How the Queen Takes Photographs.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLII, Issue 1, 6 January 1909, Page 7

How the Queen Takes Photographs.

BY

SARAH A. TOOLEY.

The publication of ‘‘Photographs from My Camera,’’ by Her Majesty Queen Alexandra, on behalf of a number of charities, draw attention to the assi duity and skill with 'which tier Majesty has- practised photography and U> her methods of work. The'Queen hits a good artistic faculty, and as a very young girl did some pleasing sketches from nature. After her marriage she continued to find recreation in water-colour drawing, and had a charming little studio fitted up at Marlborough House. Her artistic studies led her naturally in the direction of photography, and some fifteen years ago she began to experiment with a hand camera in the grounds of Sandringham. The first occasion on which the Qireen was seen photographing in public was at the annual sale of the King’s horses at Wo*L ferton, and it became her habit to take snapshots of the animals when paraded for sale by auction. In this way she obtained an interesting gallery of the fine animals broil at the stud farm before they passed into other ownership. The Queen also took snapshots of’ groups of Norfolk folks assembled on the sale ground and it was only at such a gathering when everybody was a friend or neighbour, practically, that she could exorcist* her art without fear of being mobbed. Another occasion when the Queen could amuse tierself with freedom from annoyance was at the annual spring sports at Dersingham, on the royal estate, when she obtained many amusing snapshots of competitors climbing a greasy pole and engaged in other oldtime sports of rural England. IX) NVENTI () N !GNO R El). The Queen claims the amateur’s privilege of taking things her own way. She is not bound down by conventional rules and regulations, but trusting to her own artistic sense of a picture snapshots a scene or an olxject as it strikes 'her fancy. She does not study whether the sun is at her back or in front of her, and some of her most effective seascap*s have Im»cii obtained with her camera pointing to the 'light, contrary to all accepted rules. The views thus taken the reverse way convey the suggestion of an evening scene' with the sky. in shadow anil the sea overcast, and Ihe Queen is exceed ingly fond of experimenting to ohtnui novel effects. In her private collection she has some uncommon views in which the sun is seen piercing the clouds and vasTTng .i bright shaft into the waters, or again a novel elTevt has lieen obtained of light behind a ship, as in a photograph of Ganges.

Marine subjects ire great favourites Wit li the Queen, and her photographic albums are full of series taken when cruising in the royal yacht. During one of her cruises in the Mediterranean slit? sent home some 1,400 films to be dcvel ■opod. While at II vidore her Majesty photographs daily, ami her vk*ws make « big total at the end of her holiday. The shipping craft passing over the smooth waters of the Sound are favour ite studies, and from the road which skirts the vdla the Queen has a ncveiending panorama of vessels of all sizes ami natioualilies passing to and fro. Th<* harbour of Copenhagen al-*o affords many intcrestiho scenes Lor h<ir camera. She has made wmic very suc,ct'sivful studies of vessels in the Kiel I'anal, and at Reva>! during the recent meeting of King ami Czar. When in the Highlands the Queen combines fishing and photography, and has a great variety of scem*s Liken from fishing boats in the Highland lochs. SNAPSHOTS The Queen is ambitious in her choice of subjects, and is not deterred in her efforts by considerations of what a hand camera is exj>ectcd to Like, with the result tha-t slit* often achieves a surprising result. She has secured some very ambitious snapshots from the windows of the Amalienborg Palace, Copenhagen, on occasions when loyal* crowds throng <*d the square, and enlargements of these views reveal individual faces in t-he mass of human beings with great distinctness. For many years I he Queen has photographed almost exclusively with the No. 4 Regular and No. 4 Junior Model Kodak, and, though improv<?niento have been made in other models, she prefers to keep to her old friends. She has al ways made a practice of selecting her most snapshots and arranging them in albums herself, writing under each photograph date and description. Some lit tie t ime ago the Queen put seme of her photographs to a novel purpose, having a china tea service made with one of her snapshots represented on each piece. It was suggested doubtless by the Balmoral china in the Queen’s lea room at the dairy, Sandringham, which has on each piece a different view of Balmoral, and was made by the order of Queen Victoria. In matters of personal phol.ograijihy the Queen is a humorist, and 1 her albums reveal many snapshots of her family and Ultimate friends tak»»n unawares in attitudes more amusing than convrntional. These are strictly private, and the personal photographs reproduced in the royal gift boo’.' arc of a more conventional character.