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His Camera Goes to School with Him
"DON, I want an album of basketball pictures, and mother wants enlargements of the pictures you took at the Bixby tournament," spoke up the star player on the Berryhill basketball team. "I want a proof of every basketball picture you have taken this year," added the athletic coach. "I need some pictures of the members of the school board," requested the superintendent of the school. "Also some pictures of the officers of the, Parent-Teacher Association." "When can you take our children's pictures?" asked one of the neighbors. Requests like those convinced my son, Don Corbly, senior in Berryhill high school, near Tulsa, Oklahoma, that his hobby was no longer just a pastime but a paying proposition. It all started when Don graduated from the eighth grade four years ago. Among his graduation presents were a small camera and some films. During his first two years in the high school, he used the camera for outdoor pictures at picnics and parties. In the summer following his sophomore year, we took a vacation trip to the west coast, and it was on this trip that the photography bug really bit him. AT THE beginning of his junior year in the high school Don said to me: "Dad, I need a better camera. One with a flash gun so that I can take pictures in action, and indoor pictures of the band and the like." "Well, son," I replied, "you worked hard this past summer and saved your money. Buy a more suitable camera with a flash gun and see what you can do." A folding camera, with a top shutter speed of 1/250 second and a f/4.5 lens, and a flash gun were Don's next ventures in photography. This equipment cost about $45. He now experimented with both still and action shots with flash. Some of the proofs were very good; but he found that the view-finder on the folding camera was not suitable for fast, accurate focusing. However, he made several excellent fast action basketball exposures, and also many satisfactory still indoor photos. Several of his pictures of both kinds were used in the school annual which is published each year by the senior class. He also took some color photos of the school band in full costume. These turned out very satisfactorily, and he sold several duplicates of these photos to band members and to their parents. BY THE end of his third high school year, Don had again outgrown his photography equipment. Now he needed a still better camera and flash gun, a tripod for the camera, light meter, flood lights, and a background for indoor portraits. This time he bought a Ciroflex twin lens reflex camera with a top shutter speed of 1/400 second and a f/3.5 lens. The shutter speed is synchronized at all speeds to match the Graflex speed flash gun. The price of the camera with a leather case was $128.50. The flash gun complete cost $28.50. An essential need for indoor photography is a sturdy tripod for the camera. Don chose a Star D model at $15.95 and has found it to be very satisfactory. To accurately set the shutter speed and the size of the shutter opening for indoor work with flood lights, a light meter is a valuable asset. He bought a General Electric model DW-68 for $24.50. For indoor lighting Don uses from two to four flood lights. All use the standard No. 2 photoflood bulbs. The only difference in the lights is the size of the reflectors. He uses three sizes of reflectors: one twelve-inch, two ten-inch, and one six-inch. Two of these have stands for support. To facilitate turning the lights on and off without leaving the camera, he assembled a master switch box with a separate switch and cable for each light, and a main cable to the switch box that plugs into any electric appliance outlet connection. These lights, stands, and wiring equipment cost a total of $22. Needing a portable background of some sort, he bought a sixty-inch wide, tan color, cloth window shade. A heavy light stand serves as a tripod to hold the shade. These two articles cost about $11. Altogether Don has an investment of about $240 in his equipment.
At a basketball game, Don usually takes a place at one side of the home goal. From this position he can get desirable shots of home players making goals. Such photos sell readily to the players involved and to their parents. From his position at the side of the court, he estimates the distance in feet of the point of action to the camera lens. He then sets the camera focus for this distance. Next he sets the shutter speed and adjusts the size of the shutter opening according to the instructions on the flash bulb carton. A speed of 1/200 second or faster is usually necessary for this type of photo work. Since the flash gun and the camera shutter are synchronized, the flash will be at the proper instant to give the best illumination on the subject. Everything is then ready for a fast action shot. Now it is entirely a matter of being able to snap the exposure at the exact time to get the best action. Don also takes action shots of the band both indoors and outdoors. Since this action is much slower, the shutter speed is slowed down. These photos are saleable to members of the band and to their parents. A small album, containing several prints of basketball action photos, makes an appropriate memento of the school year. Many students buy these photo groups in preference to enlargements of individual pictures. FOR DISPLAY purposes, the school made available to Don a glass trophy case that was not in use. In this case he places prints of various shots of school activities and samples of portrait photos. The trophy case is located in a hall where it can be seen by all the students, visitors, and patrons of the school. A price list for indoor portraits with Don's name and phone number is also displayed in the case. It is impractical to make a set price for group pictures or action shots of school activities. The price must be worked out for each individual situation The sales of a group photo, similar to a choral group picture, can be handled in several ways. If Don has to contact each pupil in the group and take their separate orders, each pupil is considered as an individual customer and the price has to be figured accordingly. For this type of picture, Don has found it advisable for the teacher or sponsor of the group to take a sample enlargement of the picture for display with a stated price for each picture based on the estimated number in the group who will purchase a copy. The teacher or sponsor then takes the orders and collects the purchase price from the pupils. In this way the students get the advantage of a lower price because all the enlargements can be made at one time. In action shots of athletic events, usually one individual is centralized in the picture. Naturally that person, his parents, relatives and friends are prospective, customers for prints of that particular picture; so Don contacts those interested persons with a print of the shot and takes orders for enlargements. INDOOR