Los Angeles herald., 1908-03-08


lines in the middle of the picture are distinct,
but the details around the edge of the plate
and in the distance are indstinct, put IN the
largest of the stops which accompany the
camera and see if this difficulty is not re-
medied.
The ''stops" or "diaphragms.'' as they are
called are thin pieces of dark metal WIN
small round openings in the middle, which
fit into a slit in the lens and make the focus
sharper.
Ii the largest size does not answer the purf,,
pose, take the next smallest, and so on, till
on your ground glass. Use as large stop as
you can, however, for a small stop detracts
from the briliancy of the picture.
When you have a good focus, replace the
cap on the lens, and, letting down your ground
glass. slip the plateholder in its place. Throw
draw out the side of the plate-holder, thus
exposing the plate nearest the lens. Be care
ful not to jar the camera, as you may disturb
your focus.
The next thing to do is to Judge of the
right time during which to expose the plate.
Il is impossible to give the limit of time, az
it is one of the things which you can only
learn from your own experience. The hrst
time must necessarily be an experiment, and
when you have succeeded in getting the right
exposure once, you can use that as guide
to direct you in further exposures.
Some little idea can be given, however: Ii
YOU have a good single lens, bright light
and the object you wish to photograph, is not.
in, dense shadow, then taking off the cap
while you count three rather rapidly, will
be sufficient time to allow.
If this is a successful exposure, then you
can judge from that how long to expose other
pictures. If, on the contrary, you find it is
under Ie. exposed, you can give the next one
posed" you can shorten the time. of the next
trial
After you have made your exposure be sure
to replace the slide before you draw the
plate-holder from the camera.
The development of the plate must be car
rled on In the dark room, as a single ray OF
daylight would destroy the plate Before you
shut out the outside light it is a good plan to
get everything ready that you viii need, as
1t is hard to mix your developer and find
things that you want by the dim red light.
You should have three fiat porcelain trays
OF different sizes. so that you will readily be
able to distinguish them from each other and
not use them promiscuously. You vii also
need a glass measure, called a graduate, and
if you have not the convenience of running
water you must provide yourself with pail
OF water, vessel in which to wash your
plates and another into which to put your
waste water
If you can have the use of bathroom in
the evening to develop your plates it will
save you the trouble of providing these last
articles, and also the necessity Of darkening
the room, as it will be dark enough when the
light from the hall Is shut out.
There are 50 many good developers in the
market that it does not seem worth while for
the amateur to go to the trouble of preparing
his own developer, unless he is fond of chem
istry, and will find it pleasure. 1t is no
economy, for the prepared developers are
sold at Just what it will cost the amateur to
prepare his own.
In event of the amateur preferring to mix
it himself, the following formula win be found
a very satisfactory one.
Take three ounces of sulphite soda granu-
lar and dissolve it in thirty-two ounces of
water Dissolve the soda Thoroughly in the
water, and after this is done add one ounce
of pyrogallic acid.
Put this mixture in bottle marked a.Pyro.
No. l." Take. four ounces of carbonate of
soda and dissolve it in thirty-two ounces Of
water, and put this in another bottle marked
"Sods, No. z.
When you are ready to develop, nut two
ounces of each In your glass-grsduate, with
two ounces, of water: In warm weather this
developer should be kept in cool place
For the alum and fixing baths, you must
provide yourself with two large bottles with
wide mouths. In one of these bottles put
one part of alum to eight parts of water,
and in the other put one part of hyposulphite
of soda-which you can buy by the pound
to FIVE parts of water.
When these are dissolved you are ready to
begin your work Place one tray in front of
you, with the graduate and mixed developer
beside it; put the alum bath in the next sized
tray and the fixing bath in the other. Never
use your fxing.bath tray for any other pur-
pose.
If your room is dark and your ruby lamp
lighted, you can now begin the most fasci-
mating of all the processes in photography
the development of the exposed plate.
Opening your plate-holder, you take out
the plate which you exposed, previously draw
ing down the shutter of the ruby lamp, that
only very dim light may fall upon the plate.