Amateur Photographer & Cinematographer (1934)

December 19th, 1934 iHi AMATEUR PHOTOGRAPHER ta O CINEMATOGRAPHER a TO photograph one’s friends and members of the family is an intriguing pastime, and plenty of opportunities occur at this time of year. The object of this article is to promote in the amateur a desire to make pleasing portraits devoid of the crudeness which is so often prevalent in the efforts of amhteurs. The chief problem from the amateur’s point of view is a suitable light source. Daylight can be used quite effectively, but cannot be controlled so easily as artificial lighting, particularly when only one window is available, as there is a tendency to get harsh results, with too much light on one side of the face and not enough on the other. By combining daylight and artificial light this objection can be overcome. If this method is adopted orthochro A shadow cast by the sitter on to the background often helps to give a more striking appear¬ ance. The sitifr must be close to the background to get the above effect. In this case two lamps were used, one above the other, about seven feet up and about four feet from the sitter. A ivhite reflector was iised on the opposite side. matic or panchromatic material must be used, otherwise the artificial light will have little or no effect. In these days of ultra-fast plates and films and fast lenses there is no reason why the ambitious amateur should not adopt artificial light entirely. Various firms make portable lighting sets which are inexpensive, consisting of a high-powered lamp and re¬ flector with or without a stand. A disused bowl-fire will make an excellent reflector if painted in aluminium ; then all you have to buy is a lamp with a screw fitting costing about sixteen shillings. If your house is wired with a power circuit you can burn as many lamps as you like, but if only the house lighting is available it is not advisable to use more than 300 watts, and then all other lights should be turned off. Simple Home Photoflood lamps are excellent for home portraiture. They give an equivalent of 750 watts and can be used from the house lighting. These lamps have a working life of only one and a half to two hours, owing to the high intensity at which they work, the voltage rating being lower than the voltage of the current used ; the price is reasonable compared with other lamps. It is not necessary, either, to leave the lights on all the time. This is a semi-firelight effect. The ''firelight ” comes from a lamp immediately in front of the sitter and one foot from the floor. If this were used alone there would be harsh shadows on the cheek-bones and over the nose, so a subsidiary lamp is introduced to the left of the camera and about seven feet up to give a softer, more general lighting. Another illuminant recently introduced is the photo¬ flash lamp, which, although not specially adapted to the needs of portraiture, enables one to take unusual pictures indoors with an instantaneous exposure. The first essential in portrait lighting is to control the intensity of the light. Too much light is just as bad as not having enough. The intensity can be controlled in two ways, either by diffusion or by moving the light farther away from the subject. If light comes from both sides of the sitter, one of the lights should be farther away than the other, so that the one which is nearest provides the main light source and the other becomes a subsidiary. In the event of only one light being available, a reflector consisting of a sheet, a piece of white card, or a mirror, is absolutely essential to, relieve the shadows. A single 558 10