THRILLING ADVENTURES FOR PHOTOGRAPHS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 233, 6 November 1909, Page 4

THRILLING ADVENTURES FOR PHOTOGRAPHS.

1] « 1" li el i] V li ii I I t i| I ' i | ] JAMERA MEN IiISK. IllEili LIVES l-uu hutukes. Although the M'lisitionai photograph lifts provided a luuu ot cuuuseinent and interest to the readers oi the up-to-date illustrated periodical, few realisethai in many intrepid photo- [ : grapher-journalisi lias risked his'life ifl; order to obtain suck spieudid results; <sayt> Tit-Bits). I A professional photographer with, years ot experience tuUl the writer r«ceutly "thai the man wuo desires to ■ Lake up newspaper photography as a ( means of livelihood muat have a eonsti-. tution oi iron, nerves of steel, and the | abilities of an expert steeplejack to enj able him to ciiiub to any eminence to ! secure the snapshots the public are 1 thirsting for." ilowever that may be, fear must be unknown to the photographer, and he must frequently be prepared to run more than ordinary risks of serious injury. PICTURES OE THE SEA. Most phototgraphers nowadays specialise. -Mr. E. J. Mortimer has won renown by his daring and skill in obtaining photographs of big waves, llis happy ! hunting-ground is in the Scilly lsies, ' where the full force of the Atlantic makes itself felt ou the numerous rocky islands which abound. Clad in oilskins from head lo foot, and with camera similarly protected, the daring photographer linds some coign of vantage—often a rock, almost surrounded hy the sea—from which to 1 bag his prey. If he has to occupy some: 1 particularly dangerous position, he takrs 1 : the precaution to have a rope fastened' ; rouud his waist, iieid by someone nearer | the short. He has had some narrow u-. tapes, and on several occasions a wave! has dashed him to the rocks, smashing his camera to pieces. Mr. Mortimer has been most happy in his work, however, , having taken over two thousand success- ! ful pictures of big waves. The Kearton Brothers, who are, perhaps, the most wonderful Jsature photo-1 graphers in the world, have taken photc-| | graphs of wild birds in their nests, which | required not only skill, but nerve am' cautiyn. The Keartone adopted all v>n> of subterfuges iu order to get close u* their subjects. Their favorite methyl is to work from a small tent, which, painted green and covered with twigs and leaves, looks like a mound or nillock. ifor photographing birds such a a larks auH whitcthroate they have ai | .special life-size model of a bull, with a j hole in the chest for the lens; and for | mountain birds a stuffed sheep made on trie same principle. Sometimes the j»!iou>»rapher must disguise hinwlf as a 1 are trunk for birds in the hushes. Most of the Kearton Brothers' thrills; have been experienced in trying to "snap" a sea-eagle. They huvc been try- | Uig fifteen years, and have not succeed- | ed yet. | PATIEXCE A VIRTUE.

Many photographs have been takm dangling m mid air at the end of a rope, while once Mr. Cherry Kearlon wan i-d six hours a day for three days up to his shoulders in water to get a picture of an osprey. The camera on this occasion was placed on stilts. The most desperate efforts were made to pnotograph a 'j'Ttain golden eagle on a Highland estate. Every day for a fortnight Jlr. Kearton tramped up the mountains iu dreadful and one day during a snowstorm he fell over a cliff, smashing the camera and injuring himself so that he was laid up for a week. Many other stories these brothers tell of stratagems and adventures in tieir work on cliff, crag, and moor.

WILD AXIMALS. Herr Schillings, tile German explorer, is one of the most remarkable men among enterprising photographer journalists. lie Las recently published a book of hie fine sets of photographs ot wild animals of the forest in their native element. For several years lien Schillings has lived in Central Africa, and his wonderful stories of hairbrcadtn escapes furnish us with one of the m<M exciting books of adventure of recoil time?.

His modus operandi is to gn direct t" the resort of wild animal?, set up hihuge camera whieh he has had specially prepared, place a flashlight apparatus in readiness, and wait. l-Vrhajv th<> scene is the river-side, where the animal* come iu the night to drink. <lu«t as a ilion, tiger, leopard, or some other savage beast steps to the water's edge :i vicious crocodile may make a snap at the beast and a terrible fight for life take place. Instantly the Jlashliglr. operates, and the ghastly scene is recorded on at least one of the films.

CAI'OTJT IX TEE ACT. Just to study how a Least of prey makes its attacks, Ilerr Schillings us-'d to secure an antelope to a tree and await developments. Pome splendid phototgraphs of wild beasts were secured in the act of springing upon their prey. Blinding Hashes of light in the forest, however, were so terrifying to the animate that in most cases they left the bait unharmed. Some unique pictures are published in his hook of Herri* conflicts between wild beasts. It is not. surprising to hear, therefore, that Tleir Schillings has had some wonderful e«tapes from death, as the scars on his body bear testimony.

| Apart from these cases the general | news photographer has had adventurer that might have given pause to tlw | stoniest heart. As a case in point, refer- ! ence may be made to the riots which : occurred some months ago on the Longchamps racecourse, wlion the angry crowd broke down some of the stands and set fire to the remainder. A noted Paris photographer was observed amidst the Names taking snapshots of the extraordinary 6cenes, and it was only at the last moment that he could be persuaded to leave his perilous post. His enterprise nearly cost liini his life, but he reaped a rich harvest from the number of extraordinary photographs ho had obtained by his daring courage. OTHER DANGERS. The launching of great battleship* and! liner« is a time for photographers to I show their mettle. They climb th" ma»ts of ships, to be dislodged sometimes from their point of vantage by the huge tidal "wave, and arc often rescued from a position of extreme peril just :n time. Then the intrepid photographer is expected to descend coalmines nft?r disasters to get snapshots: he nut*f go •lown with a diver to inspect th.> hull of a vessel, or photograph coal beds ill Mie bottom of Hie oi-ean. or ascend to a giddy height on the iron girder of a sky scraper, or. while InniK ;m. htvi'i'i down ih.ir lives U.t their country," he mu4 calmly make pictures of the .scene, in order to arouse the enthusiasm of his] couiitryiueu at home.