Amateur Photographer & Cinematographer (1933)

October nth, 1933 The AMATEUR PHOTOGRAPHER ■a 6 CINEMATOGRAPHER a CAFETY FIRST in the DARK-ROOM Some essential precautions in dealing with electric lighting for photographic purposes. THE spread of electricity has meant a much improved con¬ venience to amateur photo¬ graphers, not only for the dark-room illuminant, but for enlargers, printingboxes, heaters and other apparatus. Electricity, however, is not with¬ out its risks. These are indeed increased for photographers by reason of the fact that converted sculleries, outhouses and other places with concrete floors are commonly employed as dark-rooms because of the need of running water and the facility for making messes without fear of reprimand. Wet stone floors and water pipes mean an abundance of perfect earth connections, and the photographer, moreover, is handicapped by being obliged to work in almost total darkness. A shock of 220 volts, the pressure at which electric current is generally supplied, is quite harmless in ordi¬ nary circumstances, but a voltage as low as 90 has proved fatal in cases where exceptionally good con¬ tact to earth has been made. If, therefore, you use electricity to any extent in your dark-room, you should be on your guard. The possibility of switch-boxes and other metal parts of electrical appar¬ atus becoming “ alive ” can be en¬ tirely eliminated by proper earthing. The best type of equipment is nowadays supplied fitted with threepin plugs and three connecting wires ; in this three-phase system, the third or neutral wire is connected to earth and the apparatus is as safe as can be. But twin-flex, with two-pin plugs, is all that is furnished with the equipment most commonly used. Fortunately, the provision of ade¬ quate safeguards for this kind of apparatus is a simple and inexpensive matter. Suitable earthing clips can be obtained cheaply from any elec¬ trical dealers, and if you clip one to a water-pipe and take a lead from the clip to the metal parts of the enlarger, etc., perfect protection against shock will be afforded. It is wise not to connect up dark¬ room apparatus by fitting an adapter into a lampholder. The safe method is to plug the fitting into a proper socket “point” in the wall skirt¬ ing which has a switch beside it. Incidentally, few people seem to be aware of a surprising difference between a shock from D.C. and A.C. electric supply. With the former, if you touch a “ live ” wire, your hand will be thrown off with great power. A.C. current, on the contrary, produces a form of muscular contraction ; if you should be so unfortunate as to meet with a really severe A.C. shock, you will find yourself unwillingly clenching the “ live ” metal and may be unable to get free without being badly burnt. The treatment of cases of serious shock is another point that deserves to be more generally known. Elec¬ tricity is only too often regarded as a mysterious agency whose ef¬ fects are almost supernatural. When shock is so serious as to render anyone unconscious, the remedy is artificial respiration, applied im¬ mediately. PHOTOGRAPHIC CLUBS “ T ’VE only got a cheap camera.” X This is so often given as the reason for not joining the local photographic club. That, or “ I’m not good enough, really.” These are actually the two best possible reasons for joining. In any photographic club a number of members have quite cheap cameras and many are “ not very good, really.” And, anyway, the cost of the camera has very little bearing on the results obtained. A very live society recently held its annual exhibition, and each visitor on leaving was given a neatly-printed pamphlet containing the following : — '■NOBODY VISITS THIS EXHI¬ BITION unless interested in photo¬ graphy ; interested enough to get full value out of the small cost of joining the WHATNOT AND DISTRICT PHOTO¬ GRAPHIC CLUB. We do not cater for ‘ highbrows,’ because we find that there are no such people in the photographic world, although we have some members who are very expert photographers. Our real mission in life is to help the absolute beginner to get more fun out of his camera. Beautiful pictures can be By “ CHITA.” made with any sort of camera, and we run instructional classes for beginners to show them how. ‘ ' But this is not all we have to offer. During the winter we have visits from some of the best-known photographic lecturers in the country. “ Another popular branch of the club’s activities is a cinematograph section, which meets regularly to dis¬ play films and discuss their making. We have our own dark-room and en¬ larging room which all members may usq free. “ We know you will never regret join¬ ing us, but we cordially invite you to come and see for yourselves first. The secre¬ tary will gladly arrange for you to come to a meeting and will give you any further particulars of membership.” This leaflet was, of necessity, brief, but it does cover most of the ground, and is in no way an exaggeration. I have been a member of many photo¬ graphic clubs in the course of my wanderings, and am at the moment a member of three. I have always found the same cheery welcome and ungrudging help in them all. A club of 328 WHY BEGINNERS SHOULD JOIN THEM any standing will always have among its members a few real experts in some branch of photography, be it por¬ traiture, lantern-slide making, archi¬ tectural work, or enlarging, and their helpful criticism and advice are there for the asking. The club’s winter programme will include demonstrations of various processes given by recognised authori¬ ties in their respective lines, and there is usually a lively half-hour at the end when the lecturers are bombarded with questions and many little diffi¬ culties are cleared up. During the summer months most societies run outings to districts of photographic interest, and here again the beginner can seek the guidance of some expert. This accumulated store of experi¬ ence which exists in a photographic society is its greatest asset, and is at the disposal of anyone who cares to tap it. It is the finest investment that a beginner can make, and, after all, even the most illustrious photographers were beginners once. 7