ATMOSPHERIC PERSPECTIVE.
Most landscapes will be found to con tain a foreground, middle distance, and distance ; and, if these are carefully ex amined in the actual view, it will be seen that the lights are brightest and the shadows heaviest in the immediate fore ground ; that neither the shadows nor the lights are so strong in the middle dis tance ; while, in the distance, all the tones of the picture are soft and subdued. This is the ideal to be sought in making land scape photographs : each plane o'f the picture should be distinguished from the others by a different depth or tone, and these should he rendered with scrupulous truth as they would be seen in Nature. It is quite possible, and unfortunately very easy, either by bad choice of light ing, unsuitable time, incorrect exposure, or lack of discrimination in printing, to obtain results in which the various planes are altogether falsely rendered. The dis tance may be too dark, and consequently does not appear distant, the foreground is unduly light, or perhaps there is a dis appointing equality of tone and lack of relief about the entire picture. Another
point to be insisted on is that not only are distant objects lighter in tone than nearer ones, but there is less distinctness of detail. This, too, should be remem bered in taking the negative ; the fore ground alone should be critically sharp, if even that is necessary, while more or less diffusion of focus should be allowed in the distance. Stopping-down with the object of securing equal definition all over is an obvious mistake in pictorial work. Not only will this gradation of the different planes be present m the landscape, but under favourable circumstances in the clouds also. The nearer clouds will possess more strength of light and shade and greater relief than those which are further off.