TWO MORE restored Glass Negatives from my collection:

[FUJI]

I began my Glass Negative restoration project today.....I'm not quite ready to automate the workflow yet....just finding my feet so to speak:

 

I have realised that I need to adjust the front of the lens to be angled correctly so that it sees the Negative on the light table square on...in these the negatives wete tipping back slightly:

 

My settings seem to be fine, except for nt knowing which might be the best aperture for best sharpness?

 

These are both local views:

 

Bubbenhall is a tiny village just a few miles away:

 

The Wheelwrights and Blacksmiths workshopused to beon the other side of the Abbey Fields to our house.....sadly it was demolished to make way for a set of truly awful 1960 buildings......Nanny might realise that the site is dead opposite the Abbey Fields and Swimming Pool Car-Park:

 

No re-enactors...the people are the real thing over a hundred years ago:

 

Best viewed LARGE....Click on Pics:

 

I have ordered special goves and acid-free paper to ensure correct handling and post processing storage...not to sure about cleaning methods yet though:

 

FUJI

[bugmeister]

Like them, this is an era that's gone but thanks to pictures like these, not entirely forgotten

[Kobione]

Like them, this is an era that's gone but thanks to pictures like these, not entirely forgotten

And how lovely to be able to look back on them as a result of your project, Fuji, look forward to more. If I showed these to my eldest G'Daughter she would say "OMG just look at those hats the kids are wearing!!"

 

Well done, Fuji, keep at it

[NannyFerret]

You can straighten the parallels in editing, but if you can get it straight at the photographing stage then it would cut your work down a lot, wouldn't it?
Looking forward to seeing some more.

[FUJI]

Thank you folks:

I have just been surprised to learn that a dedicated Macro lens is best to shoot them through, because it has a flatter view than most others.....I will give that a go tomorrow.....

Once I'm set up, I am targeting six to ten copies per session....then process them in CS6 in the same way, to be digitalised, listed then stored on three different drives.

There are over 400 If I include the positive Glass Lantern Slides, they are three inches square and double glass thickness.....I will do all the negstives first though.

FUJI

[Terry]

What a fantastic project. Well done Fuji.

[colinb]

wonderful - Fuji have you thought about having a book of the pictures printed once you have completed this task?

 

I think a simple coffee table type book from the like of Photobox etc would be a wonderful thing to show your friends.

 

And personally I might even source a 'Yesteryear' type publisher to see if I could get a deal, these 'bygone' books always sell if a little slowly.

[annie]

wonderful project Fuji. I hope we get to see more.

[Guest DaveW]

Macro lenses do have a flatter field than normal lenses, something not noticed much in shooting three dimensional objects, but certainly in photographing flat artwork etc.  I don't know if you have an old enlarger Fuji, but if do you may be able to modify it into a copying stand to photograph the plates.  I have an old Durst where the head just screws off to leave a 3/8" thread that screws into the dual angle focusing slide I have (I think you have a similar one?) and the camera can then be mounted on the 1/4" tripod screw on that. You can just wind the enlarger handle then to alter the area the camera covers and use the focusing slide for fine tuning.

 

http://www.instructables.com/id/Photographic-copy-stand-from-old-enlarger/

 

http://www.marietta.edu/~mcshaffd/macro/copy.html

 

http://archivehistory.jeksite.org/chapters/appendixd.htm

 

As you are bottom lighting you don't need the additional lights for copying, just put your light box on the stand base with the negative on top.

 

As the glass plates are flat you can use the best aperture of the lens regarding diffraction since depth of field is not a problem, therefore use the best aperture of your lens as recommended for focus stacking.

 

PS, copy stands are also great for macro photography where you need the object lying flat and just held by gravity.

[FUJI]

Hi! Dave....Many thanks for all of that....I tried my 2.8/100 Macro lens this morning...it works just fine, but I have to have my tripod so far back I don't have enough room to get behind it in my Attic Studio/Junk Room:

 

I am back to using a 50mm lens at A 5.6 S 60 ISO 200 with no lights on just the morning daylight....I reckon it would be too bright midday, so I need the subdued light of morning and evening to get best results:

 

I am still experimentiong...the project will start in earnest when all the gear arrives:

 

See my latest post:

 

FUJI