history | Photographs Forever

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

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.

Photograph restoration is very popular, although you may be interested to know that I also scan and restore many other things

For example I restored a drawing that, over the years had become torn, dog eared and generally in very poor condition. I restored the artwork and made an enlargement on archive paper and mounted this in a plain black wooden frame.
Here’s the before and after:

Do you have precious unique documents such as Birth Certificates, School Reports, Qualification Certificates, Death Certificates, Wills or any other documents that should be digitally preserved and restored shared with other members of the family? If you are creating your family album or your family tree, you could add images of important documents.

What about the children’s artwork? Their wonderful creative drawings and paintings are nearly always done on the cheapest paper, the paint fades, they get crumpled up and torn. Save them now. I will scan them and then you’ll images you can print, put into photo books and share with the family

Do you have negatives of possibly precious photographs and lost the prints?
Do you have a collection of negatives and you’ve no idea what the images on them are of?

I can scan your negatives whether they are 35mm or 127, 126, 120 roll film or even the really old glass negatives and provide you with positive images as data files, which I can then restore if necessary or just print or enlarge your favourites.

You may have a large number of 35mm or 6cm slides from the 70’s and 80’s but no longer have a projector that works. Let me scan and improve them so you can enjoy them again. They are often really high quality and make great enlargements.

So don’t delay, wherever you are, whatever town, city or county, look out those precious documents, drawings, artwork, negatives, slides and of course those fantastic old family photographs and let me restore them, repair them, retouch them so you and your family and friends can enjoy them forever.

I received this message from Irene after I has restored her photograph and I was quite touched –

“Thank you so much for your recent work which was excellent as usual. The photograph you restored fits beautifully into the frame and looks wonderful surrounded by a verse from one of my favourite songs. No apologies for the sentimental nature of the words! I’ve sent you a copy so you can see the end result.

There were some lovely surprises with the negatives. Some photographs I have never seen before and others have not been seen by the family for years. I have no idea who the people playing football are! I have included several of the photographs in my writing – which is nearly finished by the way.”

Always very gratifying to receive this kind of message.

There is no better way to remember all the great times in life than through the photographs you have from the past, present and future. Previous generations have very few photographs compared with the number we have today. Photographs are so important yet they often remain locked inside our phones or packed away in a box.

So make the most of your photographs. Here are 8 tips….

Download the photos from your phone – either onto your computer or a cloud-based storage site such as MyKnowHowCloud.com where you can store all your photographs and any other important files.
Make prints and enlargements of the best photographs, frame them and get them out on display so you can enjoy them.
Photographs are a great way to remind you of good times that you’ve had and important events in your life.
Photographs are the best way to remember parents, grandparents and past generations. In many really old photographs the people in them often look very serious in formal poses in studios. These were sometimes the only photographs that existed and they have a special charm and look great when enlarged and framed.
Create a photo book of your favourite memories. Your photos are the record of your life so far. A photo book of your family life in pictures is a wonderful thing to have and will give you and others a huge amount of pleasure.
Taking photographs today is a fantastic way of spending time that costs virtually nothing. It’s creative, social and rewarding. We take as many photos each day now as in the first 74 years of photography. It’s important to remember to do something positive with the photos you take.
If they’re not right, fix them! With the fantastic technology available today virtually any photo that is is in some way not as good as you’d like it to be can be resolved with digital software. You can fix lots of elements yourself with free programs such as Google Picasa.
Use Photographs Forever as a resource for any advice you may need with your photographs. You can call me any time. It is my passion that you make the most of your photographs. Get them on display, and get them scanned so you have digital copies in case the original prints get lost or damaged. If they need improving either do it yourself or let me do it for you. Let there be photographs!

Photographs Forever was given the opportunity to add a blog entry on the Ancestry.co.uk website.

To see the blog written about Saving Your Precious Photographs click on the Guest Blogger logo below:

We also wrote an blog article for Your Family Tree Magazine which has some important points on the Benefits of Restoring Your Photographs.

To see this article – click on the image below:

The following article was written for Photographs Forever by long-standing customer Kate Helen – I think you’ll find it fascinating.
Kate’s passion for the subject makes a great read!

Restore Your Favourite Photographs Now!

There are many benefits to restoring you old photos. With advances in technology, it’s possible to edit, enhance and save your images in digital files and you can share them with other family members or friends, electronically. Photographs Forever can take a torn or faded photograph and transform it into a beautifully-restored photo, suitable for framing.

Here are just some of the benefits of restoring your favourite photographs.

