PLATES AND FILMS A great deal of the success of the commercial operator depends upon the proper selection and handling of plates, as he is called upon to make pictures in all sorts of places and many times has no previous knowl edge of what he is going up against.
Therefore, the plate with the most latitude and, at the same time, ability to give snappy high-lights, with detail in the shadows and with the least manipulation in the dark-room, is the plate to select.
Such plate should be of the non-halation or double-coated type, such as the Seed or Cramer Non-Halation, Hammer Aurora and the Standard Orthonon.
It will be found that the plates mostly used by the portrait photographer, that is, fast, single coated, and many times thin emulsion without orthochro matic properties, are not suitable for the general run of commercial work for several reasons, the chief of which is that they do not possess enough latitude for the average interior, exterior, or set-up work.
Of course, these latter plates are very good for some studio work where live models are used, and occasionally there will be a demand for a plate like the Stanley Commercial in cases where there is no possibility of halation, this also being single coated.
Within the past few years rapid strides have been made in the emulsions for cut film, and for the past year I have made practically everything on film, with the exception of color work, and do not think I could ever consider going back to the employment of plates exclusively.
Films are much lighter in weight, easier to store and handle . and very convenient for mailing, as loss due to breakage is eliminated. They possess good non-halation qualities and, last but not least, they are not as expensive as double coated plates—quite an item in a year's time.
While considerable objection has been raised to the use of films by many commercial photographers, who claim that they are difficult to block, strip and insert titles, etc., it is quite easy to change methods to accommodate films, and their advantages more than compensate for the added trouble.
I might state here that, though good non-halation qualities are possessed by films and many double-coated plates, especially those double-coated plates which have for their under coating a slow emulsion, they require the exercise of intelligence, as well as careful handling.
For outside work no better selection can be made than a film or non halation plate, because buildings and trees, outlined against the sky, are a source of considerable halation. Where photographs are made from the shadow side with good detail demanded, Commercial Ortho film is very good, although it is a little slower than the Portrait film, but has more body. The Seed Non-Halation or Standard Orthonon plates also give very satisfactory results along this line.
Non-halation double coated plates or portrait film should best be employed in the photographing of interiors.
Oftentimes, when including life in an interior photograph, that is, clerks at their desks, workmen at their benches. etc., and possibly toward direct light, where a very short exposure of, say, 10 to 20 seconds is necessary, one will need Graflex plates to give the desired increased speed.
For furniture, stoves, pianos, and general merchandise work there is nothing much better than the Standard Orthonon or other double coated plate and Commercial and Ortho films.
For copies the selection of the best plate or film depends upon the effect desired. If contrast is to be increased Commercial Ortho film should be used, while if less contrast is wanted portrait film will do the work.
When•a process or other plate is used for line copies, to give the best results, that is, do away with halation, it should be backed. The process film now on the market is very satisfactory for line copies—in fact, it is better than the average process plate in view of the resultant absence of pin holes and other annoying defects.