It's an Illusion, Just an Illusion................ (Part 1)

Someone once said that, back in the nineteenth century I think about photography in general. So today with crisp sharp focus, perfect colour and the ability instantly to retake a photograph a look back at the past perhaps. Well not to far back!

With my interest in vintage or old fashioned photography in general. It was only a matter of time before I started manipulating my own photos into something older.

At first my attempts were quite basic

1. Find a suitable photograph.
2. Convert to black & white
3. Add noise and dirt
4. Tone it to sepia
5. Find a suitable frame and merge the two together.

This is the sort of result you get -

The Suffragette 

I am quite fortunate in living near to Beamish the North of England Living Museum and this lady enactor neatly dressed as a suffragette for the 1913 town scape, provided the perfect model.

OK the streets are a bit clean for a real 1913 shoot and the models figure is defiantly 21st Century. 

Overall though not a bad attempt I think.

However as time has gone on I have thought about something more realistic.

A couple of years ago I happened to be in Portadown, Co. Armagh in Northern Ireland just as it was hosting it's "Country come to Town' Carnival. Lots of traction engines vintage cars and the police tractor (honestly!!)

For me however the stars of the show were the Ulster Edwardian Lady Cyclists, and here they are -

The Ulster Edwardian Lady Cyclists

Don't they look great? Six ladies of ascending years not only dressed for the occasion and riding period cycles, but they really do look the part.

I spent hours, or it seamed like it carefully cuting out the background until only the ladies themselves remained. Then I tried adding them to some of the vintage street scenes I have in my back catalogue - but nothing worked. I shelved the project for a couple of years and have only just returned to it, when I had an idea.....................

But more of that next time.