The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1900-07-20

Notes and hints! Well, the average man
is In need OF whole lot OF them, but the
problem is, which particular ones does he
need meet at tho present moment! The
field OF photography is big one and some
particular phase OF it may be brought
under his notice today that may not in-
lterest him the least little bit, and yet
month later he might be willing to give
considerable TO have the information
placed in his hand Again, do n0t be-
| lisye much in giving hints. l much pre-
fer speaking plainly and telling how to DO
certain Things. on the other hand, gem
eral test like this permits man, II ne
feels like it, getting in few body blows
On matters that do not justly a special
article.
For instance, l should like to get after
hthe average amateur photographer Gu MS
craze for what ne dignlhes with tne lde
I OF experimenting. die buys Oailei
to make pictures, but before ne mas mad IL
a month cne would think his sole aim In
life was TO become an expert Photographic
chemist. IA exposes places no longer 20
have a record OF something that interested
MIN, but qhat he may have a necessary
adjunct in trying new developer H5
makes prints 10 experiment with new
brand OF paper or a new toning bath. lie
ianiulSs. he talks, he dreams about his eX-
periments and honestly believes that some
day he is going TO nit upon combination
that will automatically produce tine pic
lures. AS a matter OF fact, he is WANDER
ing in a perfect bog and is doomed to stay
k,l.Fger ! tf.4l N
until somebody lifts him out and seats him
on hrm ground. Now, among my readers
there are certain to be thousands OF this
type, and | want to hand out to them a
few cold facts in order to bring them 20
their Photographic senses.
/ / think there is more stupid nonsense
| talked about developers than anything
else. Thousands upon Thousands claim as
a result of experiments that they can work
wonders by modifying the developing So
luton, and talk wisely about saving this
plate and that plate by their skill ana
judgment Rubbish! Their experiment
are not worth the price of the water ussd
in making them. In experimental work
the rule is one variation at a time, all
other factors being constant So when a
man exposes plate today on a snow scene
and develops with one chemical, and
week later on a portrait, developing WIFE
another chemical he introduces a l%Tgt
number of misunderstanding, length o.
exposure, temperature OF solutions and
duration of development. How can any
sane man draw definite conclusions from
such mixture as this? OF recent years
few, a very few men have devoted mucf
time and thought to this problem, anc
their conclusions are now in the hands g
the public for lis consideration AS mat
ter OF fact they find. given a certain eX'
posure on q plate that it is really imma
terial what particular developer is used
whether pyro metal hydrokinone. orto
or anything else If the negatives be al
brought to the same density. So much
then, for hoping to improve underexpos'
ures CIR overexposures by the use OF ID GER
tain developer.
They have also proved that once deyel-
opment has started 1t is terry impossible
to modify the signal result by tinkerin2
with the developer So all this talk Of
| saving an overexposed plate by the addi-
tion of this, that or the other thing j!
pure nonsense If development has started
before the conditions OF the exposure IL
discovered. They do, however, say thai
modification is possible to very limitet
extent II the error of exposure is known
before development has been begun. Blu
it requires man to be scientihc experI
TO know eXactly what TO 90 10 5et wv
effect he desires in a case of overexposure
and. expert or not, he can not make an!
improvement in a case of undereXposure
with the average man the only modtfica
ton possible is in the duration OF deve.op
ment the principle being that prolonge
immersion in the solution tends to Civ
contrasty negatives, while fiat negative
are got by curtailing the time in the bath
He was a shrewd observer who many lon
years ago remarked that the character o
negative was determined the momen
: the shutter was closed. I think | hay
said enough to demonstrate that tn
foolng around with developers is a yer
: Improbable occupation fer any thinkin
individual. The formula recommended b
the platemaker Is quite good enough 10
me, for know he has in his employ hign
" trained chemists and that they hay
made hundreds OF systematic experiment
before recommending the particular com
biration that comes with the plates. o
the other hand. I would be just as conten
to take any Of the resdy-made solution
supplied in the stores II we're certai
they were compounded Of pure chemicals
The technical side OF photography is be