The selection of subject in pictorial photography

Preface

If any apology be required for putting forward the hints contained in this book, that apology is to be found on the walls of the photographic exhibitions. The writer freely admits that the majority of the works there to be seen are of a high technical quality ; yet in many cases they are such that they could be considerably improved were more attention given to the subjects of point of view, the value of lines, and the meaning of “tone values” and their reproduction by photography. It is with a view to the improvement of photographic work in these directions that the following pages were written ; but it is the wish of the author that they shall be found not merely instructive, but interesting also.

W. E. T.

Contents

Chapter Page

Preface . 5

I. On the Subject generally and the Influence

Chapter I. On The Subject Generally And The Influence Of Clouds

TV yf ANY photographers have paid much attention to, and have made themselves very proficient in, the technicalities of their craft. Whilst they cannot have too much knowledge of these technicalities, there is a tendency to pay much attention to them at the expense of other matters that assist in the making of a picture.

Given the technical skill, the photographer must find some subject on which to apply it. In this operation he will find his technical skill of very little use to him. His knowledge of photography will tell him what his plate will be like when exposed and developed, but this knowledge has very little to do with the selection of a subject. Therefore, with the assistance of some sketches, I shall endeavour in this book to point out how his pictures of any given scene may very often be improved by judicious selection of position and lighting.

IO

SELECTION OF SUBJECT.

We will take lighting first. As the principles governing the different classes of subject — figure, land¬ scape, seascape, etc. — differ somewhat, we will take that one most useful to the majority of photographers — landscape or general rural scenes to be found in most parts of England.

Select a bright sunny day, with plenty of strong clouds about. Not only does Nature look much more majestic and grand when strong clouds are about, but they are of great importance in the composition of the picture. Although the photographer may not be able to get both landscape and clouds on one negative, their presence proves the possibilities of a subject, and enables him to see and feel what the final results should be. If he cannot get the clouds on his negative, by means of them he will be able to have part of his picture in sunlight whilst other parts will be in shadow by the clouds. This is of great importance, because a picture with the light all over it fails to have any concentration, whilst one all shadow fails for the same reason.

We will take an ordinary landscape with a tree or two on the left as the principal object. The sketch (Plate II.), from an actual scene, and in no way made up, will illustrate this. It was made on a cloudless day, and when finished did not appeal to me as having any picture merit other than that the lines were fairly well balanced and not unpleasant ; but it all looked very weak and thin — it gave me no sense of what we may call the size and weight of nature.

SELECTION OF SUBJECT. BY W. E. TINDALL.

PLATE II. (see page 10.)

I

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SELECTION OF SUBJECT.

BY W. E. TINDALL.

PLATE III. (see page n.)

THE INFLUENCE OF CLOUDS.

II

I therefore allowed the small sketch to suffice, and went to find another subject, which (if I remember rightly) I failed to find, doubtless from the fact that Nature was not in one of her artistic moods that day, or it may have been the subject searcher who was not in an artistic mood — but the fact still remains, the picture making light was not present when the first sketch was made. About a week later, when tramping upon the usual errand, “ subject hunting,” but on a very different day — one with plenty of light and shade — passing the same place from which the previous sketch was made, I found that the principal tree on the left was well in shadow ; the trees in the middle dis¬ tance had more power, because the shadows under¬ neath were stronger, and, above all, there was a sky. I therefore made another (Plate III.), which, when com¬ pared with the first one, will be found to contain much more feeling for the power and weight of nature.

It is not always that the photographer is in sympathy with his subject, so do not take off the cap until you are convinced you are right, and do not be convinced all at once. You hear about first impres¬ sions being best. The reverse is often the case when selecting a subject, and, although you may feel you have got a splendid position, you may find that the friend who is with you has got a better.

There should be no hurry in picture making or subject selecting. An hour spent in watching the different effects on a landscape subject is very often the most profitable time spent on the picture. Makers

SELECTION OF SUBJECT.

of cycle repair outfits advise their patrons to smoke a pipe after coating the patch with solution and before sticking it on. This is excellent advice to photo¬ graphers when selecting subjects. If the subject turns out a failure, blame the brand of tobacco.

