Practicus In The Studio: Portable Studios.

         Рarticles of this series, in which the aim of the writer is to communicate items of a long experience in studio portraiture, have appeared weekly since the beginning of the present year. It is not thought possible to continue the series to the length of that by the same writer which ran through the "British Journal" some years ago, but if any reader among the younger generation of photographers, and particularly those engaged as assistants, has a particular subject which might be dealt with, his or her suggestion will be welcomed. The subjects of the previous articles of the series have been as follows:

PORTABLE STUDIOS.

         The term "portable" has a wide range of meaning when applied to a photographic studio. It may mean a caravan on wheels, a wooden building which can easily be taken to pieces and erected elsewhere, a specially designed tent, or even a temporary shelter for the sitter and background, the camera and operator being in the open.
         Studios in the first category that is to say, of the caravan type are now not as common as they used to be in the early collodion days, when many villages, and even small towns, had no photographer domiciled in them. There are, I believe, some which travel along with roundabouts, wild beasts, and fat ladies from fair to fair throughout the country, but I have not seen one for a good many years. Some of them were quite elaborate affairs, fitted up not only for glass positive and ferrotype work, but for printing on albumenized paper, the work often comparing favorably with that issued by many fixed studios. It may puzzle those who have never seen one to imagine how sufficient space was obtained, but this was easily done by adopting a telescopic form of construction, an inner body sliding out and being supported upon trestles.
         The form which will probably be of most interest to the majority of my readers is not a studio that is here to-day and gene to-morrow, 'but one which is intended to remain in one place for months, if not for years, but which can, if needed, be removed and re-erected at small cost, and by unskilled labour. Such studios are usually made entirely of wood and glass, and their portability is due to the fact that there is no general framework, but that the whole is built up in panels, which are fastened together with ordinary iron bolts and nuts. I will endeavor to give some idea of their construction, which is quite simple and well within the powers of the village carpenter, or even of an amateur who has some idea of wood working. The first thing to be decided upon is the size and, this being done, a drawing should be made and the size of the panels settled. It is necessary to be very careful in constructing these that they should be exactly the size that they are supposed to be, or there will be a lot of unnecessary work when it comes to fitting together. The design is usually the ridge-roof one, somewhat after the pattern of Noah's ark without the barge. For a studio 20 x 12 by 8 ft. (to the eaves) and 11 ft. to the ridge the following divisions will be convenient: - Each end is in two sections 6 ft. wide, one side being 8 ft. long and the other 11 ft. long. The two pairs of panels are exactly alike, exactly that one will probably hare the door frame fitted into it. It must not be forgotten to the frames on the proper sides when nailing on the boarding, or they will hare to be remade. I mention this because I have known three right-hand sections and one left-hand made, instead of two of each. The sides are made in four sections, each 5 ft. wide and 8. ft. high,. Six of these are entirely covered with wood, and two have a crow-bar, say, 4 ft. up. Below this, wood is nailed on; above are sash-bars for the side- light. The roof calls also for sax wooden panels and two which are frames only, fitted with sash-ban for the top light. These are all 5 ft. wide an I about 7 ft. long, so as to give a slight overhang at the eaves. The edges which met at the ridge should be beveled so as to give a good bearing. For a studio of this size the frames of the panels should be made of 4 x 3 deal and the boarding should be good yellow I matching. The frames may be mortised if the extra labour is not objected to, but "haired" joints answer quite wall, as the boarding has to do its part in keeping the panels square; good cut nails should be used for fastening. The side and end panels should each have a crossbar half-way up, as not only does this stiffen the construction, but it keeps the boarding from warping. In all the panels the framing comes inside the studio, and the panels are fastened together by drilling holes in which the bolts fit well, and without shake in the frames, so that, when laid side by side, they are drawn closely together. In the end sections the bolts run through the boarding as well as the frame, and are tightened up in the sane way as the side joints. It is perhaps hardly necessary to say that the woodwork should all be erected before the glass is put in the sashes, and that, in raw of removal, the glass should be taken out before anything else is done.
