The photographic news

• Bandzählung: 29.1885
• Erscheinungsdatum: 1885
• Sprache: Englisch
• Signatur: F 135
• Vorlage: Hochschule für Grafik und Buchkunst Leipzig
• Digitalisat: Hochschule für Grafik und Buchkunst Leipzig
• Digitalisat: SLUB Dresden
• Rechtehinweis: Public Domain Mark 1.0
• URN: urn:nbn:de:bsz:14-db-id1780948042-188500006
• PURL: http://digital.slub-dresden.de/id1780948042-18850000
• OAI: oai:de:slub-dresden:db:id-1780948042-18850000
• Sammlungen: LDP: Historische Bestände der Hochschule für Grafik und Buchkunst Leipzig
• Sammlungen: Fotografie
• Bemerkung: Seite I-II fehlen in der Vorlage. Paginierfehler: Seite 160 als Seite 144 gezählt.
• Strukturtyp: Band

• Digitalisat: SLUB Dresden
• Strukturtyp: Ausgabe

300 THE PHOTOGRAPHIC NEWS. [May 8, 1885. graph of the proboscis of a blow-fly, not flattened, and shows well the extraordinary penetration of the objective. This picture was taken on a gelatine emulsion plate; exposure eight seconds; light, a two-inch paraffin burner'; magnification 250 diameters. The left-hand top disc con tains the image of the foot of a dung fly, magnified 250 diameters. The wonderful “ pads,” with their sucker-like arrangement and hair-studded surfaces, are well shown. This was also taken on a gelatine plate, under the same conditions as the tongue. The small central top disc con tains a proboscis flattened out, taken with the same triplet, but with the two first combinations removed, so as to give a magnification of about 50 diameters only. In this picture the definition is exquisite, and a transparency from this negative, when thrown on the screen by the optical lantern, enlarges up to ten feet, without any falling off, and shows the spirals, the fleshy bodies, the hairs, &c., wonderfully well. Just under the foot of dung fly is shown a living frond of Batrachospermum moniliforme, magnified 250 diameters ; this is also a sunlight collodion picture. In the small disc under this is a frustule of Isthmia neroosa, magnified 250 diameters. Here, again, the penetration of the objective is well brought out, the rotundity of the object being clearly shown. On the opposite side of the sheet the upper small disc shows the pitted cells in a section of deal, magnified 250 diameters. This, again, is a collodion sunlit picture. Just below this are shown grains of potato starch under polarised light; this required half an hour’s exposure on an extra rapid gelatine plate, a two-inch paraffin lamp being the source of light. The large left-hand bottom disc shows that beautiful diatom, Campylodiscus eostatus, magnified 250 diameters. Notice how well the lens de fines even those frustules that are standing upright. The right-hand bottom disc shows several frustules of Pleuro- sigma Balticum. This was taken by oblique illumination, and shows the lines (40,000 to the inch) very well indeed. The bottom centre and small disc contains a single frus tule of Aulocodiscus, with its raised ring and hexagonal apertures. All the collodion pictures are sunlit pictures, exposure one second only ; developed with a strong iron developer; not intensified. The gelatine pictures have all been deve loped with tartaro-ferrous oxalate, which, in my hands, leaves nothing to be desired. SOME OF THE FUTURE NEEDS OF A PHOTOGRAPHIC SOCIETY, AND SUGGESTIONS FOR FUTURE WORK. BY F. C. BEACH.* I wish every member would make an effort during the new year just begun, to think out or invent some better way of construct ing some special piece of photographic apparatus, and present his ideas to the Society. One indispensable portion of apparatus, the tripod, is a con tinual source of annoyance ; it furnishes room for a large amount of study ; how to conceal or get rid of it is a puzzling question. A plate-holder, which shall be adaptable to the many inac curacies to be found in our dry plates, and capable of being easily and quickly applied to the camera, is wanted. A substitute for glass, but equal to it, as a base to support a sensitive emulsion, with which amateurs can take large photo graphs with little inconvenience, would be desirable. A method of preparing ready-sensitized silver paper on which purple tones can be easily obtained would, in many respects, be of much value. We are yet without a perfect shutter for instantaneous work, or a good light for the dark room. There are many other things which might be mentioned, but what I have suggested may, I hope, suffice to awaken among you some latent inventive talent. The number of improvements * Abstract of a discourse delivered before the New York Association of Amateur Photographers. already suggested, and made by some of you during the past year, shows that the spirit of invention is here. The field for inventive talent is