A subject should not be all foreground ; neither should it be without foreground. Do not expose a plate (if it can be helped) with the lens pointing towards the source of light. These subjects are very difficult, and seldom satisfactory. They glitter in a most irritating way. It is a mistake to imagine that distant views make good subject matter. Distance is neces¬ sary, but it should lead from the other parts of the subject by easy stages, and on no account should there be a jump from foreground to distance. Do not try to balance the picture by trees on each side of it ; this shuts in the subject, and makes it appear much smaller than it would do otherwise. Any subject which appeals to you as being quite right is so far a good subject.

Chapter II. On Arrangement And Point Of View

TN selecting the position from which to expose the

plate, the great difference to the subject which moving the camera a foot or more to the right or left will make will be apparent to the photographer. To emphasise this, let him stand on the road with a row of telegraph poles or lamp-posts running away from him in a straight line, one behind the other, his own position being at a distance of three yards from the first post. If the posts are in a straight line, he will only see one, that nearest to him. Now if he moves a foot to the right or left, he will find out at once what a difference that foot makes. He will see a whole row of posts with various spaces between each, according to distance. Those nearest will be widest apart, and the distance between each will be reduced as the posts recede from him.

The same system applies to all objects in nature. The nearer the object is, the greater will be the difference in moving the position to right or left.

If two photographers unknown to each other were each to take the same subject, it would astonish most

SELECTION OF SUBJECT.

to see the difference between the two pictures. They might be each of them equally like the place (and probably would be), but they would be very different from each other. It will be sure to be found that one is a much better subject than the other, simply because the worker who did it knew more about the laws governing composition, and therefore selected the best position.

This really applies more to the photographer than the painter. A painter is allowed a certain amount of artistic licence. So is the photographer with the ability and knowledge to use it. But a good many photographers are restricted to the matter before them, and are unable to do much more than control, subdue, or heighten, the light and shade within the subject material placed before them. It is therefore of the first importance to the man who desires to produce something in advance of the large proportion of the photographs we see to make himself acquainted with the principles of composition, and to study from which point it is best to take a negative.

A golden rule to be observed in selecting a subject is that of simplicity. Not only simplicity of lines, but simplicity of detail. Detail sometimes attracts photo¬ graphers in an alarming manner. A rustic cottage with a beautiful flower garden without any surroundings does not necessarily make a picture, notwithstanding the beauty and detail of the flowers ; and if it is photographed without due respect being paid to com¬ position, there will be disappointment with the result when finished.

SELECTION OF SUBJECT. BY W. E. TINDALL. PLATE V. (see page

SELECTION OF SUBJECT. BY W. E. TINDALL. PLATE IV. (see page 15.)

ON ARRANGEMENT AND POINT OF VIEW.

The sketches (Plates IV. and V.) represent an ex¬ tremely picturesque little homestead, but I found the greatest difficulty in getting a pleasing composition out of it. Although the cottage was very picturesque, it was not sufficient to make a picture in itself. I endeavoured in the first sketch to treat the subject by the laws governing diagonal composition, by an apparent line running from the top to the opposite bottom corner, but the attempt was not a success. There should have been something in the left-hand bottom corner which would have prevented the eye of the spectator running out of the picture, and would also have balanced the mass of dark on the right. The something was not present ; the sketch therefore gave the impression of having all the picture tucked up in one corner, and was anything but satisfactory.

Now, this something required could have been introduced by the painter. It might have been a stone, or a gorse bush. But photographically it would have been very difficult. As an example of what balance will do I have marked with a white cross the place where the bush or stone should have been placed. If the reader will try the effect of placing a piece of black or dark paper about half an inch square, with the bottom edge on the cross I have marked, he will find how much it draws the picture together, and brings him back into the centre of it.

But to get a picture without faking, I went nearer to the cottage and more to the left. I then saw more round the back of it, and, as the trees run from it, I was able to see more of them. They backed up the building much better, and the line of the heap of straw at the end of the cottage, which was unpleasant in the first sketch, now became pleasant. I found that from this position it could not be treated by the diagonal composition, like the previous sketch, and therefore I decided to adopt the pyramidal composition, viz., that in which a group of objects apparently forms a pyramid. This method is largely employed in grouping figures.