         Having made all our panels, we can assemble them. First the two ends are pat together, and then the sides joined up to their full length. The bark should next be joined to the ends, then the front fixed in, and finally Ike roof sections put up in pairs and screwed through on to the tops of the frames. Although not always done, it is a good plan to put one or more tie rods across at the level of the eaves to prevent any outward thrust. These should be ¾ in. to 1 in. in diameter, threaded at the ends with a good large nut put on both sides of the top of the side frames through which the rod goes.
         The flooring is made in panels the width of the studio, and drops upon the lower part of the frame. There should be same arrangement of joists or brick piers to prevent vibration and sagging.
The roof will require a waterproof covering. This may corrugate or the asphalt roofing material known as Ruberoid or if obtainable, Uralits which is fireproof may be used. This is a sort of asbestos and platter composition, and would keep (fee studio cooler than iron. It has the merits of not rusting and requiring no paint.
         A building erected in the above way will not keep in condition long if placed directly upon the ground; therefore, some foundation which will keep the lower part dry moat be provided. For a reason to be presently given this should be of a temporary character, and on which we found very successful was a row of loose bricks all round, the exact sue of the studio with two rows at equal distances running from end to end inside. Upon these bricks rested low long deal. 20 ft long and 3x9 section; the sides of die studio stood upon this, awl there was sufficient apace between the bricks for sir to circulate freely below A studio so erected was taken down, after nine years, and was found to be quite sound, as were also the long timbers.
         If one is building upon another person's land it is necessary to be very careful to do nothing that will give the landlord a claim to the building. If a studio or greenhouse is erected upon a brick foundation which forms an integral part of it, the whole at once comes under the control of the landlord, and the tenant cannot legally remove it. It has been held in the case of a lean-to greenhouse that the driving of iron hold- fasts into the wall of a dwelling-house to secure part of the framework removed the structure from the category of “tenant's fixtures," and made it a part of the freehold.
         The foregoing description is necessarily of a sketchy nature, but I shall be pleased to fill in any details in the "Answers to Correspondents" column in case of need.
         Tent studios are not much in favour in this country as there is no possibility of using glass as part of the covering, and there is no waterproof material which will retain its whiteness for any appreciable period. Celluloid is, of course, out of the question, on account of its cost and inflammability. The most elaborate tent studio I have seen was one sold by the Stereoscopic Company a quarter of a century ago. It consisted of a wooden skeleton of the ordinary ridge-roof form. The parts usually solid in a permanent studio were covered with tightly stretched sail canvas; the top and side lights were without any permanent covering, and were fitted with dark and light roller blinds of the usual type. This wan necessarily a rather costly affair and a much simpler arrangement could be constructed with an ordinary small marquee as a basis. If an opening were cut in a suitable position and a light wooden frame, or frames, fitted with wires and festoon blinds put in, quite a useful studio could be made. Some years ago a woven wire roofing the meshes being filled with a transparent varnish, was placed upon the market; it was tried for studio lighting, but being rather yellow, caused the exposures to be too long. Now that plates are three times as fast it might be worth trying it again, if it is still made. I have often thought that a serviceable studio might be made upon what is known as the turned principle that is to say a comparatively short square compartment for the sitter and background and a small tunnel or passage without light for the camera and operator, idea could be worked out in the form of a tent, and would have the great advantage of being economical of material and presenting the minimum area to wind pressure It would not be difficult to arrange such a studio so that an ordinary- shower need not interrupt work.
         So-called "lawn" studios are merely devices for balding a background and curtains for cutting off the worst of the top and side light. Houghton's used to list a very neat arrangement of this type. It is, however, very easy to improvise something of the sort with four tent-poles and cords, a background and some lengths of light and dark materials for curtains. All that has to be done is to fix the four poles at the corners of an 8 ft., or smaller, square, to run a cord round the tops, steady the whole with the ordinary ropes and pegs, and hang the background on whichever side suits the light. The lengths of material are hung over the top cord to serve as studio curtains. One friend of mine had four clothes post sockets fixed in his garden at the proper distances for a studio of this sort, and could drop the posts in rig up the curtains, and get to work in less than ten minutes.

PRACTUCUS.

Practicus In the Studio: Artificial Lighting.

