A print is taken from the figure negative. If the background be represented on the negative by sufficient density to show quite white in the print, this negative requires no further manipulation. If it print with a tint only more or less nearly approaching to white, then it must be blocked out as has already been described for skies.
The print is now taken, and, without its being toned or fixed, the figure is very carefully cut out of it with a pair of scissors. This cut-out figure is now placed against the landscape negative with the albumenised side against the film, so as to block out that portion where the figure is to be in the finished print. The cut-out figure may be fixed with a little gum, or may be simply put in position by hand each time a print is taken. The print which we now get from the land scape negative will have the appearance of those pic tures in children's picture-books, where on one page is represented a scene which would be lively but that all the figures are represented by white patches, whilst on another page there are the figures ready to be cut out and pasted over the patches. Indeed this child ish amusement most closely represents combination printing.
The figure negative is now taken and the landscape print is adjusted to it, so that the figure on the negative precisely corresponds with the blank space of the print. The process after this is quite simple. The printing should be so conducted that the figure stands boldly out against the landscape.
A sky may afterwards be printed into the picture. We have now made a composition from three negatives. There are photographers who have made compositions from many more than this number.
Whilst on the subject of composition printing we must not fail to mention a piece of apparatus which will he found very useful in many cases. This is Hemery's patent automatic self-registering printing frame. We illustrate it here, and shall briefly describe its use.
It will be seen that, unlike other frames, this one has the back hinged to the frame, so that it cannot be entirely removed. On the back there are two little punches, which work into corresponding holes in front of the frame. Now as to the working of the apparatus.
To take an example :—It is desired to print a foreground from one negative together with a distance from another. Two similar frames are used. The negatives are tempor arily fixed to the plate-glass of the frames by bits of gummed paper along the edges. A piece of sensitised paper is now placed over the negative from which the foreground is to be printed, the paper being allowed to project so far down that it will be perforated by the two punches. The second frame has two precisely similar punches, so that if the portion above the foreground of the print just mentioned be cut away and the remain der be applied over the punches of the second frame, a mask will be made, and if prints be taken from the second negative, the punches being caused to per forate each piece of paper, no further adjustment will be necessary in printing- the foreground than to place these prints on to the first frame so that the punches of it pass through the holes made by the punches of the second frame.
To those who wish to go deeply into the matter of composition printing we recommend a perusal of The Art and Practice of Silver Printing, by H. P. Robinson and Captain Abney.
Another little piece of apparatus we must not omit to mention whilst we are still on the subject of printing. This is a marker used for registering the number of prints taken from the frame. The ordinary way of keeping count of prints is to glue a piece of paper to the edge of the frame and mark each print with a stroke from a pencil or pen, the sixth (or twelfth) stroke being made to pass through the others, so as to mark a com pleted half-dozen or dozen, thus— When this practice is carried on for long the frames get covered with paper till they are almost spoiled. By using the little appliances which we here illustrate the frames are left undamaged.
A pair of these go to each frame. One is screwed on to each side. The little tubes which are to be seen on these bars can be slipped up and down, catching in each notch. The left-hand marker is moved on one notch for each single print finished, the right-hand one for each dozen.