Wild life at home : how to study and photograph it / by R. Kearton ; fully illustrated by photographs taken direct from nature by C. Kearton.

Richard Kearton

Date:: 1898

Credit: Wild life at home : how to study and photograph it / by R. Kearton ; fully illustrated by photographs taken direct from nature by C. Kearton. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Cover
Title Page
Table of Contents
Cover

32/244 page 8

and their welfare, saw the curious-looking camera being focussed, he thought it was some new kind of machine-gun being sighted, and ran over to my brother and said: “ For God’s sake, don’t shoot the poor birds, Mister We likes to see ’em a-tryin’ to breed ’ere.” Photographing birds on their natural roosts in field-hedges in the winter time, spiders weaving their webs and moths on the feed during summer nights, is an extremely diverting pastime, to say nothing of the valuable pictures to be secured. The only accessories required to indulge in it are a good bull’s-eye lantern by the light of which to focus, and a flash-lamp to procure an exposure. We have found a little metal French flash-lamp very convenient. The magnesium powder is put in beneath, and when charged and ready for use, a few drops of methylated spirits are poured into the indented part round the two projecting orifices at the top, and lighted. It is necessary to see that these two orifices are perfectly clear, so as to allow a good strong geyser-like rush of powder through each, and that the spirits when lighted by a match make a flame large enough to fire it. There is nothing so annoying as an ineffectual flash, because in the case of birds it sometimes frightens them away. The powder should be burnt just over the lens, but in no case in front of it, or disappointment will follow. We sometimes use

Wild life at home : how to study and photograph it / by R. Kearton ; fully illustrated by photographs taken direct from nature by C. Kearton.

Licence and re-use

Contents