Evening star., 1953-03-29
Camera Angles
ceLensmon Can Pick
From Big List Of Pursuits
By Alexander J. Wedderbun
Curator Of Photography
The Smjihsoniun institution

ment that most Of US have.
An entire room can be photo
graphed in two or three shots
and small items Of great value
can be pictured individually.
After the beginner has
learned something Of lighting.
composition and exposure he
can try his hand at portrai-
ture. The amateur actually
has some advantages over the
professional portrait photag-
rapher. First. he is acquaint-
ed with his subject and knows
his natural expressions. The
person whose portrait Is being
taken feels at ease with the
photographer and is not under
tension that is brought about
by being in a strange portrait
studio. This is particularly
true Of children, who are often
frightened by the presence Of
a stranger who suddenly takes
charge Of them in unfamiliar
surroundings. The amateur
photographer who learns to
make a workmanlike portrait
with his camera will save
many a dollar for the price Of
portraits has steadily risen
along with other costs In the
past few years.
For the Sports Follower
Once basic photography has
been mastered the camera fan
can turn his talents toward
stopping motion on fllm. This
II comparatively easy these
days of fast lenses and shut
ters and q good proportion Of
amateurs find pleasure in fol-
lowing baseball, football. box
ing, wrestling, and other sports
with their cameras. They get
q double thrill-that Of seeing
the action as 1t takes place.
plus bringing home q record
Of the highlights Of the events
they cover.
Still other cameramet pre-
fer the relative tranquility Of
pictorialism and derive their
chief enjoyment Of photog.
raphy by recording the splen-
dors of nature. To them. tho
mountains, the rivers and
lakes, the forests, and other
scenes Of nature represent the
ultimate goal Of photography.
And an ever-growing clique
carries cameras wherever they
60, on the chance Of. coming
across some newsworthy scene
such as a fire, accident or sim
liar subject matter which will
enable them to make q sale
to newspapers or magazines.
Closely allied to this type Of
amateur is the feature picture
photographer whose shots,
while not necessarily Of spot
news value, still have an appeal
which will make them salable
as they are or as illustrations
for feature articles on the par
ticular subject portrayed.
Camera clubs have much to
offer to the amateur photog-
rapher both in the way Of en-
joyment and education. Mem
bership in q camera club Is
one Of the fastest ways Of pick
ing up knowledge on all phases
Of the subject. The camera
fan who belongs to an active
club will have not only the
advice Of the more experienced
members but will learn many
Of the specialized skills from
the expert speakers who are
regularly featured at the meet
ings.
Washington is literally Toad.
ed" with camera clubs from
small local or neighborhood
groups. to those drawing q
membership from the entire
metropolitan district. The pro-
grams include. as well as the
specialist speakers. camera OUT
tngs to nearby points Of inter-
est, print competitions, exhi-
bitions and classes in the many
phases Of photography. The
newcomer to photography win
be well advised to join O camera
club at the first opportunity.