Now, in my anxiety to keep the apex of the pyramid from the centre of the picture (which those who look at the drawing (Plate V.) will see I succeeded in doing), I got an uninteresting shed running out of the picture on the right. This was not a pleasant line, and had very little to do with the composition. It was most annoying, particularly after all the trouble I had taken, the more so as I was convinced there was a picture in that cottage if only I had the ability and patience to find it. I left it with disgust, and in an unhappy state of mind wended my weary way homeward.

In the composition of most mortals I have met there is a certain amount of tenaciousness, and this came to my assistance during the evening. I got out the sketches and put them on an easel, and, being comfortably settled in a hammock chair, I proceeded to study those sketches. I then discovered what every photographer would have discovered hours ago, to cut off that part of the offending shed. But I did not — I decided instead to return to that cottage next day, and

ON ARRANGEMENT AND POINT OF VIEW.

from the very same place from which the second sketch was made, to slew the camera round, in photographic parlance, until the offending shed was not in the picture. This decision I duly carried out, and was amply repaid for the trouble. I got rid of most of the shed, and secured a much better composition in addition.

I will give the reason why I did not cut off the offending shed from the second sketch. The reader will remember how anxious I was not to have the apex of the pyramid in the centre of the picture. Now, by cutting off the shed by the first tree over it, I should have just managed to do that which I was most anxious to avoid. But by returning and looking rather more to the left (or slewing round the camera), I removed the apex as much to the right as it is now to the left, for the amount of space cut off the shed was added to the other side.

I regret I am unable to give a reproduction of the third and finished picture. It has changed ownership, but if a piece of paper is placed on the right of the picture, cutting it off by the first tree over the shed, and the same space is put in imagination on the left side, a very good idea of what it was like can be obtained. To complete the picture, some fowls were near the cottage, and some smoke from the chimney going in the direction of the top right-hand corner.

Chapter III. On Colour : Its Relation To Tone Value

TT AVING selected the subject, and quite settled ^ which is the best position from which to expose a plate, one is left with an extremely difficult problem to solve — tone value. A knowledge of the important part tone value plays in the true representation of a subject will be of great assistance to the photographer. Even to the painter with all the advantages of colour tone value is of the most vital importance.

Tone value has no reference to colour : it repre¬ sents colour, but has reference to the different tones in a picture in the scale of light and shade. Upon the true rendering of one tone as compared with another depends the whole effect of light and shade. They must be in proper tone value to render aerial perspec¬ tive correctly, and give the relative distance between one object and another. A picture is very often thrown out of tone by a desire to express distinctly everything that is seen, and in doing this the general balance of light and shade is forgotten. It is not only by detail that we may err in not giving proper tone, ci

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ON COLOUR.

but our picture may be printed too dark or too light. One would not expect to see a sunny open landscape printed dark, nor a thunderstorm printed light.

A false note in tone is as offensive to an artist as a false note in sound is to a musician. As sound without tone is simply noise, so is a picture without tone only pigments. Photographic workers may find consolation in the fact that etchers, engravers, and all black and white workers suffer from the same disability, viz., lack of colour. Yet very beautiful pictures are produced without colour.

Now, the ordinary plate does not render colours in their proper value. It is therefore all the more necessary that photographers should study the question of tone. As a knowledge of colour, primary and secondary, with the different shades made from the primary colours and the complementary colours to them, will assist that knowledge, I will give a method by which each one can prove for himself how these colours act upon each other.

A writer has said that “ fashion is the substitute for good taste, with which it sometimes coincides.” It should be the endeavour of the art worker to direct the fashion so that it shall not be an outrage on good taste. It is accepted for pictorial purposes that red, blue, and yellow are the primaries, and purple, green, and orange are the secondaries. White light contains all the colours, and can be split up by the prism into red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet.

