Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1888-06-16
AN OLD PHOTOGRAPHER.
VETERAN eooARous WRITES ABOUT
SECRETS OF THE TRADE.

pespIts of Carelessness--Thc Photog-
rnphcr's Pa,rons--Cood Advicc-Produc- /
tion OF Coiors.
II required work, money and timc, and
great quantities Of IL, 10 bring photog-
raphy up TO its present standard; II re-
quired the combined intellect OF the best
chemists and the best manipulators; II
required the finest mechanism TO construct
the necessary apparatus, and II required
great care. taste, skill, judgment and ex-
perience TO make q good picture.
One man will excel In lighting and pos
ing, and perhaps Is not successful with
the chemical part another Is good with
the chemicals, but cannot pose or light
the sitter; another Is perfect with the
mechanical part, and cannot pose to sat
isfaction or use the chemicals to produce
good work; few men combine all. The
sitter sees nor knows but very little OF oil
this. He thinks II he looks his best aud
gives up his most agreeable expression
that Is all there Is TO be done. IL he
would go with me into the dark room and
see the care necessary TO develop tho neg
ative In the dark, TO bring the whites 30
they will print black, and tho blacks so
as TO print white, and yet leave all the
half tones, he would soon be enlightened
very small part Of tho operation.
Ohl but, you say, see how well nma-
teurs are doing. Granted. But, remem-
Der all tho work of the operation has been
simplifed. II was not SO simple TO men
who worked with hand and brain to
simplify it. Again, the amateur does not
have to prepare his chemical plate; 1t can
be bought already coated. The careless
amateur will often expose the same plate
twice. A gentleman usually successful,
exposed his plate on an organ grinder and
his monkey. The next day, forgetting
which plate had been exposed, he focused
on beautiful country seat. When the
plato was developed house, man and
monkey were somewhat mixed, the head
OF the organ grinder coming out Of the
chimney and the monkey perched on the
head Of tho "lady Of the house." who had
30 carefully struck nm attitude on the
piazza More plates spoiled by careless
working than by bad chemicals, has
passed into Saying" In the fraternity.
A photographer sees many little his.
tories. A young gentleman has some
pictures. Soon after a bashfui young
lady calls, and showing one Of his pictures
wishes hers taken the Same size anc
style We understand tho situation.
Before long the now bride Is taken In her
bridal dress. Next the baby in its long
dress, then I'm its short dress. In tho
course Of time In his first pants, then In
his uniform as he comes home from
boarding school; soon In that most i'm
portant period of his young life when he
attempts his first mustacho Mt college.
And then ho brings his best girl, and 30
on In regular progression from generation
TO generation.
Many sittcrs spoil what would other
wise have been q good picture by trying
TO put on an expression. "Try to look
like yourself" Is the best advice ! can
give. One looks too cross; tho next smiles
too much. A miss from the country
brought her lover for picture. "Now,
said she, Gosh, kinder smilo and kinder
not" That was about rs sensible advice
as ! ever heard given, after over forty
years in making faces. Photography has
been called "justice without mercy" but
| by retouching the sitter can DO made to
| look much younger than Is real. Retouch
| ing tho negative Is done In n dark room
| with a small opening in n franc that GOV
| ers the window. The negative Is placed
over this small opening, and the work
man. by tho use of pencil and brush, re
moves all tho roughness Of tho skin, anC
can remove oil frowns and lines. Thui
tho prints are beautfed and sometimes
improved. But in many instances the 70
toacher does too much, by taking out al
the character of the face. People wishing
true likeness never wish this done
| Others do. 1t depends very much on the
age OF tho sitter. i have had people Gt
| and 70 years old ask: "Can you take my
| likeness without showing any wrinklesY
The answer always is, "Yes, but where
will the likeness be2" Many, many com
plants have had of the picture looking
too old, and but very few instances OF III
being pronounced too young. ! remembe
several instances where the parties eX
acted promise to break the plate afte
one impression had been printed. The,
wanted ono for self, but none for friend
under any circumstances.
Efforts to get pictures Of young ladie
arc often made. OF course, pictures o
actresses and public people are sold to an.
purchaser but the pictures of privat
parties honoring mo with their patronag
! always considered sacred All kinds o
persuasions are made by young men to sc
the pictures of pretty young ladies'.
Win the colors ever be photographed
| We'll. In these days of wonders we ar
hardly surprised at anything, Electricit
| had long been known and used for var
Gus purposes, but It remained for Mors
to send 1t whispering around tho worlC
and photography has made rapid strides
and some mind more fertile than Other
may produce the colors, but oil attempt
by the best chemists of tho world hay
not been successful thus far.
| Several claims have been made, but O
Investigating have been found falls,
About the year 1850 man named Iill {
Catskill, N. Y, claimed to DO able
daguerreotype the colors. OF course,
was u great secret. All the daguerre,
typists Immediately suffered from colC
on the brain. A meeting was called I
tho gallery of Mr.. Lawrence 10 inve
tigate. 1t was decided to send con
mitteo to Catslill with money to buy Il
wonder, but he could not show anythil
satisfactory.
Photography has beon disgraccd by Il
making OF pictures unfit TO be show
among intelligent and yirtuous peopl
1t has been used to crafty the lowe
and most dcpraved tastes. and althoug
there is law against the production
such pictures, yet they are produced
this city in places unknown TO the publ
and have been made In galleries bearing
fair reputation and by men contemptib
enough to do anything for money.
Sometimes You hear people sRy; 'Tl
photographer put mo In such bad ligl
II made mo scowl." Now, II the read
will observe the next one hundred peop
he meets on the street he will find tw
thirds of them wearing scowl, perha
without being aware Of II. They nev
> find out they have n scowl until they 5
: an impression of the face, and say {
photographer has done it.-A. Bogard
/ \ =