The subject should be seated in a chair partly facing the light with the body turned slightly away from, and the face turned towards the " Kodak," which should be a little higher than an ordinary table. The subject should look at an object at the same level as the lens or directly at the lens. Compose the picture in the finder. For a three-quarter figure the " Kodak " should be six to eight feet from the subject; and for a full-length figure eight to ten feet. The background should form a contrast with the subject; a light background usually gives a more pleasing effect than a dark one,

Fig. 144.

When making portraits, more pleasing results are obtained if the background and surrounding objects are not quite so sharp and clear as the face. This effect is obtained by using stop f.6-3 with the " Diomatic" shutter and f.7-9 with the " Kodex " shutter.

To get a good light on the face, follow the arrangement shown in Fig. 144. The reflector helps to get detail in the shaded part of the face. A white towel or sheet thrown over a screen or other high piece of furniture will make a suitable reflector ; place it at an angle and in the position indicated in the diagram.

" Kodak " Portrait Attachment.

-The " Kodak " Portrait Attachment is an extra lens, which, when slipped over the regular lens, makes large head and shoulder portraits.

Place the attachment over the lens and compose the picture in the finder.

The subject must be at one of the distances from the " Kodak" given in the table below.

Measure the distance carefully from the lens to the face, and place the focussing indicator on the scale according to the table.

When making portraits, the most pleasing results are obtained with the subject four feet two inches from the lens and the focussing indicator set at 100 feet. The Attachment can also be used for making pictures of flowers and similar subjects, the shorter distances will then be found more satisfactory.

The exposure when using the Attachment is the same as without it.

Picture Composition

Anybody with ordinary common sense can take a photograph, but it is not everyone who without a thought can " make a picture." We have only to look at pictures produced by serious workers to know that photography as a means of producing pictures is anything but automatic and mechanical. We often hear our friends, the budding and would-be artists, denouncing with all the vigour of their ignorance the lack of real art in photography, and that a camera is a thing without a soul. So is the palette and brush before the soul gets behind it. It is the same with a camera : it gets its soul from the photographer. As we see the painter's masterpiece and the wooden, stiff photograph, so also do we see the beautiful photograph and the wooden, soulless painting. In other words, the brush or the camera is only the outlet for the artist's inspiration, be he painter or humble photographer. The composition of a picture requires more care than anything else. The photograph is either made or marred by composition, and a little extra patience and thought beforehand will often turn a dull subject into a pictorial success.

The particular points to be studied in landscapes are :--1, foreground ; 2, background ; 3, lighting ; 4, position of objects; 5, position of photographer.

The general fault is that too much foreground is given, making objects unnecessarily flat and indistinct. The background and distance can very often be improved by a slight alteration in the position of the camera, see Figs. 145 and 146. As regards lighting effect, this is most important and has a great effect on the photograph. Heavy shadows should be avoided as far as possible.