PHOTOGRAPHY 14-19

suggested of a No. 1 photoflood lamp in a reflector over the front of which

is draped several thicknesses of handkerchief (not to be allowed to touch
hot bulb, which may char or burn it). This source will add light to shadow
areas in the foreground without casting noticeable shadows itself.
When making "before and after" photographs to show improvement in
illumination, the "before" setup should be the subject of a series of ex-
posures. This series can be 4 times, 2 times,
\,
and
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normal. All the
negatives should be printed, and the print that most closely approximates
the visual appearance of the subject can be chosen. The problem in
making these "before" pictures is that with adequate camera exposure and
with careful dodging in the print, the illumination can be made to appear
much more uniform than it actually is. The use of this exposure series
technique and careful printing from the most appropriate negative can
yield a result that approximates the visual effect. A good photographer
always tends to improve the appearance of a poorly lighted room unless he
understands that such a distortion is not desired.
Photography and Limits of Visibility
The question sometimes arisescan photography duplicate a certain
visibility? This is of particular interest in court cases involving traffic
accidents at night in providing evidence on what a car driver could see.
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It is at first necessary to differentiate between what the driver could see
and what he would see. Assuming it is desired to know what he could see,
the following procedure may prove practical. The scene is reconstructed
in as much detail as practicable, including the headlights concerned, and
other contributing factors. Several observers make notes from the driver's
viewpoint as to details visible in the distance or in the margins of the head-
light beam. A series of photographs is taken from the driver's eye-point
at exposure times of 30 seconds, 1 minute, 2 minutes, and 4 minutes, all at
//4.5
on a fast panchromatic film. The best possible print is made from
each negative. The observers then choose the picture most closely ap-
proaching what they saw for court presentation.
It should be noted that, unlike adapted vision, the photographic process
is cumulative with time in its effect. Exposures much longer than those
mentioned will record details that the eye could not see. Much shorter
exposures will not record as much as the eye can see.
Commercial Photography
For work out of the studio, a photographer takes much of the studio
lighting equipment with him. Where lighting needs are severe, as for
large interiors, 2,000-watt moviefloods are used in reflectors suspended along
the walls.
Similar reflectors, wired to a common connecting cable, and equipped
with No. 22 or No. 50 photoflash lamps, form the more or less standard
lighting arrangement of the banquet photographer. An approximate rule
of thumb is : one No. 50 lamp for each 500 square feet of floor area with
a lens aperture of //16 and fast panchromatic film.