My customer John G had a photograph he had taken of an old oil painting of an early member of his family (centre photo above). The photograph he gave me was not very good quality itself and you can see by the close up of the face on the left that the surface of the painting was also very cracked and damaged.
On the right is the same section after I had digitally restored it.
My customer John G wanted to get his grandfather with his two brothers together in a single photograph with a Scottish background.
Here are the three individual photographs and below the final result
Here’s the review John left for me on Yell.com
“Please accept my wonderful thanks for the restored colour job you did to the photo of my late grandfather and his two brothers.
I received an enquiry from Debbie Summers of Acorn Framing in Bognor Regis asking if I could restore a very poor computer print photograph of a soldier she has been asked to frame with the soldier’s medals as a tribute for their family history.
Here is the before and after
Debbie then suggested that her customer added a nameplate with the details and also a genuine cap badge to go into the frame too. This was agreed and Debbie supplied these.
Here is the finished article
A photo tells a 1000 words….
A much faded photo in an old album of photographs of a child born in April 1918 shows that little girl, Hylda, clutching a much loved toy monkey
called Jacko.
Hylda gazed at the photo and recalled that as a small child she listened to the minister of her church in Kingkerswell urging all the children to give a treasured toy as a present to children who would otherwise not receive a Christmas toy. Full of good intentions Hylda gave Jacko away.
Her feelings of good will and self sacrifice lasted a day after which she spent many hours in tears for the loss of her beloved Jacko! Imagine her delight when the beautifully restored photo of Hylda and Jacko came as a special birthday card celebrating her 100th birthday…
Hylda enjoyed wonderful celebrations with her family, and friends and the story of Jacko was once again shared! The photo and the many others now restored remain as memories for
both Hylda and her family
Photographs are by far the best way you have to remember your own special times and your family history. Have you got a collection of really special photographs that stay tucked away and that you never look at?
Here’s a perfect way for you to easily change that. Let me put together for you your own personalised lay-flat photo book album and create for you a unique keepsake that you will treasure forever!
I can help you at every stage of the process, including scanning your photographs, optimising them to reduce fading and correct the colours, putting the photo book together with titles and captions if required and even sending you an online virtual proof of the book, for you to approve before it’s printed.
Our new lay-flat premium photo book offers a truly professional finish. The photo books are digitally printed on heavy weight 216gsm premium silk paper and then sewn bound for added permanence. The outer cover can also be printed and then gloss laminated for protection. This is a substantial book that far superior to many other photobooks you may have seen.
The lay-flat albums use a unique hinge which allows for the continuous flow of images over a spread, with almost no central image loss.
Also available is a black tissue-lined presentation box, ideal if the photo book is being given as a gift.
You will then have a wonderful photographic record of all your memories to enjoy and share with others as well as something that will last forever.
So take the first step now! Look out those precious photographs and select the ones that will go in your photo book and get in touch with me by phone or email if you have any queries or anything you’d like to discuss in more detail.
With Christmas now on the horizon here are some ideas for a unique gift that’s ideal for those who can be tricky to find something a bit different.
Here just a few examples of the many ways I can transform your photographs….
If you have a photograph that has faded in its frame, it can be restored and re-coloured.
Two or more photographs can be combined and you can choose the people you want in the finished photo
Family groups can be ‘adjusted’ to include or exclude people!
Couples can finally be together in the same photograph.
Snapshots of pets can be made into portraits or montages
Treasured photographs that have suffered years of damage can be restored to their original state.
Combine a favourite photograph with a more interesting background.
Create a family montage from a selection of favourite photographs
Not sure which photos to use but can see the potential?
A Photographs Forever Gift Voucher of any value could be the answer.
We all have old photographs that we treasure, whether they are old family photographs passed on from previous generations, or historic photographs of the homes and towns we live in.
Photographs are the best tool we have to relive our cherished memories and remember loved ones who are no longer with us. Unfortunately photographs don’t age well and over time their quality diminishes.
Because photos are printed on paper things such as handling, light, moisture, dust, and scratches often affect them. Regrettably, these things can ruin our photos and prevent them from lasting through the generations.
Most of the photo papers and inks used up until recently have not been archival quality, and as a result, many photo prints show signs of fading and colour shifts after only a few years.
Poor storage practices such as keeping photos in attics or basements or allowing photos to be exposed to sunlight, have also contributed to the poor condition of most photo collections.
People don’t realize there is a problem until they take a look at their photo collection after many years of storage. Our precious photo collections are in fact fading away and in time many will be beyond recovery. There is also the possibility of their demise in the case of fire or flood.
It is a good idea to restore your special photographs or even entire photo collection in order to stop the unavoidable destruction that will take place no matter how carefully the photos are stored. Once restored, the photos can be copied to CD or DVD for long-term storage and safekeeping. Once you have digital copies you needn’t worry about further damage because digital images do not change at all. You can use these digital images to make a set of prints on archival paper, which will last over 100 years in an album with no signs of degradation or twenty years exposed to daylight for framed prints. Additional prints can be made at any time in the future should disaster strike. You can also share the images with other members of your family and friends.
During the restoration process it is also possible to improve the quality of the original photograph – for example removal of spots, stains, marks, tears as well as improving contrast, brightness, colour balance and enhance detail, focus and sharpness.
It is also possible to add colour to black and white photographs, as well as being able to make quality enlargements for framing.
Many of my customers have told me how they’d had difficulty confronting the task of sorting out their photographs which have piled up over the years, so I hope you find this helpful.
I’ve found that once I actually start a job that has been difficult to face, it’s always much easier and quicker that I thought it would be and invariably I actually enjoy the process, getting a good sense of satisfaction when it’s all done.
For example if you like the idea of having modern photo-books that will last forever with no deterioration, no loose photographs falling out and also a book of the family photographs that your relatives can easily have their own copy of then read on…..
It’s easiest to break the project into smaller manageable stages….
If there are various family members interested in your project, it is often the case that the overall cost can be shared so each person gets a finished photo-book and the cost of production of the book split several ways.
I hope this is helpful – don’t hesitate to get in touch to discuss any aspect further or if you need any further information – I can help you at every stage.
I can also assure you that the final photo-book will be something that you’ll truly treasure and you’ll be so glad you went to the effort to get it made.
Here is the original photograph, then the restored and colourised version. I knew what colour the Union Jacks were – all the rest were my best guess!
Photograph Before Restoration
Photograph After Restoration and Colourising
Here is an interesting story from Graham Jones who has carried out a massive amount of research on his family history with great results to show for his hard work. Here it is in his own words:
“Recently I have been working with Richard to create a set of some 20 framed photographs that now form a complete record of my family back to 1850. The initial idea came from a very battered, postcard size photograph dated 1895 that showed my great-grandparents and their eight children. I asked Richard to scan, restore, enlarge to A3 size, title and frame the photograph. The result caused so much interest in my family that apart from ordering a further three copies, the wider project was born. Collectively, the family has pooled our best photographs of parents, grandparents, great-grandparents and even two great great grandparents. Apart from normal restoration and enlargement, Richard has also prepared several composites to splice together the various groupings that we requested. The complete set now forms its own “gallery” in my home and the whole family is delighted with the result”
Here are some of the photographs in question and the gallery Graham has created
Photograph Restoration/Montage
Photograph Restoration/Montage
Restored Photograph Gallery
