CLOUD PICTURES FOR THE AMATEUR By CHARLES STUART MOODY ILLUSTRATED WITH PHOTOGRAPHS BY THE AUTHOR

Tips for Composition, Exposure, Selection of Plates, Developing, and Printing for Good Effects HE amateur camerist, in his enthusiasm, generally runs the gamut of subjects photographic all the way from the baby in his various m o o d s to the speeding express train and flying birds. He will probably be struck with his lack of success in certain fields, and nowhere more so than in the photography of cloud effects. There is something alluring about these vast argosies of heaven as they drift across an ocean of ethereal blue; something that appeals to the artistic eye as a great cloud mass rolls above the horizon in gigantic "thunder heads"; something awe-inspiring and sublime when we watch whole fleets of storm clouds, black and sinister, chase each other in wind-swept squadrons across the limitless dome; something peaceful and calm about fleecy flocks of cloud sheep as they hover about the crests of hoary mountain peaks. What wonder, then, that the eye, attuned to the beautiful, should long to catch these ever-changing paintings of the Master's brush and hold them in thrall? The disappointment in the dark room is frequently as keen as was the pleasure at the picture itself. I am not a professional photographer, not even a fair amateur perhaps, but by some stroke of lucky fortune I have succeeded in catching upon the sensitized plate a few fair cloud scenes. My failures have far outnumbered my successes, but out of them I have managed to extract some valuable lessons. From my [460]

successes I have derived greater pleasure than I can express to you. The making of a cloud negative is, after all, a very simple matter. A little knowledge of the physical properties of light and refraction, and an intelligent application of that knowledge, will enable any person possessed of a fair camera to make a good cloud negative. I wish somebody would please hold my literary Pegasus while I get off and stop long enough to explain that I am speaking of cloud "scenes," not a cloud negative that you may "print in" with. I have but little patience with the man whose artistic eye is satisfied with one cloud mass for all seasons, winter, spring, summer and autumn. The man who invented "printing in" should be condemned to gaze through all eternity at some of the monstrosities his invention has imposed upon suffering humanity. Your cloud picture depends largely upon your choice of a subject. Rivers and small lakes, mountains and hills lend the best contrast, while trees in the immediate foreground come next. Wide expanses of level lands or vast stretches of water are unsatisfactory. If you desire an ocean cloud effect, be sure to place a cliff or some prominent landmark in the foreground to break the monotony. The exposure for cloud effects, made necessary by the laws of light and optics, is necessarily very rapid. Anomalous as it may seem, this does not presuppose an extra rapid lens. In fact, such a one may defeat the very object you hope to attain. I make my cloud scenes with an

MOUNTAINS AND HILLS LEND THE BEST CONTRAST

FOCUS FOR YOUR CLOUDS AND LET THE GROUND SCENE TAKE CARE OF ITSELF

CLOUD PICTURES FOR THE AMATEUR ordinary rectilinear lens by preference. The exposure with an 8 stop should be the maximum speed of the ordinary shutter. If the day is exceedingly brilliant the stop must be correspondingly decreased; the great danger is in over-exposure, thereby dissolving your clouds. Nowhere is greater care required in fo-

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possess more contrast than others, and it is contrast you are seeking in cloud negatives. The treatment of the plate in the dark room is of paramount importance. If you develop by formula you will be disappointed in your results. The cloud plate should above all other things pos-

FLEECY FLOCKS OF CLOUD SHEEP HOVER ABOUT THE CRESTS OF MOUNTAIN PEAKS

cusing than in the photography of clouds. A plate slightly out of focus will come up fuzzy and unattractive. Focus for your clouds and let the groundwork take care of itself. The cloud negative must be as sharp as a cameo. A word about ray filters. I have never found them necessary to my photographic well being. One of the photographs accompanying this article was made with a ray filter, and I challenge you to say which one it is. I am constrained to admit that theoretically the ray filter is correct, but the man who cannot make a cloud negative without one will be equally unsuccessful with one. The selection of the plate has very little to do with it. Any good plate of ordinarily rapid emulsion will produce good results. Certain plate emulsions

sess "snap." A dull, lifeless negative will produce a dull, lifeless picture. Having stained my fingers, and almost wrecked my sunny temper with all the different developers, I have fallen back on the old pyro, with metol a close second. The standard pyro formula must have the carbonate element increased at least twice. The following formula has given me great satisfaction in developing detail. Take water 24 ounces, pyro 1 ounce, sulphuric acid 8 drops. This is element A, element B, sodium sulphate to 70 hydrometer test. Element C, sodium carbonate to 40 hydrometer test. Use A 1 ounce, B ten drops, C ten drops, water 12 ounces. Immerse the plate and watch the appearance of the image, add B or C, a drop at a time until the negative has reached the required

THERE IS SOMETHING ALLURING ABOUT THESE VAST ARGOSIES OF HEAVEN

density. If the detail is weak, increase the amount of C until it comes out. With careful manipulation and plenty of patience, the above formula will give excellent results. A cloud negative is necessarily thin. Even after it is developed to its full density, it will be thin. If thought advisable it may be intensified, using the standard bichloride and sodium bromide solution for the purpose.

The choice of a printing paper is quite essential. It is not exactly the thing, for instance, to print a mass of soft, filmy, fleecy clouds on a harsh, contrasty paper. By the same token a ragged mass of clear-cut cloud would be sort of incongruous on a soft matt paper. A little study and attention to detail will develop wonderful possibilities in clouds, the production of moonlight effects, rain storms and the like.

THE CLOUD NEGATIVE MUST BE AS SHARP AS A CAMEO

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