Evening star., 1951-04-29
Camera Angles
By Alexander J. Wedderburn
Curoier Of Photography
The Smithsonian Institution

the most frequently aSke0 QueS-
ton of all comes from a Houston
(Tex.) reader. She wants to know
where she can obtain list OF mar
Ikets for photographs. One OF the
best market lists that we know Of
lis to be found in the Universal
Photo Almanac. the Falk Publish
ling Co., 10 West Thirty-third
street, New York l, N. Y. Another
good list is contained in the Sep
tember, 1850, issue of the Camera
Magazine.
Others readers from various
parts of the country where this
column appears send in questions
from time to time and we will de-
vote today's space to answering
those that seem to be Of the great
est concern to the amateur pho
tographer.
@. A number Of my favorite
prints are on mounts that have
become soiled. cracked or broken.
is there any safe way in which !
can separate the prints from the
mounts?
A. If the print was mounted with
glue or paste the best way to de-
tach it is to allow it to soak in
water until the bonding material
loosens and allows the print to
float free. The print may then be
washed, dried, and f1attened, and
used again. Rubber cement pre-
sents more of a problem. Moisten
the edges of the print with cdr
bon tetrachloride and as the ce-I
ment begins to give way peel the
print gradually away from the
mount, working from a corner,
and pouring more of the solvent
between print and mount as you
go along. Where print has been
bonded to the mount with dry
mounting tissue you must use heat
to detach it. Again. starting at
a corner of the print press q hot
electric iron to the print until it
loosens. Then, working from this
point, continue to apply the hot
iron until the print comes free. If
you run into trouble and tearing
the print seems unavoidable, 1t is
suggested that you cover the soiled
or broken mount with new one
with a cut-out opening large
enough to allow the print to re-
main visible.
@. In spite of the fact that T
carefully fix and wash my mega
tives, they quite often show dark
ish spots after drying. What
causes this condition and how can
it be avoided?
A. These are water spots caused
by improper drying Of the mega
tive. Since it is extremely difficult
to eradicate these spots which are
caused by droplets of water that
cling to the film, the best cure lies
in the prevention of this trouble.
The films should be washed and
then placed in a so-called wetting
agent which relieves the surface
tension of the water and prevents
the formation of the droplets,l If
you are caught without this solu-
ton (Which sells under several
trade nanes) be sure to wipe or
blot the films free of all water.
That which remains in the film
will gradually dry out without Ill
effect. Ordinary blotters should not
be used but blot the negatives with
specially made film blotters or a |
soft. clean, lint-free cloth. Never
apply a blotter or wipe the film
until you are absolutely sure that
there are no grit particles present
on the emulsion. Otherwise the
blotting or wiping action will al
most surely leave scratches that
will mar both negatives and prints.
Trouble With Lighting.
@. I have tried to make copies
of documents and photographs
with my camera but the copy neg
atives often have areas of intense