           It seems only a few years ago that a photograph taken by artificial light was somewhat of a curiosity and, with one or two brilliant exceptions, photographers were apt to regard it as a poor substitute for daylight, and, to tell the truth, the work generally produced quite justified their opinion. That I need hardly say was a time when electric mains were unknown, and the photographer who wanted to use the electric light had to install an engine and dynamo in his cellar or else to burn “white fire” in a specially built lantern, the precursor of the modern flashlight. The platen were then much dower than modern ones and the candle-power of the light much less, so that there was a tendency to reduce diffusion to a minimum, and chalky faces and black shadows were the usual thing. I mention these old times because there are still many people who imagine that there must be something inherently different between daylight negative and an artificially lighted one, and that the latter needs some sort of apology. This is quite a mistaken idea, and anyone who holds it should make tip his mind so to improve his work that even an expert should not be able to tell the difference.
           Before dealing with any of the types of installation which are now on the market, I should like to impress upon my readers that there is no essential difference between day and stifled lighting as far as effect is concerned – that is to say, that a top-light will give sunken eyes and hollow cheeks, a low side light will give the contrary effect, that an unscreened light gives the effect of direct sunshine, and that a well-diffused electric light gives much the same effect an ordinary daylight. This gives the key to successful lighting, for if the operator will carefully note the position of his dominant light when using daylight he can produce practically the tame effects with any other illuminant if he places it in the same position with relation to the sitter.
           The most important problem is that of diffusion, or one might say distribution, of the light, and the difficulty is greater or less as the original source of light is small or large; a single pair arc is the most difficult to manage and a battery of half-watts or small enclosed arcs is the easiest. Still the single large enclosed arc is not to be despised: I never feel unhappy with one at my command, therefore I will start my detailed instructions with this instrument.
           The enclosed arc is an ordinary single pair of carbons enclosed in a glass cylinder so as to be practically airtight. The effect of this is that a much longer arc can be maintained. A long arc emits more violet rays than a short one, consequently shorter exposures can be given. Incidentally there is leas consumption of the carbons, so that the lamp does not require much attention. An ordinary street lighting arc enclosed in a ventilated globe n classed as an open arc and must not be confuted with the enclosed arc properly o called. The difference between the various types of enclosed arc lamps is in the feed mechanism only and not in the light: with a given diameter of carbons and quantity of current you will obtain the came amount of light if your cylinders are kept clean. I hare worked continuously with the Westminster, Jandus, and Aristo lamps, and have found them all satisfactory. I think I have tried every reflecting and diffusing device on the market, and have come to the conclusion that the simpler the arrangement the better. My shade or diffuser - call it what you will - is made of two wooden hoops about 36 ins. across connected by four laths about 46 ins. long. Round these are bent thin cardboards so as to make a cylinder open at top and bottom with one-third left open. The inside of the card is covered with dead white paper (if white cards are used this is not necessary) and the outside with dark paper or cloth. The open third is now covered with tracing cloth, and the whole attached by cords to the chain or shackle from which the lamp hangs. It is a good plan to fasten the tracing cloth with push-pins so that it can be easily removed when the carbons have to be renewed or the glass cylinder cleaned. If possible the lamp and shade should be adjustable for height, so that it may be lowered for sitting figures and for children, it being always remembered that a foot or 18 ins. difference in position may mean 20 to 40 per cent difference in exposure. With this shade I have found no other accessories necessary, beyond an ordinary round screen, which I nearly always interpose about halfway between light and sitter, leaving the lower part of the figure unshaded, and the usual white reflector. I have sometimes hung a dark curtain or vallance to the edge of the lamp-shade to avoid a glare into the lens, but this is not always necessary.
           Open arc lamps are usually so fitted that only reflected light is used, the best known type, Marions Northlight, bane very similar to the original Van der Weyde model, but fitted with several pain of carbons to reduce exposure. The arcs are screened by a metal reflector on the sitter's side and the light reflected from the [whitened inside of an umbrella about 4*(1/2) ft. in diameter. The surface of this may be regarded as a brightly lighted window, and any necessary diffusion provided for with the head screen already mentioned; the reflector is, of course employed as needed. The highest type of work has been done with this system of lighting, the only drawbacks being a larger consumption of carbons and current than is necessary with the enclosed arc, while the large umbrella reflector takes up a good deal of apace in a small studio.