Speaking of the visual characteristics in this order,

SELECTION OF SUBJECT.

we shall find that red is the colour which is most exciting in its influence, and the most trying to the eye when dwelt upon for any lengthened period. Of orange it may be remarked that it is the warmest tone we have ; in pigments it is produced by yellow and red. Yellow is the lightest of the colours, and its luminosity combined with red produces the effect of heat. Green is of all the most grateful and soothing to the eye, and is the most predominating colour in a natural landscape, though much more modified and blended with other colours than is generally supposed. Blue is the coldest of colours, and purple, the admixture of blue and red, is the darkest.

If we take three pieces of glass, respectively red, yellow, and blue, with the heads crossing each other as in fig. 3, we shall see that when blue is transmitted through red purple is produced, where red is mixed with yellow orange is the result, and when blue and yellow are mixed green is the colour produced. By this arrangement we can see in a clear manner the colours complementary to the secondary colours green, orange, and purple. That is to say, where red and yellow combine that colour is produced which is opposite to the primary blue — not only in position but in greatest possible contrast. Blue, the primary, being the coldest and orange, the secondary, the warmest colour. Where red is crossed by blue we find the complementary secondary purple of the primary yellow. In the same manner, the one (purple) being the darkest of all the colours, and the other (yellow) the lightest

ON COLOUR.

of all, it will be noted that here we get the most power¬ ful contrasting combination. Passing to the remaining primary — red — we find its opposite to be green ; thus the most exciting colour (red) has for its com¬ plementary the most soothing colour (green).

Fig. 3.

I have but briefly indicated this colour question, but anyone who cares to study the matter will find that it possesses very great interest to photographers, for a knowledge of colours means a knowledge of the different strengths or power in which colour must be represented in black and white. Now neither black nor white represents to us any colour, but we may by the proper value of black and white give them any colour we please, to be graduated from the dark note

SELECTION OF SUBJECT.

of the one to the light note of the other. Thus ex¬ cessively deep red would finally be lost in blackness, or if we ascend the scale it would be lost in the white paper (fig. 4).

Light changes colours. Bright sunshine, for in¬ stance, on a whitewashed cottage lends yellowness to it, whilst the shady side of the cottage would be bluepurple — its complementary — but it might also be

Very deep red. Very bright red.

Fig. 4.

illuminated in an overpowering manner by reflection from its surroundings. This must be kept in mind when trying to give proper tone value by photography.

An anecdote, illustrating the effects of comple¬ mentary contrasts, has been told of an ingenious but unsuccessful artist who was unable to sell his pictures. So he had his visitors’ room painted with all the most colourless colours he could find. After having made his prospective purchaser’s eye in this way hungry for colour, he produced his pictures. The visitor thought it the most beautiful colour he had seen.

For the moment we will leave the theory of colour, and endeavour to apply the knowledge so far acquired to photographic purposes. Red, blue, and yellow are the foundation of all colour, and, therefore, of all tones in the scale of light and shade ; these are

ON COLOUR.

the colours the photographer is required to produce in proper relation to each other. To photograph these colours in their pure state is a very difficult matter, if not almost impossible. Fortunately for the photo¬ grapher, in nature one rarely, if ever, meets with pure colour ; it is usually a mixture of the three. It there¬ fore becomes possible to the photographer with a knowledge of colours and their relative values to get a landscape picture, the tone value of which may be fairly accurate. With flowers it is different, and special means must then be taken.

In making a picture by photography, special note should be taken of the predominant colour in the actual scene, and with the knowledge possessed by a photographer of the actinic rays given off by each of the primary colours he should take the necessary means to regulate the action of those light rays. Dark blue in the scale of tones should be represented by a dark tone on the photograph when finished.

A photograph can be made to represent green with considerable accuracy, and the same may be said of purple on account of the red in its composition. The two most difficult colours to represent in proper tone value are blue and yellow. We very seldom get blue in landscape, except in the sky. With yellow it is very different. It often appears in landscape, and care should be taken to render it in correct tone. We will take white as light and black as dark, so that all tones between these are in the scale of light and shade. We very often see the darkest shadow in a photograph

SELECTION OF SUBJECT.

absolutely, or very nearly, black. This may appear to be so, but just try the effect of a perfect black against that which is dark in the picture ; it is surprising how light in comparison the dark in nature is to a perfect black ; and by placing the two together the real value in the scale of tones of the shade that is being re¬ produced will be found.

