Amateur Photographer & Cinematographer (1933)

August 2nd, 1933 The AMATEUR PHOTOGRAPHER ft 6 CINEMATOGRAPHER a PICTURES oftkeWEEK Some Critical Comments on the Beginners’ prints reproduced the opposite page. on DESPITE the somewhat hackneyed character of the subject of " Sunset,” by E. J. Khlat, No. 1 of the prints reproduced on the opposite page, there is a certain pleasure to be derived from the contemplation of such a scene, and, to a not inconsiderable extent, some of this attraction is conveyed by the print in question. Effects of Evening. The colour, of course, cannot be reproduced, and, naturally, much of the appeal of the original scene would depend upon it, but the tones of the print, as far as the sky is concerned, are quite good, and something of the suggestion does exist. This, and a feeling of novelty intro¬ duced by the unfamiliar setting arising from the presence of the palm trees, give the subject an attraction over and above what is usually attained. Every beginner, at some stage or other in his photographic career, has a shot at a sunset, but few are able to secure the advantage of such a setting, nor, as a rule, is the sky rendered quite so well. In this instance, however, the foreground is recorded in so uniform and dark a tone that a suspicion of under-exposure is invited. That is a very considerable draw¬ back, and, although it is recognised that, in the absence of fully colour sensitive plates or films and appro¬ priate light filters, there must always be something of a compromise, it is probable that, had the exposure been more generous, nothing of the sky tones would have been lost, and the foreground might have been con¬ siderably improved. • Even with the advantage of the material referred to, the necessity for compromise remains, but to a reduced degree, as will be readily understood when the exposures which would be needed by the sky alone and the foreground alone are considered in relation to each other. A Case for Compromise. It is by no means an exaggeration if the difference is estimated in the ratio of something like ten or more to one, and if ten times the exposure required by the sky were given in order to retain the tones of the foreground. the sky would be over-exposed and unprintable. Conversely, if one-tenth of the exposure required by the foreground be given, the tones of the foreground will likewise be non-existent. It is evident, therefore, that there must be some loss in any event, and possibly the best 'thing to do is to strike a mean between the two ex¬ tremes. An exposure of four or five times that required by the sky alone would permit more detail to be shown in the landscape, and there would be little loss in the sky, provided that a further compromise were adopted in connection with the development of the negative. With such extremes of contrast, development should be conducted with the idea of reducing them, and, as contrast increases as development proceeds, the time should be curtailed. The degree might be anything up to 50 per cent of the normal, and, ob¬ viously, must vary in each individual case according to the difference in the relative tones of landscape and sky. Lighting and Direction. As a matter of fact, the most success¬ ful examples of evening effects are those in which the lighting falls more directly on the subject, or when the light is behind the camera instead of, as here, before it. In such cases, the suggestion of tranquillity, that is generally a special quality of the time of day, is more often retained than not, and the beauty of the lighting confers an appeal of its own. The tendency towards excess of contrast seldom exists, nor is there the same difficulty regarding exposure. However, subjects of this character can scarcely be considered as sunset effects, and really they fall into another category altogether. Unfortunately, there is no example of this kind of thing to which reference might be made in this week’s collec¬ tion, but there is another sunset subject — “Fishing Boat, Hastings,” by C. Lapworth (3) — in which the needful compromise appears to have been rather more successfully exercised. The circumstances are rather more favourable, for not only is the sun higher in the heavens, but it is not so severely veiled. The tones of sky 113 and foreground are noticeably better, but the effect, as a sunset, is neither so fine nor are the tones so good as the other. Softness of Rendering. The patch of light so near the top is badly placed, for the position is weak, and to put the strongest light in so weak a position does not tend towards good composition. Possibly the sky would have been more attractive had it been placed about an inch lower down, but, in that event, it is probable that the same difficulty 'with regard to the foreground would have been expe¬ rienced. In No. 2, “ Gower Bays,” by A. G. Peake, the lighting comes from almost the opposite direction, though the sun is too high for the scene to be regarded as an evening effect, and the softer rendering that results is readily seen. The absence of shadow, however, prevents the sunshine from ranking as an effect, for its influence is so widespread that there is no contrast to give it point. Had the foreground been in shadow and the distance in light, it would have told far more effectively, and, besides, the com¬ position would have been shown in better form. Somewhat similar remarks are ap¬ plicable, also, to No. 4, “ The Beaten Track,” by A. Martin, though there is a difference, inasmuch as the lighting seems to be falling from the left. There is, however, no tendency towards an excess of contrast, and, as far as the arrangement is concerned, the lines are very pleasing. Undesirable Intrusions. The hedge on the right is overprominent, and makes an undesirable intrusion. A viewpoint more to the left would have avoided this contre¬ temps, and, if another opportunity arises for taking the subject again, the point is one that should be kept in mind. The remaining prints. Nos. 5 and 6, “ The Old Mill,” by V. Carter, and Shamrock V,” by R. K. Steele, do not seem to invite any criticism on the lines referred to above, but, on the other hand, their artistic appeal is slight in comparison. “ Mentor.” 21