a knowledge of the right lenses to use, and on this point there is much misconception. To purchase a studio lens of modern and approved make, to cover 17 x 22, or a size larger, means hundred of dollars.

There has been much written lately, and not without cause, about faulty perspective, or, as it is called, distortion. This is a pure matter of economy, which necessitates the working of a lens to its fullest capacity, or even a size beyond, and the camera being brought close to the sitter. If a man could use a large lens, worked with a wide-open aperture he would improve his work, but this means using a lens calculated to cover a plate larger than the one used. Instead, we are driven to using a lens intended for a smaller plate, and gain our size by excessive stopping down.

Why should the portrait lens be such an absolute necessity? In the old wet collodion days the slowness of the process made a large lens aperture a necessity, but with the dry plate we have a much increased rapidity. The advantage of a rapid lens is in dull weather only, or for taking restless children. Take a lens which will work at f/7, and if it is stopped down to f/11 it is no more rapid than one whose greatest speed is f/11. And if the light is such that the lens can be worked at f/11 it will be worked at that figure on account of the greater depth of definition. A rapid lens should be included in every photographer's outfit, but it is not necessarily the best for every class of work.

We are just beginning to hear much of the distortion so apparent in large photographs. To obtain pleasing and correct perspective the equivalent focal length of a

lens should be at least double the longest dimension of the plate. That is to say, with a 12 x 15 plate we should have a camera extension of at least 30 inches. This allows the camera to be placed much further from the sitter, and the need of it has quite recently led to the making of a special telephoto lens for studio work, to take a portrait at a distance of twenty or thirty feet.

There has been what is, in some respects, an ideal lens for large work in existence for so long that it is almost entirely forgotten. I mean the old single landscape lens of almost half a century ago. These old lenses, usually plano-convex, used to have a fixed aperture of about f/16, and they gave good sharp definition over an area of two-thirds their focal length. That is, a lens of thirty inches focal length would fully cover a 12 x 15 plate to the corners.

F/16 is rapid enough for most work, but if the stop were bored out to 7/11 it would still cover half its focal length, say a 10 x 12 plate in the case quoted, and bored out to an absurdly large aperture it would still give acceptable definition in the center of the plate. One of the highest priced photographers uses one of these large lenses almost exclusively on his 5 x 7 plates and considers it one of his most valuable secrets.

ness

Whether new school or old, we will all concede that it is possible to get a large portrait with too much sharpThe very use of platinum paper, or of any matt surfaced paper, even in very small sizes, is a protest against excessive sharpness. To use any old single lens, capable of covering a plate much larger than the one used, does not give excessive detail, but it does not give fuzziness. For " pictorial " results they may be worked at f/5 or f/6, but at f/11 they are good studio lenses. There is a common belief that a doublet lens, or even a portrait lens, is an absolute essential. But this is a mistake, for intelligently used, the old single lens will give results which will not only surprise the photographer but which will please the general public.

Testing the Camera.-There is no more fruitful source of annoyance than a camera which is not obscura. which lets in rays of light at some part of its framework. Sometimes it is at the front where the lens is fitted, sometimes at the back where the sides go in, and not infrequently in the bellows themselves; every month or so the camera ought to be examined for leakages of this kind. The way to do it is to take the camera and slides (empty) into the open when the sun is shining brightly, and mount it on the tripod, turn the focussing screen back, and cover the head with a focussing cloth and some other cloth to shut out all light. Peer into the recesses for three or four minutes. It no holes are then visible, then the front and bellows of the camera are all right. Of course, during this operation the lens must be capped or the shutter closed. To examine the back take out the lens and perform the same operation, putting in each slide successively. If any leaks are seen the remedy will be found in a bit of black cloth, paper, or preferably velvet if not too thick, and always velvet at the slide entrance. Holes in the bellows should be neatly patched outside and inside.-D. T. D., Photog

THE USE OF FORMALIN IN THE RAPID DRYING OF NEGATIVES.

BY H. VAN BEEK.

T frequently occurs that a gelatine dry plate is needed in a hurry, leaving little time for its free, natural drying after washing. In such cases some substance

must be employed to displace the comparatively slow evaporating water from the film, so that the drying process may be hastened. Alcohol has proved to be a very valuable medium for this purpose, but for general use it is too expensive, as its value decreases in preparation to the amount of water mixed with it, and it is not an easy matter for every one to rid the alcohol of the water it takes up.

Methylated spirit can be used as a substitute, but is seldom obtainable in a sufficiently pure state. Further at least a quarter of an hour is required for drying the plate in the air.

For a long time past, formalin, the 40 per cent. aqueous solution of formaldihyde, has been.

recommended for this purpose. Formalin acts a very different part from alcohol with regard to the negative. It displaces the water in the film in a similar manner, but is more volatile than the alcohol and at the same time hardens the gelatine, making it more or less insoluble. This action on the gelatine has the advantage that heat can be used in drying the plate without fear of the usual disastrous effects. But formalin has several serious disadvantages. The 10 per cent. solution, which is usually used, emits vapors which have a very unpleasant effect on the throat, and which act more or less injuriously on the constitution. The skin also is, with many workers, liable to be affected But a technical disadvantage lies in the possibility of the overhardening the gelatine. Once hardened, any subsequent intensifying or reducing of the film can only be effected with difficulty. It would perhaps be advisable to nullify this action of the formalin by a weak nitric acid bath.

The method of using formalin for drying

negatives is at follows: After bathing the negative in a 10 per cent. solution of formalin for a short while the negative can be rinsed in boiling water and dried over a flame, naturally, at a proper distance. If the film takes on a coarse grainy appearance, a little alcohol rubbed on with chamois leather will remedy this. The formalin solution must be kept in a well-corked bottle, or it will quickly spoil.