A method, a very simple and valuable one, and one I often use to find out the true value of one tone to another, when in doubt, lies in providing several slips of paper. On the centre of each I paint two or three tones in the scale of black and white (fig. 5).

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Fig. 5.

(Photographers could make these by cutting up old prints.) Say one is in doubt as to the true tone value between a tree and a hill behind the tree. The tone slips are tried, holding one between the eye and the tree until the proper tone is found. When the proper slip has been used it will be found almost to melt into the tree. Next, by the same process, the tone of the hill behind is found. On comparing the two slips the proper tone value can at once be seen and the relative distance between the two objects preserved.

I do not wish to say that this method can be carried out in its entirety in photography, for with the

ON COLOUR.

almost innumerable tones and semi-tones in a photo¬ graph it would be next to impossible to do it, but with a knowledge of the actinic properties of colour and the simple method of tone-finding, photographs can be, and are, produced which in their main objects and principal masses are much more correct in their relative tones than a photograph produced without this knowledge.

All art workers should be like the lady shopper who lays a piece of ribbon on the draper’s counter and says, “ I want two and a quarter yards of that.” “ Yes, ma’am, this is the shade, I think.” “ Oh dear no ; it’s much too blue — or too dark — or too dead — or too dear,” and she goes to other shops till she gets it, and leaves the shopman to put away a mountain of ribbon. When you want a tone — take as much trouble as a draper’s customer — try to educate the eye to see nature more as a map or in flat tones one against the other. It is sufficient for the production of a picture to under¬ stand and see in nature the great leading masses of tone, in the manner of Constable, Turner, Wilson, Claude, and others. Detail must be known, under¬ stood, and expressed, but it must be kept subordinate, so as not to force itself unduly upon the eye and thereby destroy all tone quality. Turner’s picture in the National Gallery, “ The Garden of the Hesperides,” is worth study, as an illustration of the know¬ ledge of nature — a knowledge which, having all the heart, pushes aside everything which is worthless and not subservient. Trivialities of detail are lost in the bold treatment, but are suggested in wonderful gradations of tone.

SELECTION OF SUBJECT.

No amount of constructive skill is of any value without a due perception of tone. There is a colour quality in black and also in white. The black required is not a dead black or a dry black or a bright black, but a rich juicy black — a black with power in it. Yet it must possess the quality to express tenderness — a black that will suggest space and not give the im¬ pression of a piece of grey paper; this kind of black will be found in some first-class etchings or engravings, which seem to possess life. The white wanted is really not white at all, but should have a warm tone through it. Remember there is a certain space between the camera and the nearest object in the picture. This space casts a certain value over all objects in nature, and gives a uniformity of feeling.

Chapter IV. Lines To Look For In Composing A

PICTURE.

T N picture making by photography there are certain

laws governing the composition of lines and masses with which it will be well for the picture maker to be acquainted. There are a few well defined laws which can be found in most subjects, and these laws I will endeavour to point out.

Composition in its literal sense means to arrange, but as the photographer cannot very well uproot trees and remove houses, the word composition has been given another meaning. In the artistic sense com¬ position means to arrange the point of view in such a manner that the subject matter given by Nature will conform to the laws governing the composition of a picture. Upon the skilful selection depends the excellence of the composition. In all cases, observe, an intended unity must be the result. In order that the spectator may view with ease and pleasure, a picture must not contain any jumpy or isolated spots, but must “ hang together,” dominated by a leading motive. For instance, spottiness or strongly marked

SELECTION OF SUBJECT.

contrasts in different parts of the picture — such as several trees which are separated and stand up against a bright sky, and do not form themselves into groups — by their too much outline have a tendency to destroy all unity, and are not pleasing to look at. There is no rest in them — no concentration — nor are they domi¬ nated by a motive ; they are, therefore, failures. Scattered trees may often be made to group by taking them end on.

Taking the diagonal laws first (as they are more generally used than the others), the principal line should apparently run from the top to the opposite bottom corner. This line should be by no means a hard and fast one ; it is only an apparent line.