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Posted on 11/04/11 4:15:02 PM |
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GKB
Magical Montagist Posts: 4023 Reply  |
A little light retouching!
I was given this photograph by a friend in the silly hope that I might be able to do something with it. The shot appears to have been taken somewhere around 1908 and may portray the late model Wright Flyer 'A' when the Wright brothers took it to France. The French totally disbelieved all the Wright brothers' claims to have flown a heavier-than-air aircraft. So they shipped the aircraft to France, flew it around for 10 minutes and went home again! The top left corner is hanging off and it has obviously been rather damp for a while. Most of the sky and some of the scenery has been destroyed by mould. Generally not a happy photograph. 
_________________ The early bird might get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese. |
Posted on 11/04/11 4:16:09 PM |
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GKB
Magical Montagist Posts: 4023 Reply |
Re: A little light retouching!
After a short time with Photoshop ...............  _________________ The early bird might get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese. |
Posted on 11/04/11 4:24:20 PM |
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Eggbox
Ovoid Opportunist Posts: 797 Reply  |
Re: A little light retouching!
Now that is impressive. 
Ted |
Posted on 11/04/11 4:35:24 PM |
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katew
Virtual Virtuoso Posts: 681 Reply  |
Re: A little light retouching!
I agree with Ted - a fantastic job. I do retouching as part of my business, and I would have struggled with this one! |
Posted on 11/04/11 5:02:40 PM |
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PDelavigne
Mannequin Mestre Posts: 124 Reply |
Re: A little light retouching!
Hi Gordon, Really, impressive work! This kind of "rust" spots and stains,needs a tricky work, to be removed ! Look at these, I made many years ago: http://photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=9412952 http://photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=9469957 Paulo |
Posted on 11/04/11 8:55:50 PM |
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GKB
Magical Montagist Posts: 4023 Reply |
Re: A little light retouching!
Thanks to all. Kate - very nice to see you back again. I hope your probs are behind you. Gordon _________________ You're never too old to learn something stupid. |
Posted on 12/04/11 00:42:36 AM |
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vibeke
Kreative Kiwi Posts: 2166 Reply  |
Re: A little light retouching!
Wow, great work. _________________ Perfect confidence is granted to the less talented as a consolation prize. |
Posted on 12/04/11 08:47:50 AM |
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Sophie
Political Parodist Posts: 595 Reply  |
Re: A little light retouching!
Excellent job Gordon. |
Posted on 12/04/11 3:00:20 PM |
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katew
Virtual Virtuoso Posts: 681 Reply |
Re: A little light retouching!
Thanks Gordon. Some of the problems are still around, but I'm coping better with them. Hope to do more FCs when I'm a bit more settled. |
Posted on 13/04/11 07:43:02 AM |
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Steve Caplin
Administrator Posts: 7042 Reply  |
Re: A little light retouching!
Most impressive. Gordon, you're lucky most of the damage was in the sky! Paulo, those are two very convincing pieces of restoration. Must have taken a lot of work. |
Posted on 13/04/11 08:53:13 AM |
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GKB
Magical Montagist Posts: 4023 Reply |
Re: A little light retouching!
Thanks Steve. When I first saw the image I did wonder how was I going to do anything with it but once a new sky was dropped in 80% of the work was covered. The rest was just copying the tree line a couple of times and pasting it in with some curves adjustments and masking. The trees on the left are images from another photograph. I left some of the imperfections in just to give it a slight hint of being aged. It's by no means perfect as I could only spend a couple of hours on it but the important thing is that my friend is happy with it. A bit more research has shown my original thoughts about people and location to be wrong. Closer study of the original photograph shows a small sign that says 'Cove Hill Camping'. That places it very neatly at Laffan's Plain, Farnborough. For this reason it is almost certain that it shows Samuel Cody with one of his later aircraft and it was likely to have been shot around 1909 - 1910. _________________ The early bird might get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese. |
Posted on 13/04/11 3:37:21 PM |
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PDelavigne
Mannequin Mestre Posts: 124 Reply |
Re: A little light retouching!
Thank you Steve. I am very pleased and proud to hear this, especially coming from a master like you! Yes, actually I had a lot of work, especially with the larger picture (oval). The worst thing that can happen to a restorer, is when the colored spots appear only in certain areas. |
Posted on 13/04/11 6:23:29 PM |
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GKB
Magical Montagist Posts: 4023 Reply |
Re: A little light retouching!
......... and I have now firmly established that it depicts Samuel Cody's British Army Aeroplane No 1A (as we now identify it) being taken down to Laffan's Plain from its shed at Aldershot on Thursday February 18th 1909, for a trial. Cody (Samuel Franklin Cowdery, to give his true identity) is the figure in the white coat just behind the aeroplane. This picture was first published on the title page of the February 27th, 1909, issue of Flight. This machine was an extensively rebuilt version of the aircraft that made the first powered flight in Britain, on October 16, 1908. Paulo - some very nice retouching there. _________________ You're never too old to learn something stupid. |
Posted on 14/04/11 06:10:46 AM |
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PDelavigne
Mannequin Mestre Posts: 124 Reply |
Re: A little light retouching!
Thanks Gordon! it's by reports such as this that you told us, is that I like so much to work with restoration . To bring old photos back to life, is to keep alive our history! |