Greenbrier independent. [volume] (Lewisburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1980, 1896-09-03
TRICKS OF THE PHOTOGRAPH MAN.
BY fitting Abe Chin or Shading tho Faoe He
Makes krctty Effects.


Makes Pretty Effects
That the camera cannot lie is true,
but even more is 1t true that in the
hands of a skillful photographer doft
manipulation of the lenses or of the
instrument itself can make or mar
the face or the form that is posing
Even the photographer has his
tricks. They are tricks that have
an art behind them and turn the
camera from n dumb mechanical in
strument, which can set down on its
plato only what is actually before it,
into discriminating mechanism, Sc
lecting at will, changing ugliness
almost into beauty.
Nobody ever saw the picture of
an actress that was not attractive.
Some photographs of reigning
queens of the stage are far moro
beautiful than others, but not one
fails to catch theeye from the point
of view of loneliness, facial or of
contour. In tens of hundreds of
photographs taken of women in pri-
vate life few show any remarkable
charm.
And yet the women on the stage,
on the whole, are not more conspio-
uously fascinating than those who
have never trodden the boards. The
reason of tho difference in their pho
tographs is plain and simple. 1t is
the trickory of the photographer,
who, laughing meanwhile within
his sleeve, so clevorly works that
he changes-presto!- ordinary
woman into II beauty of the timo.
1t has remained for some French
photographers to give somewhat in
detail the actual science of these
tricks of photography. The ques-
tion is one of perspective and optical
illusion. An egg, for instance, if
the photographer have sufficient
skill, can be so photographed that it
will appear in tho shape of n ball
In the same manner "a nose or u neck
may be made to seem short or long,
face longer or rounder, q figure
stout or slender, short or tall.
In every persons face certain
characteristics stand out as absolute
ly the best in their oountenance. It
may be the chin, the eyes, the nose,
the mouth or the forehead. Again,
In every face there are features that
are weak and need strengthening,
hiding, or some sort of "bolstering
up" With the trained eye that is
gained through years of experience,
the photographer sees this at once
He may not sec it completely. 1t
may require posing after posing and
trial after trial, at certain angles,
before ho gets the proper effect
But he finds-and this fact the
French photographers have just
made known--that there arc some
com binations in every face that will
give practically perfect photo
graph.
If the ohm reoedes at all badly,
by deft fitting of the head and q
training of his camera to the right
angle 1T Is strong, attractive chin
that appears III the photograph.
The prominent nose that throws
all the rest of the face out of coun-
tenance he brings his machine to
bear upon until he gets an angle at
which it is softened and brought
into relation pioturesquely with the
rest of the face.
A sidewise turn of the head, and
q large, broad Tipped mouth may be
photographically made into the
veriest rosebud or Cupid 8 bow"
that a woman ever had.
An ugly forehead may be toned
down into most fetching one by
catching the light upon it, by turn
ing the head up or down, and a
whole face barred in every character
lstio may be metamorphosed by pic.
turing 1T sideways so that the tip of
rosy ear may be seen.
Sometimes photographers treat
paper with chemicals so that it can
be stretched ever so slightly after
the picture is printed on it. 1t is
thus possible to stretch an ordinary
cabinet print an eighth of an inch,
thus working wonders in the pic
ture. By it round, chubby face
has been lengthoned into a Greek
oval of great beauty. Chicago Trib-
une