           Although there have been several other systems of arc lighting before the photographic public, the foregoing are practically the only survivors, and they will have a hard struggle for existence against the nitrogen-filled or "half-watt" lamps which are making rapid headway as the simplest and least expensive of any system which has yet presented itself.
           Before proceeding to these I should like to touch upon another form of electric lighting which has many good points: the mercury-vapour lamp. This is easy to manage, requiring no attention, and is economical of current, while owing to the large area over which the light is spread the lighting is fairly soft. Its one defect w it colour, which is greenish, and this gives anyone exposed to its rays a somewhat ghastly appearance. This can be overcome and the lighting improved by hanging a thin pink curtain in front of the tubes; this not only tones down the green but acts as a diffuser. As the tubes are somewhat long the lower part of the light tends to flatten the features somewhat, and I have found it advantageous to have the upright support lengthened, so that the bottom of the tubes are 4*(1/2) to 5 ft. from the floor. The tubes are rather fragile, so that care must be exercised in moving the apparatus about. Especial note must be taken of the connections so that the polarity is never reversed, or disaster will follow. It is easy to make such a mistake if a wall-plug is used, and some means should be taken to make it impossible to put the plug in the wrong way.
           The half-watt lamp as made for photographic work closely resembles the ordinary metallic filament lamps used for domestic lighting, but is much larger than these usually are. Its distinctive feature is that instead of the interior being as nearly a vacuum as it is possible to get, it is filled with an inert gas such as nitrogen, which, greatly retards the volatilization of the filament when the lamp is run at a high voltage. Most people know that if a lamp be run at an appreciably higher voltage than lit is made for the light is rendered much more brilliant, but that the life of .the lamp is shortened to a few hours or even a few minutes. Owing to their construction the half-watt lamps have practically the same life as the ordinary type, while the light is rendered white enough to enable short exposures to be made in the studio. The General Electric Company has devoted considerable attention to the photographic aspect of half-watt lighting, and send out not only suitable bulbs, but reflectors and stands ready for studio use. I have worked with several installations of half-watt lamps, and can recommend them to any photographer requiring a new installation. The lamps are made in various candle-powers from 500 to 3,000. I prefer the 1,000 c.p. as the best unit. If six 1,000 c.p. lamps be taken as the maximum power needed for ordinary work, these can be so spread out as to cover a considerable area and to give sufficient softness with very little loss of light by diffusion. If two 3,000 c.p. lamps were installed they would be as powerful as two arcs, and would have to toe placed farther from the sitter and a thicker diffuser would be needed. The metal reflectors supplied by the company are convenient and a great protection to the lamp, but I have found the light rather too concentrated, and have always fixed a thin white nainsook curtain in front of them. They can be fitted with a counterbalance weight like a grocer's scales, so that they may be raised or lowered to any desired height. A cheap method of fitting is to make large D-shaped reflectors of white card with a front of nainsook. The most useful size is about two feet wide by thirty inches high for the nainsook front, and eighteen inches deep from the centre of front to the back. One must be careful to place the lamp well in the centre, as there is a considerable amount of heat from the lamp, and if too near either lamp or calico one or the other will be burned. Light weight tinplate can, of course, be substituted for -the card for a permanent installation. I used the card lanterns for six months, and got one slight scorch only.
           With regard to the arrangement of the lamps it is difficult to give precise instructions, and in accordance with my previous remark I recommend them to be placed so as to allow the light to fall upon the sitter at the same angle that daylight usually does. As it is undesirable to place them between the daylight and the sitter they should be placed on the dark side of the roof in the same position as the open portion of the light. If it be desired to light the same side of the face as with daylight the lamps should be placed towards the other end of the studio and the camera turned round. For average lighting the lamps should be fixed so as to rise to eight feet from the floor for standing figures .and groups, and lower to about five feet six inches for sitting figures and children. The general arrangement may be in the form of a curve or L shape, one lamp being apposite the centre of the background and about seven feet away, another apposite the edge of the background and a little nearer to it, while two of the others are placed between these and two to serve as a side-light or for Rembrandt effects. Each lamp should be on a separate switch, so that only as many as may be necessary are burning at one time. It is very necessary that the exact voltage, not a nominal one, should be given when ordering lamps. Inquiry should be made at the local power station, for a very slight drop in voltage means but little loes of light visually, bat a gnat deal as regards the actinic value. In meet cases where length of exposure has been complained of I have found this to be die cause. In districts where variations of current are common it would be well to use slightly lower voltage lamps than the nominal local voltage calls for, and to have the adjustable resistance supplied for these lamps and regulate the current as needed.

PRACTICUS.