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
We are increasingly asked to provide our new lay-flat photobooks by people who have a collection of photographs that they want to both preserve and also share with others. Here is the feedback we received from Harry W when he received his photobook.
“I had been waiting for a long time to get my photographs of a wonderful trip to the Middle East put into a photobook but, as there were some 100 photographs, I really had no idea how best to deal with it.
I then had some photographs restored by Richard and they were so impressive that I asked him if he could make the book for me. He went to as great deal of trouble to send me miniature sheets of the photographs so that I could choose what to use and what to leave out, what I wanted to print as large copies and those that could be best fitted in as smaller ones.
When I received the final book, I was delighted and described the whole exercise as a masterpiece. It will be a family heirloom and a joy to continue to look at.”
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.
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….
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.
Are you one of the many people who has hundreds or even thousands of photographs, some in albums, some in boxes, and in more recent years, huge numbers of digital photographs on the computer? The thought of organising all your precious family photographs can seem quite overwhelming although when it’s done there are huge advantages that make the job very worthwhile.
How good would it be to be able to find the photos you want, when you want them, and end the seemingly endless frustrating searches that we’ve all done in the past. More importantly, when your photographs are organised, future generations will have all the benefits of your efforts. They will know who is who, dates, places and any other detail you may be able to add. Your photograph archive becomes a valuable heirloom.
It’s Easier Than You Think
At first it may seem like a task that is just too enormous to tackle. The good news is that when it’s broken down into simple steps, it’s much easier than you think, is actually great fun and is very rewarding.
Backing up Your Photographs For Safety
So now you have all your photographs in one place, you have named folders and photographs and they are easy to find. It’s important that you back them up. This can be done simply by copying the files onto a separate USB external hard drive, CD or memory stick or better still in the cloud on line. Livedrive (see www.livedrive.com) is an easy inexpensive cloud-based backup service – a small price to pay for security of all your precious photographs and any other information you need backed up.
Here is an interesting order I completed recently. Not only to combine two photographs that were in very poor condition but also to add the woman from the first photograph – minus baby! – to the second photograph while turning her around so she was facing the right way rather than turning her back on her husband!
This was the email I received from my customer…
“Well you’ve done it again, this time with knobs on and I am not referring to the door knob in one the photos! What an absolutely fantastic result. I appreciate the time and effort you must have put in to get the images of individuals in one photo transferred and included in another. The results to include the clean up and restoration are really brilliant, my great grandmother has literally “rejoined” her family – Fantastic. I can’t wait to present the final prints to members of my family.” John P