Evening star., 1948-05-09
By Alexander J. We'd
Curator Of Photography
The Smifhsonion lnsfifufion

The Smithsonian Institution
ing at a fast pace. On the other
hand, take care not to rush the
slow, phlegmatic type or the results
will be as unhappy as your subject.
You probably will have most of
the equipment needed to take por-
traits. The first consideration is
the camera. Since critical focus is
a requisite of portraiture, the box
camera, unless fitted with q sup
Elementary lens, will not be suitable.
Nearly any other camera can be
used effectively. Even the 35-mm.
miniature camera will be salts
factory, If the subject will not
require a lot Of retouching to elm
mate wrinkles, stray hairs and de-
tails that ordinarily can be taken
care Of anyway through proper
A folding camera with
a larger film is better but, of course,
the reflex or view cameras with a
ground glass to aid in exact focus
ing and composition are best.
Next on the list of accessories
are the lights. One will do in a
pinch, but it is best to have at least
two-three or possibly four. Your
main light can be either No. 4
photoflood or two to four No. ]
floods, mounted in the same re-
flector chassis. Fill-in and back
lights with a single No. l bulb are
ideal for their purposes. A baby
spot is by no means essential, but
may come in handy under certain
conditions. Rejecting surfaces
may be used to substitute for fill
in lights. A pillow slip, window
shade, sheet or other such object
with the power to reflect will do as
well as the supplemental light and,
as a matter of fact, a great many
professional photographers prefer a
reflector to the light.
Tripod Is Necessary.
II you are one OF the few who
still do not have a tripod, you may
as well get hold of one. 1t IS next
to impossible to make q successful
portrait sitting without one. There
are many reasons why this Is so
but the most cogent one is apparent
when, after securing the right focus
and composition, you notice that a
light has to be moved slightly. You
put the camera down, change the
light, 60 back to your position and
then discover that you will have
to focus and compose all over again
much to the discomfort OF the
subject. With the camera securely
fixed to a tripod you are free to
change lights at will and still be
ready to shoot the picture instantly.
You will need a suitable back
ground before which to pose the
subject and a stool or backless
chair on which he may sit. A good
background can be rigged from
any plain-colored blanket or a
sheet. However, the subject should
be posed far enough away from the
background so that any wrinkle
that may be in it will not be in
focus. If you have an assistant,
have him hold the background be-
hind the subject and jiggle 1t
slightly during the exposure. This
movement will have the effect OF
blurring the background so that no
wrinkle will be apparent on the
negative.
Basic Lighting.
Proper lighting depends to some
extent upon the physiognomy of the
subject, out, as a general rule, basic
lighting is followed by most photog-
raphers. Your main source or mod
cling light should be turned on first
and should be placed at a 45-degree
angle to a line between the subject
and the camera. This will light one
side of the ia be completely and a
small triangular patch on the other
cheek extending from the cheek
bone, under the eye and is confined
by the shadow of the nose and far
cheek shadow. To relieve the deep
shadow on the far side of the face,
a fill-in light, which is placed near
the camera on the side opposite
main light, is directed either to or
from the shadow side until the cor
rect degree of luminosity in the
shadow area is achieved. The fill
in light should not be aimed directly
at the subject, but should be pointed
slightly away from the sitter and
slowly turned toward him until