TAKING SNAPSHOTS

Dominion, Volume 26, Issue 96, 17 January 1933, Page 4

TAKING SNAPSHOTS

Five Different Enthusiasts . WRITER’S IMPRESSIONS Home is the holiday-maker, or, nt least, his vanguard, and throughout the month there will be a steady flow from mountain, lake, and shore, wrote tin Englishman in September. ' Already the first reunions are taking place at innchtables at home, in the street, in trains and buses. “Well, have a good time’.'” "You had marvellous weather, hadn’t you?” And then out comes that familiar drab, bulging packet, there is that practised shuffling movement (the worst ones on top), "I took a few simpshots you might be interested to see.” There are five principal schools of snapshot-takers: — (a) The Human School. These consider exclusively as photographic subjects their relatives, children, friends, friends’ friends, holiday acquaintances, babies (anyone’s), dogs, eats, horses, white mice, and pet lambs. The more forms they can press into one small negative the more successful do thev account themselves. What recks it that Uncle Oswald has no bead or that little Harold’s feet are six sizes too large? "These are the Binks outside their bathing hut. Fancy, we found they came from Z—, and know the Dingles quite well. Wasn’t it: odd?” Smiling, frowning, beaming, squinting, smirking, sulking human countenances glare back at you from every inch of film, superimposed upon human forms in bathing dresses, beach pyjamas, flannels, summer frocks, plus-fours. A our head reels. "That's Cecil Binks. "There he is again teaching his little sister to .swim.” "I'm in this one: someone else took it. ...” Comments: “Yes!” "How nice!” "How lollv you all look!” "How small the world is, isn’t it!” "What a nice face!” (b) The Camping-out School. This is really an off-shoot of (a). The pictures involved consist of variations on the following themes for a party of four:— . , ' 1,2, and 3 having breakfast ; I and 2 washing up; 2, 3. and 4 having lunch ; 2 and 4 washing up: I, 3, and 4 having tea; 3 cooking supper. Comments: "There's nothing like an open-air holiday.” “What an ideal spot!” "One would never have thought the river would rise like that.” "1 d no idea G. could cook.” (c) Tlie Great Buildings School. Confronted with any notable building, members of this school cannot refrain from perpetuating it in celluloid. Backing vehemently with craning neck, they strive vainly to include every pinnacle and souring school. No. It doesn’t look <iuite right, but you see 1 had to Jilt the camera so much to get. it all tn., Comments: "Marvellous!” "Stupendous!” “Magnificent!’’ *‘J do admire Early Gothic.” ’T do admire Late Norman.” ', , (d) The Dud School. ' AVh’o'always omit to notice the tele-"Tapii-post, on the right which quite spoilstthe view of the lake ; who are constitutionally incapable of holding a .cilmcra 'straight; who are never quite sure where the sun ought to be, «no always seem to have done the wrong thing. "It’s one of the loveliest of the colleges.” "Yes, that’s it at the end, of that long walk. You know, I think 1 must have had the distance stop out. Comments: "What a pity! It would have been so good.” “Yes, I’ve often done that myself.” "I see just the effect you were trying for.” "Oh, I always think double exposures are rather amus--1U ’ (e) The Super-technical School. With whom it is a point of honour never to take a photograph until the sun lias sunk to a depth where only the most ultra-rapid lens can trap his fading beams; who specialise in cloud effects only possible to their expensive and many-gadgeted cameras; who can take snaps of horses jumping and tennis players and get something more than a messy.blur; whom secretly we rather envy. Comments: "What a splendid camera!” “What a marvellous lens. "What a marvellous camera!” "AA hat a splendid lens!”

(f) The Would-be Artistic School Specialise in fishing smacks, gulls, reflections, odd angles, staircases, shadow, through the loophole of the tower, under the bridge eornstooks in the sun. “You see, by climbing up here. . .” . . Comments: "Yes. 1. took rather a decent photograph just there myself three years ago. . . Just wait, a minute and I’ll dash up and get by album. . .