Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1910-09-30
Failure of Color Photography.
From Harper'a Weekly.


Color photography does not seem to
be making the Roadway that was ex-
pected Of it a while ago. The discov-
cry of the means to photograph objects
In their natural colors created much
enthusiasm, but nobody has ever dis
covered how to transfer these colors
from the negative to the printing pa
per. each photograph, therefore, ne
cessltates q separate exposure. AS
this exposure Is longer than for an or
binary photograph, 1t requires a great
deal of time. Finally, when the color
negative-after seVera! trials to pro-
duce a good one-is finished, there must
be a special holder to show the picture
off. The true effect Of the color pho
tograph is not brought out unless the
plate Is held against a strong light, and
any holder has to be especially made
and is costly.
The men who have worked in color
photography ia that there is also q
technicality of exposure that Is both
ersome. No one as yet seems to have
obtained precisely the proper light con-
ditions for q studio portrait or picture.
BY good luck some fairly satisfactory
results may be reached, but they are
not, by any means, what a true artist
In photography would feel contented
with.
Outdoors It is a different matter.
There the conditions are better and the
~Nrcentage OF success Is greater. Por-
..aits, IN the stronger outdoor light, are
more satisfactory, and they have the
added advantage Of an infinite variety
of garden and other backgrounds. Some
beautiful work IN this line has been
done. and even finer results have been
secured IN landscapes. One Of the men
who have been specializing in his line
goes around among the better class of
suburban places, and has no particular
trouble in getting $50 for a set Of plates
with special holders.
For illustration work the color mega
tive has found a fixed place, and IL
win be IN increased demand until the
photographers great final problem. the
making Of O. plate that will print any
number Of impressions in color, Is
solved. At the present it's chief use IL
as a key or guide to color printing on
the press. It's use IN this respect is
sven now important. Suppose, for in
stance, a dealer Is laying out a nursery
or seed catalog to issue e Janu-
airy and wants half a dozen fine color
illustrations in It. The old way would
have been to pay an artist a big price
to paint the flowers In OIL or water col
ors and then to turn this picture over
to the photographer as a model. The
new way is for the dealer to have a
color plate made for g key and also d
plain photograph OF the same object, at
much less expense, and let the maker
OF the new process color cuts work II
all out for him.
For the lantern slide the color plate
has it's limitations. II cannot be mag
nihed beyond a certain point with good
results. Also there must, be q stronger
light than usual, to bring out the coIors
and In getting the stronger light the
operator IL apt to crack the glass with
the heat. The ordinary lantern slide
can be replaced again from the orig
inal, but IL q color plate Is broken that
is the end Of It unless the operator has
gone to the pains and expense of max
ing more han one exposure. Sometimes
this is out Of the question; for the rea-
son that the necessary conditions can
not be prolonged.