Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-08-21
When You Are Photographed.

me mediocre. old fashioned profess
s'ona1 photograph was screaming
'essoH against the tactics Of photog-
aphers. You were all hands and feet
and staring, CHASTITY grin. Nowadays.
."Ftupately the professional photog-
;aphef is often an artist. He almost
'iways understands something about
posing. and usually understands
enough about human nature to put his
.ub1ects in pleasant quiet frame OF
mind before he clicks the shutter of
the camera. And you should never
trust yourself to the mercy of a pho
togra pher who does not understand
these things.
The photographers who take photo
graphs in the home are satisfactory
enes They realize the value of the
usual surroundings on their subjects.
This sort Of photographer is especially
successful with .children's work Chill
dren, with little self-control and less
artistic artifice at their command, find
IT difficult to cover the fact that they
feel shy and strange in the usually
bleak atmosphere of the photog-
them. stiff enough even at home when
they are posed in front of camera.
But in studio they are hopeless.
rapher poses some Of the smallest of
his subjects in this way: He selects
| window seat or a deep couch or di-
van and props the young subject
against cushion in a comfortable po-
sition. Then he poses the mother by
the small childs side and i'll the moth
er's hand he has placed dish of rice
or some equally delectable treat. When
the mother offers spoonful of this
appesizing dainty to the baby the shut
ter snaps open and shut. Then the
child receives the treat. 1t is not pic
tured eating. but the anticipatory ex-
preston of delight, fortunately "a little
| more civilized looking than a bird $
/ omen billed expectancy, is caught. The
results are good.
If YOU are an amateur photographer
think more about the composition of
the pictures you take than you think
about the subject. A .homely child. if
she is well posed. with a good back
ground, will often make charming
sna p-shot. And simply furnished
room. with half the furniture out so
that a sense of space. of vista. OF good
proportion can be gained. will come
out better in a, photograph than a room
crowded with splendid furnishings.
Good effects can be gained by the
poses his subject in front of mirror.
First take picture with the profile
outlined against straight-hanging
dark background, and with the full
face reflected in the mirror. Then re-
verse the position and get the profiled
outline in the mirror, the full face or
| three-quarter face looking at the pho
tographer. Another pretty arrange
| ment is to picture the subjects back,
with the full face looking over her
own shoulder from the mirror.
| IL you are the photographed instead
of the photographer you have. diff
cult task in trying to look natural IT
, is much like trying to go to sleep.
! You cannot do it until you forget what
you arc trying to do. Sometimes you
+, can help matters by posing yourself
before q min %. You ought to know
1 Eour own good and bad points better
than a photographer does. Then in
sist that. the photographer wait until
{ soH feel composed and ready" Often
ii, temporary nervousness caused by
! self consciousness will disappear as
/ quickly as it comes.
! copyright. 1913, hy the Mcclure Newspaper
Syndicate,