Trick Photography & Oddball Cards

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Posted By: ramram

Thought it'd be interesting to start a thread on some of the unique oddball images and cards out there. Would possibly be an interesting topic for VCBC but nobody knows if they're even still around. Anyway, I'll throw out the first images. These of course are two of the Joseph Hall team images. I've seen a few articles on them before but have never heard anyone state the obvious about the Boston and Brooklyn images (one article thought the Boson image was created with the players placing there heads into a cutout). The Boston image is actually a transposition of the Boston player's heads into the Brooklyn team picture along with a different backdrop.

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Posted By: ramram

is that the props used in the photographs (i.e. the square rocks, steps, etc.) show up in several of his team images. As many of you know, the team images were apparently taken at two different stadiums as well as in the studio. These props show up in several of his images which mean he actually hauled those suckers around with him! I'm sure the rocks are not real but still would be quite cumbersome to haul around along with the steps, etc. If I get some more time I may try to scan some of these as well.

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Posted By: Hankron

Composite photography was common in the 19th and early 20th century. It inolved the mixing and matching of different images into one photograph. Commonly this was done exposing one image after another onto photographic paper. It was also done by 'cutting and pasting' images against a background, then photographic the result. The photographer would have a background design or image (empty baseball field, for example) then affix little player images to the background. In some cases the little pictures were pinned to the background and, in the resulting cabinet card or real photo postcard, you can actualy see the pins!

Though the loadtime is lengthy for this page, the below link has some examples of different composite photos-- including some most striking examples.

http://cycleback.com/composites.htm

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Posted By: ramram

how they are still doing it today. I was watching on TV as the the Kansas City Chiefs were getting their team picture taken a few weeks ago. Sitting front and center with all the "suits" was a 30ish man with no apparent affiliation to the team. The newsman went on to say that it was owner Lamar Hunt. At least it would be on the finished product. Seems Lamar has had a stand-in for several years that is about his size and weight. They just superimpose his Hunt's head later.

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Posted By: Hankron

In the end, it's all up to the talent and artistic imagination of the photographer. Some composites are works of art and some composites are cr*p.

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Posted By: Julie

I can't post pictures--and that's the long and the short of it.

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Posted By: ramram

is the T200 Boston NL team photo. If you notice, all four guys in the front row have the same bodies with their hands under their chins (look at the folds in their uniforms, hand positions, etc.). Also, the guy at left in the middle row and the three on the far right, middle row, have the same bodies as well. The photographer changed some of the sizes and the contrast but, again, look at the folds in their uniforms, hand positions, etc. Lastly, (another photographer addition) look at the size of Whaling's head in the back row!