My brother and sisters in 1953
My father was pretty good in estimating focus, especially as the camera he had modified didn't even have a focusing scale (focusing was by unscrewing the front component a certain number of half-turns, which of course he had determined ahead of time by placing a ground glass at the film plane).
And of course exposure was also by estimation, though here, in full sunlight, using the sunny-16 rule was fairly reliable (using a shutter speed equal to the film speed in number, when the aperture is f/16). The film used was 40 or 50 ASA (ISO) Agfa, Adox, or Perutz.
This sepia-toned 8x10 was made by me in 1999 (46 years after the photo was taken). At the time, in the early 50's, prints made by our local photo studio were contact-print size (6x4.5cm) or 7x11cm enlargements (about 3x4 inches).
My brother and sisters in 1953
My father was pretty good in estimating focus, especially as the camera he had modified didn't even have a focusing scale (focusing was by unscrewing the front component a certain number of half-turns, which of course he had determined ahead of time by placing a ground glass at the film plane).
And of course exposure was also by estimation, though here, in full sunlight, using the sunny-16 rule was fairly reliable (using a shutter speed equal to the film speed in number, when the aperture is f/16). The film used was 40 or 50 ASA (ISO) Agfa, Adox, or Perutz.
This sepia-toned 8x10 was made by me in 1999 (46 years after the photo was taken). At the time, in the early 50's, prints made by our local photo studio were contact-print size (6x4.5cm) or 7x11cm enlargements (about 3x4 inches).