We venture to state briefly certain hints founded on the chemistry and practice of development, which the student must have at his fingers' ends, for let him remember that the vital question of tone depends on development. That exceedingly nice question of getting the tones in approximately true relation, which gives all artists so much work, gives him who uses photography as his medium no less thought, and it is on account of the plasticity of the process of development that we can at once take our stand and repudiate the ignorant assertion that photography-is a mechanical process. Of course there are fifty other reasons why it is not merely a mechanical process, to mention one more of which will be enough, i.e. the variety of exposures ranging between the 1/2000 of a second (as with Muybridge's work), and a couple of hours as in taking an interior. Developing is really what modelling is to the sculptor, and as art guides the modeller's hand, so it must the photographer's who wishes to obtain pictures, and the art value of the work of both men will be proportionate to the art knowledge and insight of the workers. Now you can understand how absolutely necessary to pictorial photography is a knowledge of art. Where photographers are devoid of all art knowledge, their aim is to get "pluck," "nice gradation," "vim," "snap," "sparkle," "brilliancy," to use only a few of their strange and cheap terms, and, according to them all these loosely named qualities must be present equally in a sunny picture and in a grey day picture, if ever they dare to expose a plate on a grey day. It is all such talk that has brought photography down to be called a merely mechanical process, which of course it becomes in the hands of those who can and do give "pluck" and "sparkle" to every negative, regardless of effect. It never occurs to these that each picture is a problem in itself, and needs different management from beginning to end. They aim for their "sparkle" from the moment of exposure to the end of development, and obtain all the other qualities described so eloquently by their cheap adjectives, by their unvarying development.

Now let the student, keeping all this in mind, carefully commit to memory these hints, for they are of vital importance.

Hints

Placing the plate in water before using the developer is equivalent to weakening the developer.

By first immersing the plate in the pyrogallic acid solution with no restrainer or alkali, the subsequent development is slowed, and greater contrast obtained. When pyrogallic acid is added in excess, too great density and fog result. By adding pyrogallic acid, greater density and contrast are obtained.

If the high lights are getting too dense, before the detail in the shadows is well out, take the plate out of the developer and let the details develop up with the amount of solution contained in the film, and then replace it in the developer for density, if necessary.

Develop plates coated with quick emulsions to a greater density than others.

Where there is much black and white in the picture, as in photographing sculpture against black velvet, weaken the pyrogallic acid. The alkali brings up the detail, and in properly exposed pictures increases density. In excess it causes fog. The rate at which the picture is to be developed can be governed by the restrainer, which also checks detail and increases density. For long exposures the restrainer should be freely used, whilst for quick-exposure work its use should be very limited.

Too much hyposulphite in the developer tends to solarization. Although its value in the alkaline developer has been denied, we are of opinion that in certain cases it is invaluable; it accelerates development in dark shadows, rendering the reflected light in the shadows as nothing else can. Captain Abney recommends its use in the ferrous oxalate developer only, but we are well assured of its value in conjunction with the alkaline developer in all cases of very rapid exposure.

The action of the developer is of course increased by the alkali, and slowed by the oxidizing agent, but the tonality is affected unless it be well governed by the restrainer.

If a picture flashes out quickly, add the restrainer and plenty of water. If it comes up very slowly, mix a new developer containing half as much restrainer as the normal and twice as much alkali.

Method. Slow Development

The quicker the action of the developer the less marked the relative tones; this is most important to remember; the pyrogallic acid should never be extremely strong, never perhaps so strong as recommended in the standard formulae. We must remember, then, that we have our three necessary factors for development, the oxidizer, the alkali, and the restrainer, all of which we can modify at will. On our minds, too, we have, or should have, a vivid impression of the picture translated into black and white; we remember what we wish to emphasize, and what to subdue, so that the resulting picture shall be true intone and impression. We proceed then to mix our developer accordingly, remembering first that the temperature of the developing-room makes a difference, and remembering that the photographic image exists on the film to a degree proportionate to the actinic value of the light which fell upon it. Therefore, if it is a brightly-lighted landscape in sunshine, taken with a full exposure, we must get a picture in a high key, but be it remembered in such a picture the light greys will be lost in the whites, as has been already shown; on the other hand, if it is a very low-toned effect, the dull greys will be lost in the blacks. We must never forget to develop all plates slowly, let this be our ever-present rule, for by developing slowly, the student has far more command over his work, and that is what every artist seeks. No haphazard work, but complete control, so that we can mould the picture according to our will. And here we must again remind the student that he can never get scientifically correct gradations from high light to deep shadow, therefore he must.be prepared to get only the true impression, and as a fundamental law, let him remember to watch over the truth of the lowest tones.

Meteorological Conditions To Be Adhered To In Developing

It must not be forgotten that Nature is ever varying, and that the chemicals will act differently under different conditions of temperature, mixture, electrical conditions, etc, etc, and the worker must learn to modify them accordingly; thus weaker solutions should be used in summer and on mist effects. In fact, the more one sees into photography, the more difficult does the matter become, for every picture is, from start to finish, a new problem. Artistic work is not nearly so amenable to rules as is laboratory work, where the conditions are generally more constant and better determined. Even the state of the weather at the time of exposure has great influence. The careful observer will soon see, in going over a collection of first-rate negatives, developed by the same hand and developer, that they all differ in quality, each one has physical characteristics of its own, which are the combined resultant of these protean conditions of Nature, and that such is the case is yet another proof of the individuality of a photograph per se, apart from any other reasons.