A Manual of the Collodion Photographic Process - The Camera

Contents

Part 1

Part 2

PART III

The Camera


From the commencement of my labours in Photography, the difficulties appertaining to the working of the art with ease and simplicity induced me to turn my attention to the construction of an apparatus which should obviate, in a great measure, the uncertainty so frequently experienced.


A camera, therefore, which by its proper form and adaptation to the requirements of the art assists the operator in his labours, cannot but be considered a valuable adjunct to his stock of apparatus.


The camera as now generally constructed is adapted for home work, and will do well enough for that, when everything required is near at hand, and can be made available; but there are times when an excursion is contemplated to some distant scene;—with this object in view, what is to be done? Accord- ing to the present procedure, a stock of paper, or albumenized glass, is prepared beforehand ; its sensibility must be kept down to avoid spontaneous change, during the interval between its preparation and final development, for the attempt to prepare a very sensitive surface, and expect it to keep any time, is out of the question, as being contrary to all practical experience. Besides the above, various other precautions must be taken: but with all this care and preparatory labour, too often the operator returns home with blank sheets of paper, or imperfect drawings. The tedious delay which the long exposure of each sheet of paper, or of albumenized glass, requires in the camera, becomes, after a time, laborious and irksome.


This mode of proceeding has always appeared to me to be nothing less than meeting a difficulty half-way; which, with the proper construction of the apparatus, might be entirely overcome.


Many will meet these observations by saying that views of landscapes, or buildmgs, do not require such very sensitive surfaces, to obtain their correct form and delineation; and therefore, it matters not how long the exposure in the camera may be, as the result will be equally good.

But what progress shall we make towards bringing the art to perfection, if the possibility of obtaining the moving, as well as the still- life portion of the scene, is not kept in view, as being one great difficulty to be overcome? For instance, a landscape without cattle, or other moving object—what is it but a melan- choly affair? And an art which leaves out, as it were, the life of the scene, cannot be considered to have arrived at that perfection, which it should be the object of its promoters to ensure.