There can be no doubt that photography excels more in the reproduction of architecture than in any other branch of the art. It reproduces every intricacy of detail in the beautiful carving which is to' be found in some of our cathedrals and churches with a fidelity unattainable by any other means. A day's work in some old cathedral, mansion, or castle gives me the greatest enjoyment, and as many of my readers may possibly share this feeling with me, it may be useful here to give them the benefit of what experience I may possess.
Outdoor work and exterior views present no particular difficulties. Weak sunlight will be found to give the best lighting. Diffused light is apt to produce flatness, whilo very strong sunshine will probably give hard negatives with an "absenceof detail in cast shadows. An all-over alike, even lighting should always be avoided, as the beauty of an architectural photograph is largely dependent upon a good contrast of light and shade. The swing back, as I have already observed, will frequently have to be employed, though in some cases it may be possible to dispense with its assistance by raising the rising front, and whenever it is possible this should be done.
The greatest difficulties will occur when the photograph ing of interiors is attempted, and this, no doubt, is a branch of work which will require some practice before complete success is attained. This work should never be attempted, at any rate by a novice, in any but diffused light, as the great thing to be avoided is undue contrast, and the defect known as halation ; a term which has already been defined in the chapter upon " Defects." Let me recommend the reader to use Edwards' isochromatic plates for this work ; those of medium sensitiveness are best, as I find there is less halation with them than with ordinary plates ; they should, as a further precaution, be backed in the manner I have previously described.
A great deal of the pictorial effect of the photograph will depend upon the careful selection of the point of view. In photographing the nave of a cathedral, which generally makes a pleasing picture, care should be taken to avoid placing the camera quite centrally in the aisle ; it should be placed either to the right or the left so as to show one row of pillars in profile as it were. Care should also be taken to avoid, as far as possible, objects such as pews, etc., obtruding themselves in the immediate foreground, which would tend to give an effect of exaggerated perspective to the view. A sliding or adjustable leg tripod is almost in dispensable in this sort of work, and the precaution should be taken to stick the iron shoes well into three good bungs, which will prevent injury to the floor, and the tripod from slipping on a stone floor. It is sometimes very difficult to focus accurately, owing to the dimness of the light. I find
the best plan, when the image on the screen is too dark to focus in the ordinary way, and when taking general views, is to focus on a window, and then to give the milled head a slight turn, moving the pinion perhaps the 1-16th of an inch forward, so as to lengthen the focus and get objects in the foreground sharper. It is best to use a rather small stop, say f/32, as good definition is imperative in this class of work, and give a full exposure. The duration of the exposure will, of course, depend upon the amount of light, and no rule can be laid down. In photographing dark interiors, however, it is difficult to over-expose. It is far better to err upon the side of over- than under-exposure. The former can be remedied, the latter cannot—an under-exposed interior should be consigned to the dust-heap. My own practice is to give the fullest possible exposure, and develop very slowly, and with a very weak developer. As I have said, undue contrast is generally the most difficult thing to avoid, and the only way to successfully overcome it is to work on the system I have indicated. I compound my developer somewhat as follows, varying it, of course, according to the nature of the subject. Pyre. is the best reducing agent to employ for this class of work, hydroquinone the worst. To make 2 oz. of developer I put 20 minims of the pyro. solution, 10 minims of bromide solution, and 10 of ammonia in a measure, making the bulk up to 2 oz. with water. This developer, weak in all its constituents, is then applied to the plate. Time must be allowed, for although the exposure has been full, the action of this solution will be slow. In about five or six minutes the high lights, repre sented by the windows, will begin to appear. At this stage about 5 minims of ammonia solution should be added, and the solution re-applied. The image will now slowly gain in strength and detail, and after the developer has acted upon it for about ten minutes, the plate may be removed and examined. We shall probably find that we have a negative full of the most exquisite detail, but thin and lacking in density. This is what we aimed at, and is an indication of success. The developer is poured off, and a fresh one mixed as follows : Py-ro. 40 minims, bromide 30 minims, ammonia 30 minims, water 2 oz. This is then applied to the plate, which, under its influence, will rapidly acquire density. Sometimes sufficient density is obtained with the weak developer, in which case it will not be necessary to apply the strong solution. The rationale of this system is to bring out all possible detail without producing undue density, and then to strengthen the weak image by the application of a normal solution, or one strong in pyro.