large in view of the great variety of appa ratus and applications embraced by photography. It might be well for the Society to specify two or three kinds of apparatus upon which improvements are needed, then offer rewards or prizes to the successful competitor ; no doubt such a course would stimulate invention, and we would reap the advantage of whatever results might be achieved. The cultivation of art, as applied to photography, or the pro duction of artistic photographs, should be encouraged; for instance, in taking a landscape view, the subject should be care fully studied, the imagination should be brought into play as to how the finished picture will appear when reduced, the point of view should be deliberately chosen, and allowances made for the effects of lights and shades. I am in hopes that arrangements may be made for a series of illustrated lectures upon this subject by competent authorities. No better or more attractive way of presenting the results of our labours to our friends could be devised than by means of the optical lantern and lantern slides, and as we have had a special lantern constructed, which is to become the permanent property of the Society, I trust the making of slides will attract the attention of a larger number of members than it has hereto fore. For the use of educating those who are now in this branch of work, I advise that we have special critical exhibitions of slides occasionally, in order that the defects or good qualities of the slides may be more easily pointed out. The system of exchang ing lantern slides with other clubs has been successfully inaugu rated, and, from the interest manifested, promises to be a valuable feature of the future. The plan enables us to see in an attractive way the work made by others, and tends to promote a spirit of friendly rivalry and intercourse between the various clubs. The extension of a similar exchange to clubs in foreign countries promises to be successfully carried out during this year, and will furnish material of unending interest. Regarding our future, 1 think I am within bounds when I say no similar organization could wish for brighter prospects ; our membership, in view of the increasing general interest taken in photography, will probably rapidly augment in numbers, and it will therefore be necessary to provide larger and better quarters for our meetings, and larger facilities for other work. In order to do this in a manner commensurate with our standing as a society, it would seem advisable that we first become incorporated, and afterward, if thought best, appoint a special committee of responsible gentlemen to undertake the work of finding a suitable permanent site or building, to alter or build it in some special manner, and arrange within it a suit able meeting-room, an art gallery, a skylight, several commodious dark-rooms, equipping them all with the necessary appurten ances and tools for doing good work. By employing a good operator, at a stated salary, to remain in the building, to give instruction to beginners, and also to do printing, making slides, enlarging, developing, &c., the services of a janitor could be dispensed with, and a large number of members be accommodated. Furthermore, I would advocate the Society keeping on hand a stock of chemicals and plates, known to be reliable and of good quality, which members could purchase for their own use. A financial plan which suggested itself to me in regard to this scheme was this, that the incorporated Society might issue bonds on which to raise funds for the purchase of a suitable building; after it was once fitted up and equipped, the interest on the bonds could be met by the revenue derived from the annual dues and initiation fees, and also from the renting of the meeting room to other societies when not in use by us. The surplus revenue could be applied to a sinking fund to be established for the pay ment of the bonds. The bonds could also be secured by a mort gage on the building. Probably the annual interest charge on the bonds would not exceed the annual rent the Society would have to pay for rooms, yet the facilities afforded and the induce ments offered to others to become members would be increased tenfold. Provided with such well-equipped permanent quarters, properly conducted, we ought to become in a short time the leading photographic society in the world, and in time be able to wield an influence in photographic matters such as few would care to contest. It will be the intention of the management during the New Year to present interesting subjects at meetings, for the entertainment of members, and also to promote a more general discussion on photographic subjects. My impression is, a larger number of members should