Transvestia

I have found that I like the greater versatility and compactness of miniature cameras which I can fasten with a C-clamp to chairs, tables, shelves, and other sturdy objects. Secured to any makeshift "tri-pod", the miniature camera's shutter can be held open for time exposures with the use of a strong black nylon fishing line.

I suspect that most miniature cameras are similar to the German-made 35MM type I am now using and have in addition to the ordinary shutter-speed settings one designated "B". When set at this point the shutter remains open for as long as the attached string is held taut. This means that you have tremendous versatility in lighting techniques and can improvise with just the ordinary lamps around the home. A soft light from a group of lamps "soaking" in through the open shutter of a time exposure yields very interesting results providing one has developed the skill of remaining completely motionless during the time the camera eye studies your pose.

For those who prefer flash and strobe techniques the minature cameras are again quite versatile and the self-operated string-triggered shutter control works as well as when one is using available light on long exposure.

I always position a mirror behind wherever the camera is secured and take great pains to contemplate the shot before using the trigger string. This is again why I prefer available-light time exposure to the impulsiveness of flash or strobe techniques.

But shooting femme photos is just half the fun. Developing your own film and printing your own pics just prolongs the enjoyment of a femme photography session. One needs no elaborate set-up.

I have developed a technique I call "partial development," which I use on most of the film I have sent out for processing. After I have the chemicals in the Kodak Tri-Chem Pack prepared in three glass baking dishes I make certain my "darkroom" is absolutely dark. I then unroll a 12-inch strip of film and snip it off with the scissors making sure the remainder of the exposed roll is wrapped back in its light-proof container. I then develop this foot long strip of film.

It is a useful technique. First, if I goof the entire roll is not