Every once in a while, I have a client come in for a portrait session and they ask me about their old photos and how to preserve them. It’s important to preserve your family history!

Protect your valuables!

We all have old photos laying around in a box, in the attic, or in a junk drawer. What happens is that the method in which they used way back then was with chemicals.  So, in time, the chemicals start to erode the print.  Mold sets in. They turn purple.  Yada, yada, yada…

Most of the time they can be restored, and sometimes it’s a tedious chore to go thru and fix all that you can digitally.

Susan, my friend and client came to me with a box of old photos and as I looked at them I noticed one photo of a little girl that was very old and printed on cardboard.  The biggest problem was that it was cracked in many sections and needed immediate attention. I scanned the sections and placed them back together like a jigsaw puzzle. I must admit that is was difficult and this restoration needed professional help.  Most people can do minor restoration themselves. You just need a scanner and understand basic Photoshop techniques. After the restoration was completed I noticed that someone had painted the highlights on the image to brighten some parts. A lot of older images I restore show this old technique as well as coloring the image. Sometimes it was done by an artist or the photographer themselves.    

I am not sure how important this is to you, however if you are a person that wants to protect the images of the past, then I suggest you revisit them and safeguard the important ones.  Buy a scanner and try it yourself, or let a professional help you.

The past (I believe) must be preserved. It’s our duty to pass these images down to the next generation.

Scan away!