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works grey photos


rodent279

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Can anyone explain the techniques used in making the photos we see of new locos in works grey?

I'm interested in what sort of paint would have been used, and whether the whol of the loco would have been painted. I'm also interested in how the backgrounds were often made plain white or grey-would they have used a white or grey wall or drape behind, or would the photo be worked on afterwards to remove the background?

 

Easy in photoshop no doubt, but it must have been more challenging in the pre-computer era.

 

cheers N

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I came in at the end of this era. The cameras used were the big wood, brass and bellows type having big "Whole plate", or the larger 8 x 10 inch ( About 270mm x 240mm at a guess for the recently educated, {Attempt at humour}, glass negative plates. Once developed the distracting backgrounds would be painstakingly painted out on the glass using "Photo opaque" or "Photo White", which strangely was usually pink or red in tone. One can imagine the difficulty "Doing the fiddly bits". If only this could now be removed, the information that could be revealed. Unfortunatly any attempt usually destroys the image. 

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Agreed with Stumpey that a glass-plate camera would be used, which has phenomenal sharpness and probably corresponds to a gigapixel(?) digital camera.  For some works photos, a white drape was held behind.  There's an unretouched photo of the same in Freight Wagons and Loads by the late Jim Russell.  This obviously shows a wagon, but I would guess that the same applies to other rolling stock.

 

Bill

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Crewe at least had a big white canvas screen which could be erected behind the subject to reduce the amount of blanking out needed. I have seen photos, although I can't remember where, taken this way but before the blanking had been carried out, and folds in the screen were visible. It didn't eliminate the need for blanking of the negative, but did reduce the amount needed.

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OTTOMH The NER had a favoured location for such shots near Jarrow.

Going by various photographs that I have seen the team responsible for producing the photographs had a very good knowledge of the lighting at the location and were able to set up perfect shots as required. As mentioned by Stumpey they used large format plate cameras. I know a couple of people who still produce prints from historic glass negatives. They will not let any body else near them and check every print. As well as a lot of work on the original plate there would probably be some work on the finished print both during and after exposure. No photoshop in those days for removing scratches or dirt spots.

Bernard

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OTTOMH The NER had a favoured location for such shots near Jarrow.

Going by various photographs that I have seen the team responsible for producing the photographs had a very good knowledge of the lighting at the location and were able to set up perfect shots as required. As mentioned by Stumpey they used large format plate cameras. I know a couple of people who still produce prints from historic glass negatives. They will not let any body else near them and check every print. As well as a lot of work on the original plate there would probably be some work on the finished print both during and after exposure. No photoshop in those days for removing scratches or dirt spots.

Bernard

There was a story that somewhere in the Stooperdale area someone had a glasshouse glazed with glass plate negatives from Darlington North Road. Sadly, I suspect this one is up there with the strategic reserve and the last Claud Hamilton!

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Once developed the distracting backgrounds would be painstakingly painted out on the glass using "Photo opaque" or "Photo White", which strangely was usually pink or red in tone.

The reason Photo White was actually red is the same reason safelights are red - BW photo paper doesn't respond to red light. Any light that does bleed through any thin patches when making a print will therefore have no effect.

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