Evening star., 1951-01-07
Curator Of Photography
The Smithsonian Institution

By Alexander J. Wedderburn
Curator Of Photography
The Smithsonian institution
you had best dismiss them from
further consideration and take
others that will meet with your
full approval. This is most i'm
portant for picture with even
one defect will never do. The
fault, whatever it may be, will
always be there to reproach you
and you will never rest easy until
the picture has been replaced with
another worthy of the name of
art.
Seek Friendly Criticisms.
Most of us have an instructive
feeling for balance or composition
whether we realize 1t as such or
not. That, together with a rather
universal recognition of the effect
or impact of lovely pictorial
lighting, enables most of us who
are proficient with the mechanics
of the camera to take a picture
that has artistic merit. There
fore, your screening of your pic
ture collection, will probably pro-
duce a number of suitable pho
tographs for home display. We
urge you, however. to rescreen
this group of pictures several
times before you come to a final
decision. 1t will also help to have
the friendly criticism of your
friends-particularly those who
are photographers.
This process of screening and
criticism will very likely bring
to your attention. whatever Short
comings you may have as pho
tographer. 1t will point out your
mistakes and probably make a
better photographer of you for
the future. In any event you will
now have at least a nucleus from
which you can develop collec-
ton of. really fine pictures. This
being the case you can now look
them over once more to see how
they can be used to improve the
attractiveness of your home.
Certain pictures, such as land
scapes, snow scenes, architectural
shots, and photographs of similar
motif, will be best suited to the
living room. On the other hand,
floral scenes and the like might
we'll be hung in dining room or
kitchen. If your collection is eX-
tensive, you may very we'll plan to
make changes with the seasons.
For instance, series of cookbook
ing snow pictures would be ideal
for hanging during the summer
months and summer landscapes
would be desirable to look upon
in winter.
Get the Most Out of the Print.
When these decisions have been
made you will be ready to proceed
with making up the final prints
that are to be hung. 1t is alto
gether possible. of course, that
you have carefully filed away your
best prints and that they are per-
feet in all respects. However, as
we doubt this very much, we sug-
gest that you carefully make up
new prints, correcting all mis-
takes made in previous printings
and getting the very best from
your negatives. This will call for
care both in processing
and finishing. While making the
print or enlargement, as the case
may be. utilize every skill that you
have in dodging-holding back
here and printing in there so that /
the finished work will represent
your very best effort.
See to it that the print is not
cracked during it's trip through
the solutions. See also that it is
toned an appropriate color if you
1CC1 GAlot tO114llS WILL 1l1lpl OFC ~.
Then give much time to spotting
the print and use dry mounting
tissue to bond it to its mount. All
these seemingly small details are
if your work is to fall
into that category known as art.
Oblong prints seem to be in
great vogue these days, as are
salon mounts. Now we have no
quarrel with either oblong prints
or salon mounts. Indeed, in most
cases both will be suitable for
your prints. But by all means
avoid following this slavish prac-
tice of adhering to one shape for
your picture and one style for
your picture mount if you see
that a different approach will i'm
prove the appearance of your
print. If by reason of compost
ton or other good cause the
photograph will look better in
an oval or circle or square
ther, hv oil means 1850 an oval