Tricks That Enable You to Take Secret Pictures

TRICKS used by press photographers and detectives come in handy when it is desired to snap imposed photographs of friends or members of the family. For such pictures photographers usually use tiny, easily concealed cameras. Despite their size, these midget cameras are surprisingly fast and accurate, and their wide angle lenses make the use of a range finder unnecessary. One of the commoner ways of screening a camera from the intended subject is to cover it with a handkerchief until the trigger is released. Occasionally the camera is carried in a vest pocket with the lens shielded by the wearer’s coat.

PURSE CONCEALS CAMERA FOR SECRET SNAPSHOTS
Hidden within a bronze holder attached near the clasp of a woman’s purse, a tiny “candid camera” may be operated secretly to snap unposed photographs while the purse is held unobtrusively in the lap or against the body. For less furtive shots, the purse can be held at eye level and the camera trained on the subject through a small, collapsible view finder. Equipped with a high-speed lens, the instrument uses standard thirty-five-millimeter movie-camera film.

And it’s a compact camera at that!

SELF-LIGHTING CAMERA NOW USED IN MOVIES
A movie camera that produces its own light is a recent innovation in a Hollywood, Calif., studio. It carries a detachable lamp with a 500-watt tubular frosted bulb upon a bracket at the front. In this way a continuous light is thrown on the face of an actress while the camera is moved around her for a close-up.

Portable Darkroom Worn as Hood Aids Traveling Photographers

When regular darkroom facilities are not available, photographers may have a practical substitute in a portable one in the form of a close-fitting piece of rubber material that slips over the head like a hood. It contains a square of ruby glass for developing and changing plates, etc. At the bottom, it fits tightly to the body so that no light is admitted, but its folds are loose enough to permit ample freedom for the arms and hands. It can be quickly wrapped into a compact package and fits in a small space in the camera case.

Tiny Camera Is Built under Lens with Jewelers’ Tools

Requiring the use of jewelers’ tools and magnifying glasses in its construction, a miniature camera with parts that work, and less than an inch in length, has been made for the royal doll house of the queen of England. Three months’ continuous work by experts was necessary to complete the tiny instrument. All pieces were formed by hand and carefully checked with larger cameras to insure accurate shape.