The Mobridge news. [volume] (Mobridge, Walworth Co., S.D.) 190?-1917, 1913-09-19
FREAKISH PHOTOS
Moonlight Effects Obtained by
Taking the Sun.
TRICK OF THE GHOST FAKE.
"Spook" and "Vison" Pictures Only
Require Little Care and Simple
Apparatus, and It Is Easy to Photo
graph a Man Inside a Pint Bottle.

graph a Man Inside a Pint Bottle.
Moonlight effects in photography are
generally gained by trickery. OF
course it 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 Il moonlight picture of the ap-
proved sOrt-a fine cloud effect with
the moon casting a long line of bril-
liant light upon water-special 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 Op-
pOrtunity to secure a snapshot Qhe
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 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 a portrait the sitter should be
garbed appropriately and placed be-
fore wintry background. When the
negative is obtained it should be dried
and we'll vanished, then placed flat
upon a 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
1t over the teeth Of the comb, which
should be held some little distance
from the negative. If this operation
Is carefully managed the result will be
an Irregular scattering 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 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-
parently impossible feat proceed as
follows: First photograph the bottle
standing upon a dull black support and
with similar background. While 70
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 q chair upon 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-
tce to explain many pictures which at
first seem very astonishing. TO make
"vison fake" arrange a little scene,
such as bare room with an empty
hearth, with your model sitting list
essly in the foreground. Make your
first exposure on this scene, being care
ful to mark out on the ground glass
screen the space into which the vision
must fall. A 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 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. 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
NNpS'S u,"hi thc PidtC w ulCu HAS di-
ready done duty and-if no miscalcula-
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 ali awestruck attitude be-
side tomb. In all photographs of
this kind the reader should bear in
mind that a dead black background
does not appreciably affect the sensi-
tized plate. but a show plate should be
used whenever this is possible, as by
this means any slight tendency to
'fog' will be obviated. - Scientific
American.