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
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• Sammlungen: LDP: Historische Bestände der Hochschule für Grafik und Buchkunst Leipzig
• Sammlungen: Fotografie
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• Strukturtyp: Ausgabe

August 21, 1883.] THE PHOTOGRAPHIC NEWS. 539 ocean ’ sufficient to intoxicate the average townsman ; while, as regards work for the camera, the photographer will find sea scapes of all kinds—-glorious instantaneous views of the sea dashing against the rocks, tumble-down old huts, with here and there an old-fashioned cottage nestling amongst the rocks with the sea occasionally “ coming in " as a glorious foreground, while picturesque boats and smacks, with the attendant fisherfolk, abound. Cemmaes will probably rise into a “ fashionable watering place ” at some future day; but, thank heaven, the promenade brass band and nigger minstrels are as yet things of the future, and the villagers still retain their kindness of heart and generous disposition, and they have not learut to charge the exorbitant prices made at some less favoured, though more fre quented, places. Bull Bay, a somewhat similar village, but not in my opinion anything like so picturesque, is within easy distance ; several plates could be exposed there without much difficulty in finding the subjects. The light at these places is very actinic ; from three to four seconds at { on the ordinary plates in sunshine, is sufficient. In the neighbourhood of Amlwch there are several little villages which abound in broken bits —old-fashioned churches and cottages. Llanelian Church, about four miles from Amlwch, is well worthy of a plate or two. I pass round two views taken at a place called City Dulas, also about four miles from Amlwch; they were taken on account of personal associations with the place, but they will enable you to see that sundry pretty pictures could be found there. Rewharf Bay is another - picturesque place, with rocks entwined with ivy, and taking occasionally the shape of castles and other grotesque forms. The next “ out-of-the-way place”! shall speak about is in Denbighshire; but before leaving Anglesey, I should like to again mention the kindness they show to strangers. If you call at a farm and ask for a drink, a glass of splended milk and a plate of bread-and-butter will be forthcoming ; and if you should be tramping your weary way along some of the roads, if a car or cart passes you will almost certainly be proffered a “ lift,” and that without expecting more than “thank you.” If any here should be going there, don't forget to have some Anglesey pancakes (the “ Anglesey welcome ") ; they are the next best thing to the scenery. Bontuchel (High Bridge), near Ruthin, in Denbighshire, I can recommend as another good place for photographic work. To get to Bontuchel, the best plan is to get down at Rhewl, a station two and a half miles from Ruthin, on the Ruthin and Denbigh line. The distance from Rhewl to Bontuchel is about three miles—the whole journey being alongside the picturesque banks of the river. Bontuchel is the resort of several artists and photographers, so that it can hardly be called new ground ; still, I think many as pretty a bit as at Bettws-y-Coed can be found ; it is the same kind of scenery, and there is plenty of choice, and the photographer will have the satisfaction of knowing that there is a chance of his having obtained an original picture, whereas at Bettws such is well-nigh impossible. Any of our members could spend a pleasant day in Ruthin itself; there are some very nice ruins to be be had, old-fashioned houses, &c., and a walk across country from Ruthin to Cerrig-y- Druidion would yield a large number of lovely pictures. My own pictures of Bontuchel scenery are over-exposed. When I was there, it was my first experience of that kind of photo graphic work ; since then I have taken somewhat similar views, and would suggest about ten to fifteen seconds on a rapid plate, at { good bright light—not sunshine. A PAPERETTE ON THINGS IN GENERAL. BY J. A. FORREST.* Ot'tt worthy Secretary has projected a new word to suit a want —viz, " Paperettes," — which I think a very happy idea, inasmuch as many a retiring student of our art-science has, in the course of his experience, discovered some happy and con venient plan which may be good enough for a paragraph or two of writing, but to elaborate into a paper for the evening would be more than he would like to encounter, and hence a valuable field of little developments would be lost, not only to the * A communication to the Birkenhead Photographic Association. progress of the Society, but also to the photographic world in general. Another revolution in our art is at hand, and will completely alter—as far, at least, as the amateur is concerned—the material on which we work, and the impedimenta will be reduced to the lightness of a lady’s reticule ; I allude to paper as a support for the negative. I have a lively recollection of the happy days of the wax-paper process, with its fine delineation, its extreme probability ; for a small portfolio would hold fifty or sixty negatives, and be less in weight than a dozen sensitive plates. No need of going down on your knees to a foreign Custom-house official ruthlessly about to open your boxes of sensitive plates. Lady artistes would marvellously increase in number, and no porters would be required. What a gentlemanly style we would exhibit! I have in my mind’s eye, during the course of this delightful summer, the perspiring efforts of large-sized cameras, students losing their little opportunities of calm reflection to survey the best artistic point of the landscape. This movement is not novel, but we now wait with tolerable certainty for the perfection of this long-wished for “paper ” era. As President of this Society, I must press upon the members the necessity of contributing to the album, and of directing their attention to the production of as, many local views as possible, as time will make them of great historic value. I must also urge upon young members the advantages of joining the workers in the trips into the country as the best means of practically learning the rudiments of our art-science. The platinotype process gives a maximum of permanency with a minimum of time and labour in producing qualities of the highest importance, if we want to write our names in the sands of photographic progress. With this new phase of our art I have alluded to, new, cheap, and suitable cameras will make their appearance, and every member will have the opportunity of working, instead of being a mere patron and admirer of our truth-producing reflections of nature’s magic beauties. My time, as President of this Society, is rapidly drawing to a close, and I want to vitalise its youth to the vigour of earnest and united action, and obtain, as Goethe said, “ more light, more light,’’ into the vista of scientific research. o— PHOTOGRAPHY AND THE SPECTROSCOPE Lecture II. BY CAPTAIN W. BE W. ABNEY, R.E., F.R.S.* In my last lecture, I left off with the use of the slit in the spectroscope, and I showed you, I think, that under certain circumstances the slit which had the form of a ring was useful, having previously demonstrated that it was not necessary that the slit should be straight, but that it was most convenient that it should be so. I will next deal with the subject of the prism. We know that prisms are employed to separate the different coloured rays, as each colour is differently refracted as it passes through the prism, and it is this difference in the index of re fraction between the red ray and the violet ray which gives the amount of dispersion in forming the visible spectrum. Of course, if we go beyond the violet, there are invisible rays, while again below the red there are also dark rays, which also have their indices of refraction, but I wish to show you the influence that the material of the prism itself has on the dis persion of the visible spectrum. I have here a prism of 60° built up of six or seven different triangles of glass. It is apparently homogeneous, but when we pass light through it we shall find that it is anything but homo geneous ; in other words, the different portions are differently refractive. The different portions of the prism are all glass, as I have said, but of different densities, and the denser the glass, the moie are rays refracted, and the greater dispersion between the red and violet there is. [A slice of light was passed through this built-up prism, and the different spectra thrown on the screen.] You will notice, by the spectra on the screen, that the length of the top spectrum, between the red and violet, is much smaller than that of the bottom spectrum. The glass which gives the dispersion to the latter is much denser glass than that which gives it to the former. Practically speaking, therefore, we may say the denser the glass the greater refraction, and the greater dispersion there is. For most purposes in spectroscopy, it is as well to use as dense a glass as possible, in order to get the maximum amount of dispersion. I will now combine three ’ Continued from page 524,