The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-09-22
RISE OF PHOTOGRAPHY
a LOCAL OPERATOR CHATS I>TEu-
EsTINGLY OF THE BUSINESS.
How IL Comes i'm Competition with
Portrait Pninting-Posing of Ac-
tors and Society Women.

There was a time, and it has not been
many years ago, when everything was por-
trait painting in America, and it was GER
tainly "A highly developed art. But it's pop-
ularity Il growing less as photography adj
vances- One of the principal reasons why
portrait painting has lost its hold on the
public is that man TO have his likeness
painted must go TO the artists studio ten
or twelve times to sit. And this, Of course.
takes him away from his business and
wears on his patience. Now, since photog-
raphy has reached it's present stage Of ad-
vancement "A man can get an excellent like
ness. in fact, better than that which could
be given him by a painter. without nearly
so much Of time or cost.
The greatest advantage TO the photogra-
pher is the improved dry plate. 1t is much
more sensitive than the old style wet plate
and it allows the operator to put his sub
ject in a much lower light. and the result
Is that it PRODUCES more character in the
face. The wet plates required a great vol
ume of light; in fact, it took all of the light
that could be got, and then the pictures,
when finished, were not nearly so good as
they are now. The opportunities of the
photographer are increasing all the time.
But the chief thing that he must keep in
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ject must have a happy expression on the
face. And To get this expression the oper-
ator must talk to the subject all the time
and get him perfectly unconscious of him.
self. For instance. now, a man of bust
ness must be treated entirely different from
any other man. The operator must first
find what business he is engaged in; he
must then talk to him OF that, or If it is
found that he takes more interest in pol
itics or something that way. he must inter-
est him along that line. Always make a
man think that he is a good talker and
you are all right. If the SUBJECT happens
10 be a woman OF family, which is very
often the case. talk to her about her chill
dren and you VIII be sure to please her.
The photographer under all circumstance
must make his subject completely forget
himself. and when he has done this his
results will always be good.
POPULARITY OF PHOTOGRAPHY.
In speaking of the popularity of pho
Biography over portrait painting, one of the
chief reasons is that the unframed and un-
artistic eye sees black and white. 1t can
comprehend these two shades much easier
than it can the blending of colors. 1 was
talking TO a well-known artist here some
time ago. and in the course of the CONVEX
SdNiOh Il dShcu I'LL WHY pOIlIdll painters
DO not create. and he said that painters
only see colors and do not create what they
do not see. That is the reason, to the eye
OF the average person, a portrait fire.
quently has a brickish color about the COM
plexion. We often see portraits of our
friends and we generally say, Why so and
so does not have all that color about his
face? But TO the eye of the artist that
color does really exist, though the I'M
trained eye cannot see it"
The photographer was then asked what
effect the amateur photographer had on
the professionals. and answered:
Amateur photography has very little eff
feet on us. And what effect Il does have
ts for the better. The fact is our best
class of customers is among those who
have cameras. People who study photog-
raphy in an amateurish way appreciate
the effects of the professionals more than
anyone else, because they know themselves
what a hard thing it is to get good re-
suits"
DO people manifest any particular Pc
culiarities about having their pictures
taken?" the reporter asked.
Yes" was the prompt reply. For in
stance. a man will invariably so 10 his bar
Der and have his hair cut before coming for
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he ought not to do it. for to nave the hair
cut takes away every bit of natural ex-
preston there is about the face. I have
met men on the street whom I had been
trying to get a good picture Of for a long
time and had never been able to succeed.
They would look in prime condition for a
sitting and I would tell them so and make
arrangements for them to come to the
studio early the next morning. They would
be on time all right. but much to my dis
gust they had been TO the barber first and
had their hair trimmed.
Gen. Lew Wallace is the worst man for
this that 1 have ever known. / have taken
a number OF pictures OF him. but none OF
them has been satisfactory to me. He will
always have his hair and beard trimmed
before coming. and / can't make him I'M
d~erstand that he looks much better without
this being done. I have also taken Mr..
Charles Majors picture, but 1 never noticed
that he had been to the barber first.
You see. to pose a subject one must see
him under the light. and even a photog-
rapher must have the instinct TO know the
best side of a subjects face at a glance.
For example, a man with a round check,
If given a three-quarter view. will give
the impression that he has a swollen
jaw"
THEATRICAL PORTRAITS.
The reporter then asked why it was that
theatrical people seemed to get better pic
lures than one one else.
actor" he answered. lends himself
TO the picture. I nav heard it said that
an actor can pose himself much better than
the average person. but this is not so. He
can only pose himself for an audience, not
for the photographer. The chief reason
why people of the theatrical profession get
good results from their sittings is that they
understand expression. They can hold the
expression on their faces no matter what
their personal feelings may be- An actor
must and can be the part he is TO i'm
personate. When he has a picture taken he
gives himself entirely to the photographers
who directs every expression that he as
sumes.
.T11 tell YOU" he continued, "a society
woman has much the same ability as an
actress. She can assume an expression
about her face which IS entirely contrary
10 her mental feeling. And that is why
the average woman is always wondering
how q woman in society can get a much
prettier picture than others.
In speaking about the expression OF the