UNFRIENDLY CRITICISM.

BY H. A. BEASLEY.

OW easy it is to criticise, and yet how difficult to make a criticism of

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value. Words of condemnation or praise spring to our lips when we behold the work of others and flow out in a steady stream, lacking the check-rein of thought, which makes opinions and suggestions valuable. Many of us cannot stand true criticism. We tell our friends we wish their honest opinions of our work (thinking at the time they of course must admire our pictures as we do), and when we get a "straight from the shoulder" opinion we are oftentimes disappointed. Friendly criticism is what all of us need. If we can pick out from among our acquintances some one who knows and is willing to take the trouble to look over our photographic work every month or so we have something which will do us more good than any book we could read, for while books define certain well known principles and fix certain standards it is seldom, if ever, that we find a criticism which will exactly fit or apply to our own pictures. Again, a discussion regarding the merits and demerits of a picture in an impassionate manner is bound to help not only the critic but the man or woman whose work is being judged.

One reason why some of our photographic clubs are not more successful is because members do not criticise the photographic attempts of their fellows in a friendly spirit. They allow their criticisms to be affected by their feelings toward the member whose work is before them; if they like him they are very apt to say his pictures are good, but if they are jealous of his fine

work, or he is not a favorite of theirs, they "roast" his work whether it deserves it or not.

If a man is not capable of criticising the work of another he will always find fault with it because it is much easier to pick a thing to pieces than to show how it may be improved and strengthened.

All of us can get a great deal of information from even the "new members" of clubs if we only seek to draw them out. They may not know as much about photography as we think we do, but they often have better ideas regarding the mechanical portion of the work. For the information they give us we can help them in their uphill struggle with developers, reducers, intensifiers, etc. Surely such a fair exchange is commendable.

Many clubs are now getting ready for their winter work, and in looking around for "weak spots" in their organization this subject of criticism should not be overlooked. Not only is it well to have a committee to criticise the work of members of the club, but capable outsiders who are willing to do so should be called in to give their opinion, and if all is done in a friendly, but thorough, way it will increase the efficiency of the members and change a dormant club to an active and progressive body, without a corresponding increase in the expenditures, a very important point to some

clubs.

In conclusion let me beg the readers of the PHOTOGRAPHIC TIMES to criticise work of their

Louis Meldon.

THE DIVER.

friends from their hearts and not permit their opinions to get down to the low level of spite. If a man does better work than you, profit by it, for false criticism will only do you harm, as it will slide off your friend who knows like "water from a duck's back."

SOME PICTURESQUE CALIFORNIA MOUNTAIN ROADS.

BY GEO. C. MEEKER.

HERE is a peculiar charm about mountain roads that is not to be found in the roads of the valleys. As one looks back at every successive stop for rest while climbing the grade, a more extended view of the valley is spread out below him. As he proceeds on his upward way, every turn of the road presents a new picture to his view, and lures him on to greater heights. After reaching the summit, this is repeated on the downward grade, and his interest is governed by the natural beauty of the road and by his appreciation of nature.

G. C. M.

To most people, not residents of the state, the mention of picturesque mountain roads of California, will suggest those of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, and possibly those leading to the Yosemite Valley. While these roads abound in scenery of absorbing interest; grandeur, and not picturesque beauty, is the prominent feature of the high Sierras. If one is in search of the picturesque and beautiful in mountain roads, he may find them much more easily in the lower and more accessible mountain ranges of the

state.

Perhaps none of the lower mountain ranges are more accessible, and at the same time better supplied with picturesque and beautiful subjects for the camera, than the Santa Cruz Mountains. Beginning with very respectable hills within the limits of the city of San Francisco this range of mountains extends southward, approximately parallel with the coast, to the Pajaro River, a distance of about eighty-five miles south of the Golden Gate. At first the

hills are comparatively low and almost treeless, but as we proceed southward we find them increasing in height, with trees such as live oaks, white oaks, and madrones becoming more common, until, at a distance of thirty or forty miles south of San Francisco, we come to the beginnings of the redwood forests.

On the western side of these mountains where the foot-hills slope down to the sea, there is a strip of undulating country of varying width, which is particularly well watered by the fogs from the sea being arrested by the higher mountains and condensed into rain. This makes it especially well suited to dairying, for which industry it is now largely utilized. As the first point at which the railroad touches the coast is at Santa Cruz, eighty miles south of San Francisco, this section is very much isolated. Its two little coast towns of Half Moon Bay and Pescadero are connected with the outside world by daily stage lines that cross the mountains to some of the railroad towns at the foot of their eastern slopes. A number of fine streams make their way down through the cañons to the sea, several of them good trout streams, and the groves along their banks are favorite resorts for camping parties from the eastern valley.

On the eastern side of these mountains the foot-hills at first reach nearly to the shore of San Francisco Bay, but farther south the bay swings off to the east, and the foot-hills gradually slope down into the beautiful Santa Clara Valley. The Coast Division of the Southern Pacific Railway runs southward from San Francisco, following close along the base of the foot-hills. Along its course at short intervals are pretty little country towns, largely places of residence for San Francisco business men. The country along these foot-hills, extending southward for sixty or seventy miles, is one of the most interesting and picturesque portions of the state. In addition to the towns along the railroad there are many delightful country homes with their well kept orchards and vineyards, and, in some places, groves of fine live and white oaks-sometimes extending for miles.

A number of interesting roads cross this range of mountains, over some of which it has been the writer's privilege to travel when out on camping trips or short outings. The first road of importance is the one starting from San Mateo, twenty-two miles south of San Francisco. After leaving the town, this road follows a