Evening star., 1943-06-13

why is J1ldC picture blurred? VIVA
this snapshot? Why does that ii
Getting correct answers to tn,
to all of us who follow the came
mistakes unless we learn how we
made them and avoid them in the
future.
Every snapshot that doesn't turn
out right has a lesson to teach us
The ability to take good clear pic.
lures is not matter of luck: it is
the result of careful attention tt
details, and a knowledge of the
"hows'' and why's" of camera craft
There are half a dozen common
Photographic errors which account
for almost all of the army of un-
successful snapshots that each sum-
mer season brings forth. By the
way of practice, let us diagnose g
few of these camera troubles, anc
see what we can learn from them
The Cause of Blurring.
The most common form of failure
is the blurred picture. Blurring may
result from several causes, so we
must look closely at the blurred
snapshot in order to determine the
trouble. If everything in the en-.
tire picture seems blurred, then vol
may feel quite sure that you movec
the camera at the moment OF ex.
posure. You can avoid this by
learning to press the camera firmly
against your body and holding your
breath a moment before making the
exposure.
Blurring may also be caused by
having the camera incorrectly To-
cused. In this case the subject o1
your picture is blurred, but objects
which are closer to the camera or
further from it than the subject
will be in focus In other words,
you didn't set your focusing scale
at the right distance. This trouble
can be avoided by learning how to
Judge distances more accurately
Go outdoors with a tape measure,
and keep practicing until you can
judge distances with accuracy
Then set your focusing scale ac-
cordingly.
If the subject of your picture is
blurred, but all the rest of the pic
ture seems to be in focus, then you
may be sure that the failure was
caused by the subject moving just at
the moment of exposure. If you
have a fast shutter, you can avoid
this trouble by giving a faster ex-
posure. If you haven't a camera
capable of higher speeds, then you
must insist that your subject stand
still when you snap the picture.
Those White BIotches.
Have you ever seen a snapshot
with a misty white blotch on some
part of it? That white blotch is
caused by sunlight shining on the
glass of your lens, either directly OF
being reflected from some nearby
surface of glass. water or ice. Never
take a picture with your camera
pointed directly into the sunlight
Where it is necessary to take a pic.
ture with the suns rays striking
the lens from above or from the side
hold up your hat or piece of paper
to shield your lens from the direct
rays of the sun.
"Fogging' is another thing which
may ruin an otherwise excellent
snapshot. 1t generally appears as E
white streak or band starting at one
edge of the picture and extending
partially or entirely across the pic.
ture. 1t is caused by light leaking ir
upon the sensitive film, either due tt
a defect in the camera, or to care.
lessness in taking the film out of the
camera. Whenever possible, loac
and unload your camera inside the
house or in the shade, rather thar
in the glare of the sunshine.
Now we come to the important
subject of correct exposure, which is
probably the greatest stumbling
block for the average amateur
Ability to judge light conditions
quickly and decide on what length
exposure is proper is a skill which
only experience can develop. Study
your instruction books in order tt
get a general idea of correct ex.
posures, and then keep on learning
from your experience with youl
camera.
You can recognize an overex-
posed picture by the fact that the
film is very black and dense, and the
print is thin and dull-looking. Un.
derexposures, on the other hand
results in thin, washedout- looking
negatives, and dark, shadowy point!
lacking in detail and clearness.