Assistants' Notes: A Camera Repair-Outfit; The Tyro's First Camera.

A Camera Repair-Outfit.

           ONLY one photographer have I ever met who habitually carried a repair-outfit when going on outdoor jobs, and his practice consisted principally in twelve by ten and whole-plate work at a distance front his headquarters. It is an idea that is well worth following, because, although the occasion for its use may never arise at all when out on a job, there is always the possibility of an accident when the means of a make-shift repair may save the job. In addition to this, there are cases when the movements of the camera are strained to their limits to include an extremely high building, or for other reasons that will occur to all outdoor operators. On such occasions as these a little slackening or even temporary removal if a few screws will prevent that strain and permit of a little extra extension of the movement.
           There is no reason why the repair outfit should be larger than those supplied for cycles. A small screwdriver, as sold for watch-makers, sewing-machines, or fretwork will be the largest item, then a small drill bit or bradawl fixed in a handle, obtainable at any fretwork shop, and a tiny half-round file will complete the list of tools. A small screw eye or two are often handy in several ways and take the place of a gimlet. A small assortment of screws, steel pins or needles, a small tube of fish-glue, and a bit of strong thread or "flex," can all be packed in a little tin, and will cope with almost any emergency.–CHARLES.

The Tyro's First Camera.

           IT is a curious fact that most people who obtain a camera (either by purchase or as a gift) soon begin to wish for some other kind. Now, every girl or boy who taken up photography as a living ought to have a camera. No one gets the real enthusiasm for the work that will get him on if he is satisfied with printing from other folks’ negatives.
           The best all-round camera to start with for pretty well every possible reason in a quarter-plate stand-camera with a double extension an ordinary R.R. lens, and a simple shutter, preferably a roller-blind. In addition to being the right sort of camera to learn most things from in a practical way it has several other strong advantages. One is that the necessary focusing and other operations preliminary to exposing the plate foster a care for ensuring that all this trouble will not be wasted by wrong exposure and careless afterwork. A magazine camera has exactly the opposite Thus, from the very start with the stand camera one gets a bigger and far more encouraging proportion of successes.
           Next, the tyro is sure, contrary to the oft-repeated text-book advice, to try his hand at portraiture, and the ability to focus properly is essential for this work. One more reason for the choice recommended, and a very strong one indeed, is that at the second-hand dealers' this particular type of camera is least in demand and a bargain can often be secured, so that the initial outlay need not be great. The buying of the second camera, when the beginner’s inclinations begin to indicate the most suitable type of instrument, will therefore be not such a costly matter, and the original quarter-plate camera will be found useful for many years afterwards, for lantern-slide making, or to form part of a copying or enlarging installation.–KINGSTON.

10 Easy Ways To Improve Your Family Photographs

1. Get to know your camera. Half an hour spent reading the instruction book and getting to know what your camera can do, really will be time well spent. Practice using the camera without film until you feel confident with the controls. Practice holding the camera very firmly when pressing the shutter, as any movement will result in a blurred picture. Tucking your arms tightly into your body helps to avoid this. Or look around for something to support the camera. A wall, a ledge, seat or tree branch would be ideal.

2. Get in close. Fill the viewfinder with your subject and you are sure to improve your pictures. A telephoto or zoom lens is obviously the easiest way to do this but even with a compact camera you can usually get much closer than you think. Consult your instruction book. Getting down to your child's level will make this easier and and improve the shot too.

3. Look carefully at the background. We've all seen photographs of people with lamp posts or telegraph poles growing out of their heads, but it's the less obvious background muddles that often ruin pictures. The washing on the line in the garden or clutter on the sofa or table. Change your position if you cannot change the child's.

4. Turn the camera round. Taking the picture with your camera in the vertical position can be an easy way to cut out a lot of unnecessary background and give you more of the child in the shot. If using your camera this way up feels strange, practice without film until it feels comfortable. Using your camera in this position avoids a lot of cut off heads and feet too.

5. Photograph children in their natural environment. Pictures taken in their bedrooms surrounded by toys, crawling out of their den in the garden or hanging from
the climbing frame in the park are much more likely to be successful than formally posed shots in their best clothes perched on the edge of the sofa. Photograph them when they're grubby and scruffy as well as in their Sunday best.

6. Become invisible. The very best natural, unposed pictures will be taken when your child is totally unaware of your existence. This can be acheived by the use of a telephoto or zoom lens or just by being so quiet that they forget about you. If this is impossible, the other trick is to talk to them about what they are doing, thus turning their attention back to the activity and away from the camera. If you feel that flash lights will frighten your baby or distract your child, use a fast film, 400 or higher, and you should be able to take photographs indoors in a fairly bright room without flash. Side lighting from a window can be effective but don't place your children directly in front of a window or their faces will be in shadow.

7. Sea, sand and sky. Is their anything more depressing than getting back the prints of your family on that paradise beach to find them all pictured as black silhouettes against a perfectly exposed sky? This happens because the large amount of back light tricks the camera's exposure meter into thinking that the whole scene is receiving lots of light, but as we have seen, faces are in shadow. The only way to correct
this is to use fill in flash to lighten the shadows, or a large piece of white card, held just out of shot, to reflect light back on to the faces. Check your instruction book again as some cameras have a back light compensation switch especially to help solve this problem. Avoid shooting at midday as this is when the shadows will be harshest. Try to move your child so that the light falls from the side if possible.

8. Dressing up. Having a few props ready can make for a fun session. Hats are a favourite with children, but shawls, flowers, baskets and dressing up clothes as well as toys and teddies will all help you compose interesting pictures, especially when children do the unexpected with them! Don't necessarily go for a smile on every shot, try to capture a whole range of expressions.

9. Sports and action shots. There are two ways of photographing action. The first is to use a high shutter speed which, like flash, will effectively freeze the motion,
giving a sharp picture but losing the sense of movement. The second method is panning, or following the child with the camera. Focus on the spot where your child will be arriving and follow the action with the camera, pressing the shutter very smoothly and keeping the pan going for a few seconds afterwards. This results in a sharp picture of your child but with a streaked background giving a much better feel of the action. Remember it is easier to photograph motion that is coming towards you than passing by in front.

10. Collecting your prints from the processor need not be the end of the story. Why not have your prints enlarged so that you can hang them on the wall and enjoy them
every day. Or scan them into your computer and set them as wallpaper or make them into screensavers. If there is a problem with Aunt Sally's slippers in the left hand
corner, many processing houses offer selective enlargements where they will just enlarge the part you want. It is also possible to have your photographs printed on to a paper that gives the look of a painting on canvas, or you can have pictures made into posters, puzzles, table mats, even mugs and plates.

Copyright 2000 Colleen Moulding