Los Angeles herald., 1910-05-15
AsTIME OF PHOTOGRAPHIC ART
BY FREDERIC w. NORMAN.

For the devotee of photography who
finds all too little spare time for pic
ture-taking and making, nothing per-
fiaps since the Introduction OF the dry
plate and still more convenient film,
either rolled or fiat, has added more to
his or her enjoyment and comfort than
the developing or gaslight papers,
whereby prints can be made at any
handy gas burner, electric light or
even the humble kerosene lamp in the
evenings Hardly any amateur pho
tographer nowadays but is familiar
with one or other of the many varieties
of such papers as the market affords.
Not only are these such tremendous
savers of precious time, but the great
range of artistic possibilities they offer
have been the means of improving the
results of every worker and raising
therefore the general standard. Be
sides the fact that one can expose, de-
velop, fix and thoroughly wash batch
of such prints in less time than was
needed for merely the printing of the
old printing out paper the new method
yields so much more delight and salts
faction in the finished picture AL
though most readers have doubtless
achieved success in the handling of
their favorite brand of d. o. P. few
hints may not come amiss to some.
One great factor of success lies, as is
also the case with making negatives
in correct exposures and the employ
ment of a fixed light such as the cleo
trio simplifies exposures enormously.
In preparing to print from a number
of negatives it is advisable to sort out
and classify these according to their
degrees of density and the eyes are
readily trained to do this. Begin by
putting together all those that have
the greatest opacity, then put into a
hn nf m
ness, finally third batch of those most
transparent. Selecting one of the first
lot, take a small strip of the paper
chosen for use and place upon the neg
ative SO as to cover both high light
and a shadow or low light; fasten up
printing frame and, holding same as
far from the printing light as the dag
Onal of frame measures, expose for
about ten seconds, marking same on
back of strip for reference, then de-
velop this in solution already prepared
and note result
If insufficiently exposed the image
will be slow in appearing and requires
more than the time allowed; if image
appears at once and proceeds to gen.
eral blackness too much exposure has
been given. If image appears evenly
and is fully as strong as one wishes
in the final result within 80 or perhaps
45 seconds the exposure has been prac-
tically correct, though the time neces-
sary for full development varies with
the character of paper used. Now,
having found the correct exposure for
one negative from the first selection
one can consider it safe to treat the
remainder of this lot in the same man
ner. Those of lesser density will, of
course, need as much less exposure as
their greater transparency would sug-
gest. After developing a print be sure
to rinse it thoroughly but quickly in
plain water and pass it on to the fix
ing bath, which should not be stinted
in quantity.
After complete immersion and fire.
quent agitation for 20 minutes in this
they should be transferred one BY one
to another tray or bowl of water and
washed thoroughly, either by slowly
running water, or if this is not con-
venent, by changing from one tray to
another of fresh water for 80 minutes
or even longer In the washing of
prints remember that it is the contin-
ued soaking that most eeffctually re-
moves all traces of the fixing bath and
not simply the forcible flowing of the
water over prints.
So many amateurs complain of the
Inconvenience of drying their prints that
this suggestion may be helpful: After
being satisfied that prints have had
ample washing take a smooth linen or
face towel and fold it in halves, place
it on any handy table and throw back
one-half of towel then take prints
one by one and allow surplus water to
drain off and place face down on the
towel; when the available space has
been filled fold over the other half of