Amateur Photographer & Cinematographer (1933)

The AMATEUR PHOTOGRAPHER p 6 CINEMATOGRAPHER a October nth, 1933 Dm® kl/VTCC r k IATI A k. 1 C Every week an article will appear with a topic of interest to the AUTUMN under this heading dealing novice in photography. MISTS. ^ INUIti t NUINJN5 Jor the LESS ADVANCED WORKER EVERY now and then I ferret about a bit amongst some of my old negatives. This has its interest¬ ing side, and, moreover, it is useful because it always leaves my cupboards a little less cluttered up than before. This is because at intervals I scratch a negative all over with the corner of another negative, and gradually build up a little pile of them which go into the dustbin. The dustman is not supposed to regard them as legitimate house-refuse, but there is a certain understanding between us, and away they go. During a recent ferreting I put aside three old nega¬ tives, prints from which are reproduced here. They are samples of a good many which showed more or less evidence of what artists and others call “ atmosphere.’’ Like many other terms used by artists and others it is incorrect in the sense in which they use it. Strictly speaking the atmosphere is simply the air which surrounds the earth, and is very useful to birds and aeronauts. Occasionally it is so clear that there is no visible evidence of its presence ; but when it is adulterated with haze, mist, fog, smoke or dust it confers upon pictures and photographs what is described as atmosphere. Whether this thickened atmosphere is an advantage to the photographer, or the reverse, depends upon circumstances. To the photographer who desires to show clearly the details of a distant scene it is by no means welcome, as his language indicates most emphatically. In other cases it is a great pictorial boon. Whether we want this special kind of atmosphere or Fig. 1. not, we shall certainly get it in the months just ahead. November has built up its special reputation mainly on this one thing. Personally I would not give a wormeaten peanut to live in a country where the air was always clear and “ visibility good.” The softening and veiling of the more remote parts of a scene, whether Fig. 2. in town or in country, is often a gracious and beautiful thing. One of the most powerful illusions in our drawings and photographs is the suggestion of distance ; and this illusion is often strengthened considerably when that distance is soft, vague and mysterious. It stimulates the imagination. The crude and commonplace becomes transfigured to our eyes and minds, so that we concur with the artist in his love of " atmosphere.” I would beg the beginner to reject, once for all, the idea that photography is only for the days of bright sunshine and strong shadows. Nobody can love the sunlight more than I do ; nobody can more heartily admire those photographs that depict realistically its wonderful effects. At the same time I love the soft greys and the gentle subdued colours and tones of the seasons of mist. These, too, the photographer can record just as faithfully and effectively. No other form of graphic art can hope to compete with photography in its marvellous ability to render soft and subtle tones to perfection. There are no special difficulties in the way. The wise beginner who uses an actinometer will often be amazed at the photographic power of the light on what may seem a “ dull ” day. The contrasts of light and shade are much less violent than on a day of summer sunshine, and this in itself removes one difficulty. Even if the 14 333