression. The poor man screwed up his face
in such manner that he looked like red
handed murderer | worked with him for half
an hour, and during that time he managed to
make himself look ridiculous in a hundred differ
ent ways. One moment he looked like an imbe-
cile. the next like stage villain. [ finally got
negative, but nobody would have taken it for the
picture of phanthropist Now, if he had only
looked natural there would have been no trouble
at all
II don't want to be thought ungalant but
am forced to acknowledge that the ladies are
far more troublesome than men. Nearly all of
them want to look sweet and smiling, and in
their efforts to do SO some of them shipper in a
way that is almost enough to break the camera;
and they all want to look young That's a
womans weakness. An old lady about sixty
called one day, and selecting the photograph of
q Young and voluptuOus actress. said she wanted
her picture taken like that. The actress in the
picture had on a low necked dress, and looked
charming Do you want it exactly like thatF |
asked. Yes, sir replied the lady with deter
proof That's not the kind of picture want
She cried. 1t doesn't look a bit like the one l
showed you But, madame | expostulated. I
cannot make lady of your age look like
young of twentyfve.' My ager she
Screamed, my ager and founced out, boiling
over with indignation.
The ladies' have got neat little dodge now
that bothers us a good deal, Say, for instance,
that Mrs. X wants to be photographed OF two
of her fav0rte dresses she does not know which
would look best in the picture. How does she
overcome the difficulty2 Very nicely. She has
her picture taken in one of the dresses. She
subsequently calls to look at the proof, and after
a cursory glance says it does not suit her Of
course, she must sit again. This time she is
attired i'll thu other dress Then she selects
whichever picture suits her, and frequently
takes the first, after all. The photographer who
can get ahead OF woman deserves a monu-
ment
.Ah the ladies are a queer set. AS rule, a
lady does not bring her friends with her when
She comes to be photographed But when she
calls to examine the proof she is accompanied
by dozen. Eleven Of them VIII look at the
proof and pronounce il charming, but the twelfth
oh there is the stumbling block. She looks
at it very carefully, gazes at me as if l had
robbed her. and then says in voice that warns
me not to contradict her. that the picture is
miserable and does not look at all like her friend
The others take another look, while the twelfth
lady calmly points out the imaginary def ects
rnd finally all agree that the picture must be
taken over again.
Country people are frequently amusing Two
very green country girls came to be photo
graphed While l was taking the negative of
one OF them the other got very curious and
wanted TO look into the camera told her to go
On on anu she poked her head under the cloth.
Uue peep was enough She looked Mortified
ne lens you know, reverses the picture on the
focusing plate, and she saw her sister upside
down lost customer She said She wouldn't
have her picture taken that way, and ALI INV cx
plantations were in vain ' ~
One very funny sitter was young man who,