PORTRAITS are Don's greatest source of income. He has specialized in photographing children. This all started when he photographed his older sister's children. Neighbors saw the pictures and liked them so much that they wanted him to photograph their children. He will take portraits at his own home or will take his equipment to the subject's home. He charges $1 additional if he takes his equipment to the home of the subject because of the extra work involved. By moving a few chairs or small pieces of furniture, almost any room can be used for indoor photography. Don uses our living room which is only twelve by sixteen feet. The subject is seated directly in front of the background on a chair or suitable bench or stool. The camera and tripod are then placed from four to six feet in front of the subject. By sitting at different angles to the camera, the subject can be taken full-face semi-profile, or full-profile. For clear, properly shadowed portraits the arrangement of the lighting is of greatest importance. The twelve-inch flood light is clamped to one leg of the camera tripod, just below and to the left of the camera. This large reflector distributes the light evenly over the subject and the background. As for the arrangement of the other flood lights, there is no set pattern that is suitable for all subjects. Don has found that in most instances the two ten-inch lights can be placed to the right and left of the subject at distances of four to six feet. Then by moving them to the front or back a few inches, the shadows on the subject can be brought out to the best advantage. These two lights should be raised on the stands so that they are about two feet above the level of the subject's head and then angled downward so that the light shines directly on the subject. Sometimes to bring out the natural sheen of the hair, the six-inch spotlight is suspended directly over and a little to the back of the subject's head. This light, is clamped to the top of the stand that is used to hold the background. Oftentimes by placing a cloth filter over one or more of the lights, the shadows can be accentuated or diminished. With the lighting all arranged, now hold the light meter to the side of the camera and toward the subject. From this meter reading, the size of the shutter opening and the speed can be set. Next focus the camera until the image in the view-finder is at its clearest. These calculations must be accurate to obtain the proper results on the film. The next problem is to take the exposure at the exact moment that the subject has a pleasing expression. Sometimes with children this is very hard to do. Don usually takes six exposures for the portrait so that the customer has a variety of poses to choose, from for the final enlargements. For the amateur to produce first class saleable portraits, he must learn the value of proper lighting and timing. Much of this knowledge must come from study, but a major portion is derived from actual experience. Indoor portraits can be taken with the flash gun instead of using the flood lights. However, flash portraits don't have the depth and desirable shading of the lighted picture. "Take pictures under various lighting and timing conditions and then study the results on the actual proofs," Don advises. "That's the way to learn how to make portraits that will sell." MANY TIMES, long after Don has taken someone's photo, the person wants more enlargements from the original negatives. For this reason he has started a filing system for all negatives. Small envelopes are used for the negatives of each group. They are then filed in alphabetical order. Having these original exposures available often means additional income. Don doesn't believe that it pays for the amateur photographer to develop and enlarge his own prints. The cost of the proper equipment to do this work satisfactorily is too great for most amateur camera fans. He has his films developed and enlargements made by a reputable firm in Tulsa. Frequently when enlargements are made from small negatives, defects appear on the photo in the form of light spots. By placing the print on a pane of glass under which there is a small light bulb, these spots can be seen. These spots can be darkened to the same shade as the photo by using touch-up pencils of different grades of hardness. Touch-up work can be done only on dull weights of paper. Don does this touch-up work before delivering the photos to the customer. By using a price list issued by the developing firm, he has made a listing of prices for various sizes of portrait enlargements. His quoted price to the customer is somewhat less than that of the commercial photographer yet it allows him a fair profit for his work. The following is a copy of the price list he is using at present:
Good quality portraits made at your
home or mine. This price list is for posed indoor portraits with flood lights. The portraits are finished on black and white or brown tone paper so that they can be touched up thereby making a finished product. To save printing costs of the price lists, Don uses the school mimeograph machine. From one stencil he can print about 100 lists on half sheets of typewriting paper. He hands out price lists to all prospective customers, and includes a list with all picture sales. During four years of amateur photography, Don Corbly has advanced from the simple box camera to the high speed, precision-built twin lens reflex type. He considers this camera to be the best for the amateur who can afford only one camera, because of its adaptability to nearly all kinds of photography. HOW CAN I make photography as a hobby payoff? This question is asked by many amateur camera fans. Don gives this answer: "First get a suitable camera and accessories. Then learn how to produce saleable prints. School programs, athletic events, band parades, and Parent-teacher Association activities furnish most of the material for the amateur in the school. Take good pictures of these activities and the people in the pictures will furnish your market. "Take indoor portraits of your family and the neighbor's children, and before long the neighbor's friends will want you to photograph their children. In this way you soon develop a market for indoor photos." Don entered Oklahoma University at Norman, Oklahoma, in September, and expects to make his spending money and part of his school expense with his camera. Not only is his hobby profitable, but it is also educational and interesting. Don says that what he has done can be emulated by other teen-age camera hobbyists. |
Note: To account for inflation, multiply prices by 8 to 10. |
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TO PRODUCE good photos of fast
action subjects, there are several
things that must be considered : Distance
from the subject, the proper size
shutter opening and speed, and then
the ability to snap the shutter at the
exact split-second instant of the best
action.
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