By drawing the shades and by doing our work in a far corner of the room away from outside light we are comparatively safe.  Of course an electric street lamp or other bright light would have to be shut out, but this can easily be done by pinning up a blanket over the window.  When we have loaded our plate-holders we are ready to make a picture.  Suppose, for example, it is to be a house or a vista of some kind such as a group of trees or a bit of water:  the first thing of importance is to obtain a point of view that will not only give us the picture we desire but that will leave out any undesirable features that we do not care to take.  Some cameras are provided with a small view finder for snapshot work, and this may often be used to get a general idea of what the picture will be.

Successful photography consists largely in knowing just what to take and what to omit.  Sometimes an ugly piece of fence or a post will spoil an otherwise excellent picture.  We must also remember that in a photograph our colours are expressed in black and white, and therefore a picture that depends on its colour contrast for its beauty, such as autumn foliage or a sunset, may be disappointing as a photograph.

When we have decided upon our subject, the next step is to set our camera in the proper position to permit the plate to take in what we wish.  Usually it will be necessary to shift our position several times until we find the proper position.  The tripod should be firmly set on the ground and the camera made as level as possible.  The camera should then be focussed with the stop or diaphragm wide open.  The fact that the image is inverted as it appears on the ground glass will at first be confusing to a beginner, but we soon become accustomed to it and never give it a thought.  Our focussing cloth should be tightly drawn about the head to keep out as much outside light as possible.  At first we have some difficulty in seeing the image on the ground glass, but after we learn to look at the glass and not through it we should have no further trouble in this respect.  By moving the lens backward and forward we finally strike a position where the principal image to be photographed will appear sharp and clear.  The camera is then in focus, but we shall discover that other objects more in the background or foreground will appear blurred and confused.  Often it is desirable to have a blurred or “fuzzy” background, but if we desire to bring the indistinct objects in focus we must “stop down” our lens first by trying the No. 8 stop, and if this does not accomplish the results the No. 16, and so on until we get what we wish.  As we look at the image on the ground glass, it will be evident that as we stop down our lens, the more remote objects are gradually brought into view with a sharp outline, we shall discover that the image on the ground glass becomes less and less distinct, which shows very clearly that we are admitting less light, and the lesson to be learned is that when we make the exposure we must give a corresponding increase in time as the amount of light admitted decreases.  An exposure that would give a perfect picture at No. 8 may be very much under-exposed at No. 32 diaphragm.