Los Angeles herald., 1910-09-18
TROUBLES OF THE AMATEUR
BY THE SAD SEA WAVES
BY r. s. COLE

lOBTdpHy Is luOTS pTOlluC VI WdSlSu
material than is the early experience
of the average snapshot enthusiast in
his attempts to make seashore pictures,
failure after failure generally mark
ing his first efforts to photograph
scenes which attract his notice. Only
after he has repeatedly undergone the
vexation of developing a carefully ex-
posed plate or roll of film, to discover
the resulting negatives are almost, IL
not entirely, worthless, does he dis
cover the cause of his trouble, and
apply the proper remedy, and when he
does he usually goes off into some
quiet nook, where he is safe from
interruption, and express a fervid
opinion of his own stupidity, wonder
ing meanwhile that he did not sooner
discover the cause of all his trouble.
Over-eXposure is the obstacle which
besets the path of the amateur to sue
cessful seashore photographs, and un-
til he has learned, by bitter experience
as a rule, that the light on the sea-
shore is very different in intensity
from that of the same kind of day
inland, fiat negatives, utterly lack
ing in the crisp detail so necessary to
the perfect photograph, are the usual
reward of his best efforts. On day
when the light is of such quality
that it would permit of the usual in
almost the entire aperture of the lens,
in an inland locality, the intense light
on the seashore would ruin the plate
or film exposed at the same speed and
with the same stop. The eye quickly
becoming accustomed to the Increased
brilliancy takes no note of the changed
light conditions, with tire result that
the deluded amateur, secure in the
belief that he knows the proper method
of avDoc11ra nndar tha axiStinR light
conditions, and lured on by the fasci-
nation of the seashore. recklessly keeps
his shutter busily clicking, with re-
suits to the feelings of the hapless
amateur that are perhaps better imag-
ined than described. when develop
ment shows what the increased light
has accomplished.
A fact which must be kept constant
ly in mind by the seeker after seaside
photographs, is that the summer llght
increases to its maximum intensity
shortly after o'clock in the morning
and does not begin to diminish until
late in the afternoon. The careful
photographer, who seeks the best re-
suits of his efforts will choose the
early morning or late afternoon for
making his pictures, and for those
which must be taken during the hours
of greatest light intensity, will be
time of exposure.
Rolling surf is a subject of never
ending temptation to the amateur
camera enthusiast, but here again In
experience stands in the way of sue
cess in securing hoped-for results. The
average amateur attempting for the
first time to record the coming-in of
the great waves on his plate or film,
waits for the wave to break, and then
makes an extremely rapid exposure.
Instead of obtaining the picture hoped
for, the resulting print gives the i'm
preston of a wave suddenly frozen
into motionless solidity, whereas
slightly longer exposure of from one
fiftieth to one-twenty-fifth of Sec
ond, would have given the desired re-
suit.
Proper care of the camera is es-
sential to successful seashore photog-
raphy and is one of the things often
neglected by the amateur who is MAX
ing his first visit to the beach. The
salt air quickly causes the metal parts
of the instrument to rust unless they
are properly cared for, and rust will
in time cause endless trouble. One or
the best preventives of rust is to
rub the exposed metal parts with
heavy grease, and then carefully wipe
them with a soft cloth or dry chamois.
Enough of the grease will adhere to
the metal to prevent the salt from
getting a grip on the metal and will
keep them clean and bright.
Sand is another cause of frequent
trouble to the photographer, and un-
less care is taken to protect the CAM
era it may, after time, find its way