Preservation of your original images
Perhaps the primary benefit of restoring old photos is the preservation of your original images. In the case of deteriorating photographs, time may be of the essence. Since the oldest photographs are not on archival paper or finished to protect them from fading, professional restoration, editing or preservation will prevent further deterioration. It’s possible you have stored an old box of photos in your attic or basement, away from sunlight or moisture. You should be aware that degradation and fading can occur, even without any direct exposure to daylight.

Enlargements are possible
Many precious old photographs, often the last copy in existence, are good quality but too small to see the detail. Restoration not only captures the image electronically but then allows the restored photograph to be enlarged so prints and enlargements can be made or framed so they can be truly enjoyed in all their glory.

Eliminate scratches, folds, tears and fading
Since old photographs have a tendency to degrade over time, professional photo restorers have developed digital techniques for restoring your old photographs and they can eliminate scratches, cracks, tears, and fading as well as repair other damage. There are ways you can restore your photographs for yourself using programs such as Picasa by Google. For the best outcome though, expert advice should be considered.

Genealogical benefits
For those building their family trees photographs can be an integral part of finding out more details about ancestors. There are many details in photographs many of which cannot be seen until the photograph has been restored.

Electronic storage and ease of sharing
Restoring your old photos allows them to be converted to digital images, which are easy to store and share with friends or family. With advances in technology, it’s possible to take an entire photo collection and store it on CD or DVD. This can be a convenient way to retrieve a particular group of photographs or safely secure an additional copy, which will last into the next century. You can share digital copies through email or print as many copies as you need. You can even duplicate on archive paper entire photo albums that will last long into the future with no deterioration due to the archive paper used.

These are just some of the benefits of restoring your old photos. So check your own favourite family photographs now. Select the most important ones and get them scanned and restored so that you, your family and future generations will have the pleasure of enjoying them.

Win your own biography, and restored photographs – courtesy of Autodotbiography and Photographs Forever

Friday, 13 July 2012

Just imagine holding a beautiful book written by your great grandfather telling you all about his life, his hopes, his dreams, his triumphs and disasters. Now imagine your great grandchildren holding just such a book of your life. It would be their most precious possession. Now it is possible for everyone to write a beautiful book about their life for their family.

Autodotbiography is a unique online system that makes it possible for anyone, no matter how skilled or unskilled at writing, to create their own life story in a beautifully written, lavishly illustrated hardback book.

It is incredibly easy to do, all you have to do is gather up your favourite photographs and important documents; then take a trip down memory lane and answer simple questions about your life andAutodotbiography will take the words and pictures and turn them into a beautiful book that becomes a family heirloom.

All you would need to do is collect together your favourite photos to scan into your computer.

Photographs are a vital part in telling any life story and all too often the most precious ones are faded or damaged. Most of the photograph 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.

That’s where Photographs Forever come in. Photographs Forever are a photograph restoration company offering a reliable photo restoration and photo retouching service and quality photo editing service that is reasonably priced and a service that you can trust.

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 realise there is a problem until they take a look at their photo collection after many years of storage. Once restored, the photos can be copied to CD or DVD for long-term storage and safekeeping.

During the restoration process it is also possible for Photographs Forever 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. Photo retouching makes all the difference.

Mature Times is extremely lucky to be able to give one lucky reader the chance to have all of their memories restored and collected together into a fantastic Autodotbiography – courtesy of Autodotbiography and Photographs Forever.

To be in with a chance of winning, simply click here, enter your full name and address and tell us why you think you should win.

This competition closes on 16th August 2012

People often think that when they have a photograph restored, the finished restored print will only be the same size as the original. It’s true that it can be, but what is often overlooked is that after a photograph has been digitally restored, the finished image can be printed virtually any size. It can be printed smaller for a locket or a special frame and, more importantly, it can be enlarged to a size at which you can see the detail of the original photo.

Here’s an example…
Below is the print that I was given to work from, originally a good quality studio portrait and the only remaining print was this deteriorated one, which was about 4 inches x 3inches.
Compare the “before” print to the finished enlargement after I had restored the image and you can now see the original detail in all its glory….

If this was your grandma, what a great picture to frame and put on the wall for all to enjoy

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Archive for history – Page 2

100 Year Old Photograph Tells 1000 Words

9 Great Ways To Transform Your Photographs

Restoration of Photographs, Artwork, Certificates, Children’s Artwork, Negatives and Slides by Photographs Forever

Sentimental Framed Photograph After Restoration

8 Great Tips to Help You Make The Most of Your Photographs

My Fascination For Vintage Photographs by Kate Helen

Make The Most of Your Restored Photograph – With a Framed Enlargement

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No Risk Photograph Restoration - Free Advice Call 01825 740986