The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1913-09-09

FREAKISH PHOTOS
Moonlight Effects Obtained by
Taking the Sun.
TRICK OF THE GHOST FAKE.
"Spook" and "',ision" Pictures only
Require a Little Care and simpIs
Apparatus, and II 10 Easy to Photo
graph a Man Inside a Pint Bottle.

Apparatus, and II 10 Easy to Photo
graph a Man Inside a Pint Bottle.
Moonlight effects in photography are
generally gained by trickery. or
course 1t is possible to take photo.
graphs by moonlight, the exposure va
rying from thirty minutes to two |
hours. The results, however, are rare
ly satisfactory, owing to the move
ment Of the shadows producing |
blurred effect in the finished print To |
obtain a moonlight picture Of the ap-
proved sort-a fine cloud effect with |
the moon casting long line of bril- |
liant light upon water-speclal prepara-
tions must be made.
A rather cloudy sunset must be |
chosen Then when the sun drops low
on the horizon and Is partly obscured
by the cloud bank one seizes the OPP
portunity to secure n snapshot 0he
lens being well stopped down. right
into the eye of the light. The plate
thus obtained should be slightly un-
derdeveloped. If all has gone well the
resulting negative will supply picture
exactly resembling a moonlight effect,
and by carefully cumming a small cir
Gle of Opaque paper upon the film one
is able to print out the moon into
the bargain.
Photographs in which the snow ap-
pears to be falling are usually produc-
ed by artificial means. If the subject
is to be portrait the sitter should be
garbed appropriately and placed be-
fore a wintry background. When the
negative is obtained it should be dried
and well vanished, then placed fat
upon table with the film side upper
most. Take soft toothbrush charged
with rather thick india ink and car
mine mixed up with water and draw
it over the teeth of the comb, which
should be held some little distance
from the negative. Ii this operation
Is carefully managed the result will be
an irregular spattering Of the pigment
upon the vanished film, and when this
Is dry print will be produced which
looks just as though the negative had
been taken in a snowstorm.
Photographs of the class In which
ghosts or visions appear may be "fak-
ed" In several ways. The first Of these
may be described in the duplicate ex-
posure method. Suppose, for example,
we wish to photograph a man inside
bottle which will hold no more than a
pint Of liquid. To accomplish this ap
parentIy impossible feat proceed as
follows: First photograph the bottle
standing upon a dull black support and
with similar background. While TO-
cusing take care to mark out what will
be the bottles boundaries ON the plate
by fixing little pieces of gummed paper
to the ground glass screen of the cam
era. Then get your man to stand or
sit in chair upon a black cloth with
smooth black curtain behind him.
Focus upon him so that he falls within
the boundaries of the bottle. this be-
ing easily managed by means of the
gummed paper guides. Finally expose
the plate which has already been used
to photograph the bottle, and when
this is developed your friend will duly
appear--inside.
This method will be found in prac-
tice to explain many pictures which at
first seem very astonishing. TO make
vision fake" arrange little scene,
hearth. with your model sitting list
lessly In the foreground. Make your
first exposure on this scene, being care
full to mark out on the ground glass
screen the space into which the vision
must fall dark curtain or dark
woodwork should occupy this space
In the first picture. Now procure
sheet of dead black paper, mount it
evenly upon stiff card and with q little
Chinese white sketch out an appropri-
ate vision.
If you cannot do this yourself get
an artist friend to help you. but see
that the sketch is placed in the correct
spot--i. e., the spot which you have
arranged for it to occupy in the finish
ed picture. When the sketch is finish
ed set it up before the camera, focus
and see that it falls within the requir-
ed boundary upon the screen, Then
expose again the plate which has al
ready done duty and-if no mlscalcula-
tions have been made-an interesting
vision picture will result.
The ghost "fake" may be made In
exactly the same way. only in this
case an appropriate scene would be
deserted churchyard, with your model
posing in anNawestruck attitude be-
side a tomb. In all photographs of
this kind the reader should bear in
mind that dead black background
does not appreciably affect the sensi-
tized plate. but show plate should be
Esed whenever this Is possible, as by
this means any slight tendency to
fog" will be obviated. = Scientific
American
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