The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1895-11-28
THE ART OF PHOTOGRAPHY.

THE ART OF PHOTOGRAPHY.
The Art of Photography
which has now attained such
perfectness and has become so
popular among all classes, is
one OF comparatively recent in
PRODUCTION. Some of the first
experiments in taking pictures
were made on white paper, or
leather, saturated with a solu-
ton of nitrate of silver, but al
though the shadow could be
obtained they were unable to
discover any means of fixing
the picture, so as to make it in
destructible by diffused light.
The Camera Obscura was in
vented by Baptista Porta, and
introduced in 1902, but not un-
til 1914 did they succeed in per-
fecting a process by which the
camera could be used success
fully, and then it required sew
eral hours to produce the re-
quired effect. In 1889 Daguerre
gave to the world the process
named daguerreotype. His
first specimens, though far in
ferior to those subsequently
produced, and not at all salts
factory to the artist, were still
a thing of beauty, compared to
those produced by any photo
graphs before that time. Lat
err Daguerre made a discovery
by experiments, by which the
features of an image upon a
plate, subjected to chemicals,
reduced the time of taking a
picture from hours to minutes.
Experimentsestill went on, un-
til at last, the exposure of a
plate is reduced to the fraction
of a second. It is not general
ly understood by those not &C
quainted with the art of pho
Biography, the amount of care
full work and skill required be-
fore the negative of photo
graph leaves the camera, until
it becomes a finished picture.
It would take too much space
to enter into detail upon the
subject, but will give the main
processes which it undergoes.
After a negative is taken it is
developed, before which moth
ing is invisible upon the plate.
It is then given to the retouch-
er. Retouching by the way is
an art equal to that of the oper-
ator, for by it, is remedy for
all the inevitable faults of the
Photographic manipulation
From the retoucher it goes to
the printing room, where the
number of pictures ordered are
printed from it. The prints are
then given toning bath, and
when the desired shade is OBJ.
tanned, they are washed in wa.
ter, not less than one hour, un.
til all trace of the chemicals
used in the toning bath is
washed out. The pictures are
then mounted and when dry
FURNISHED, and lastly each pic.
ture must be looked over, and
should there be left any tiny
Flemish must be spotted out
which requires skill to be neat
ly done. You now have the
finished picture. There are
different styles of photographs
some requiring more work thar
others. It has taken but E
short time to tell of these pro
cesses through which mega.
tive must be taken, but to take
them through from the sharp
we'll defined, we'll lighted mega
tive to the nicely finished pic
ture requires hours of patient
and careful application. There
is no place in the work where
carelessness or slackness car
be admitted.
An ambitious photographs
is never thoroughly satisfied
with his work, but is always
studying to improve himself
and tries to take advantage o:
the new developments contin
ually being made in this gran6
and beautiful art.
FROM LOS GATOS.