Amateur Photographer & Cinematographer (1933)

August 16th, 1933 The AMATEUR PHOTOGRAPHER to 6 CINEMATOGRAPHER o |etters to the SKY LIGHTING. Editor The Editor is not responsible for the opinions of his correspondents. VERICHROME AND SELOCHROME. Sir, — With reference to your editorial in a previous edition of your paper I was very interested in the paragraph, “ The Lighting of the Sky.” 1 encTose herewith a snapshot (it is no more, and does not pretend to have any merit other than as a record) taken a few months ago in Baluchistan. As can fairly clearly be seen, an approaching storm has darkened the sky while the sun was still being brightly reflected from the iron roofs of some unromantic Government buildings in the middle distance. The hills beyond these, which can faintly be seen on the right of the picture, are completely blotted out in the centre (although over 10,000 feet in height) by banks of dark cloud, and not by rain, as might be supposed. If this simple untouched contact print, taken without a filter on ordinary Kodak film pack (not Verichrome) were shown to the pictorialists mentioned, I think your point would be agreed to — that the sky may be darker than the landscape in certain conditions. — Yours, etc., P. F. ARMSTRONG, Capt. I. A.O.C. A POSTCARD CLUB. Sir, — Even when I used a quarter-plate camera I always felt enlargement desirable and that nothing less than postcard size was worth looking at. As we must enlarge, why not from 3X4 cm. or smaller ? Now I use a Zeiss 3X4 cm. to postcard enlarger, so if any of your readers who see this letter share my preference for the postcard, and would be interested in forming a Postcard Chib I should be delighted to hear from them. I have derived considerable amusement from the corres¬ pondence about marks and scratches on small negatives, especially from the comments of a pressman. However, I will not say anything unkind about Press photographers, because I have had favours from them and hope for more, but I will say that I have noticed big spots and scratches on negatives they have developed for me. Yet it is only fair to note that they are working against time — always. Believe me or not, I never get a mark or scratch of any kind on films I develop myself, unless I am careless or unfortunate enough to drop them or otherwise let them come in contact with things they ought not to touch. Consequently, if a mark should appear for which I was unable to account, 1 should be much more inclined to suspect an unconscious lapse on my part than to suspect faults in the material. — Yours, etc., ARTHUR BELL. Sir, — I think Mr. Douie is wrong when he says that Veri¬ chrome film develops at the same rate as Kodak ordinary. He need only consult the Azol tables and will see at once that Messrs? Johnson advise longer development for this and similar fast emulsions. I have never found development stop at a definite point entirely, and Verichrome will stand a considerable amount of forcing when under-exposed. Also, the instructions given with " Special ” developer are not very enlightening as regards the time required. If the extreme speeds of these new emulsions are to be enjoyed one must give them a fair chance in the developing stage. — Yours, etc., “ VIGORNIAN.” THE SPECIALIST. Sir, — Those articles in “ The A.P.” which interest me are sure to start me thinking. In “ The A.P.” for July 26th, W. L. F. W. writes, “ .Some photographers are out for one class of thing only, and have eyes for nothing else. They are specialists.” What is a specialist ? I think I am not hypercritical.. Running in one of the P.M.P.P. Club notebooks there is a discussion, opened by our secretary, “ Is it wise to specialise ? ” In what ? The specialist is “ a person who devotes himself to, or has a special knowledge of some particular subject,” to quote from a handy dictionary. And so far so good, for some specialists. I am not thinking of the photographer. The artist must specialise in Himself, without thinking toomuch about it. Verily, specialisation elsewhere is of secondary importance, and (for the artist) is not really specialisation at all. Since these columns won’t expand as must first and foremost the heart and the soul of the artist I leave it, regret¬ fully, at that. “ I defy anyone,” writes W. L. F. W. of the four prints he chose to illustrate his article, “ to make a guess at any one class of subject I favour more than another.” No one should attempt to class them. “ Each of them has a little story to tell.” And a story must be told by someone. I have read many stories by W. L. F. W., and may I say that I don’t believe he knows how well he tells them ? I believe few of us see it that way. The human element, as it concerns photography, is frequently spoken of but seldom understood. I think I read somewhere that photography does not offer much scope for the human element— in its widest sense — as does the spoken and written word. I thought so when I turned from the short story to photography. The laboured effort of a great mass of photo¬ graphy shocked me, though I appreciated a fine technique and varying depths of feeling for this and that. I’ve changed my mind. As I do in literature, I look not at subject matter but to the man. I respectfully submit that W. L. F. W.’s article in “ The A.P.” for July 5th, “ Illustrating Books by Photography,” was not widely read for its real worth — its suggested matter. — Yours, etc., C. S. GRANT. MINIATURE FILMS. Sir, — I have just been profoundly impressed by reading the letter from Mr. H. L. Kettle, in your issue of August 2nd. Surely after a study of sued a letter no one can deny the efficiency of miniature cameras when correctly used and processed ! But when the “ average photographer ” is considering the question of size there is one point which should always be remembered — the large proportion of exposures in which the essential part is nothing like the full area of the negative. A V.P. print has frequently to be trimmed to half-V.P. or less, so, starting with a half-V.P. it is clear that many of these negatives will be “ halved ” again before enlargement. In the same issue W. L. F. W. shows five half-V.P. size prints, each one fully occupied by its subject ; but I find such a state of affairs the exception rather than the rule.— Yours, etc., D. SWAINE. 159 23