family history | Photographs Forever

My customer Brian C contacted me to restore his Grandfather’s certificate on which the handwritten personal information had badly faded in the frame. I asked Brian for the story behind his enquiry and he wrote this back to me –

“The certificate was presented to my Grandfather, an engine driver at Horsham, Sussex when he retired from British Railways in 1964.

It had hung on the wall in his house for many years, in a frame with no mount or seal and in bright sunlight. The effects of this are clear from the pre-restoration pictures.

When he died in 1982, I was given the certificate, which I had properly mounted and framed, however the damage was already done.

I have looked from time to time for somebody to restore it, however those I contacted all said it was too difficult. I saw your website and what you do, the old telegram being the clue, as most of your work is around photographs and I thought I would contact you to see if you could do anything for me. The answer is plain to see – a beautifully restored certificate, which looks like new, and will grace my wall as a nice reminder of my late Grandfather.”

John, now long retired, and in the centre picture as a boy, had these three photographs of his brother, himself and his dad on his brother’s new motorbike. He the thought the photographs were beyond repair and was absolutely thrilled that I managed to get the photographs to look this good again. I even turned his dad around so they are all facing the same way to go into the frame!

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.
You have done a very professional and absolutely stunning job. You are very talented at what you do.” John G

I often get asked to reproduce family photograph albums so that various members of the family can share the family history.

I was asked by Moira to recreate an important family photo album so that both she and her sister could have a copy of the book with the historic photographs and handwritten descriptions.

Below is the original and the new lay-flat photobook I created.

Moira said “My sister and I are just glad that we have this marvelous record to share and that you could bring it back to life for us”

Old album and new photobook

Moira told me

“My father signed up for his national service because the Essex Regiment were going to be posted to India. He had a place a medical school but deferred it to go to India. He loved it there, a complete culture shock from Chingford. The army taught him to drive, allowed him to play hockey and he was upset to leave India having fostered a dog there that he had to leave. My father was a doctor so army life was far from ideal but he appreciated the opportunity he was given and never forgot his time there. He was a keen photographer and you can see the care he took to display each photograph and carefully write an inscription.”

I found a very small framed old photograph of one of my family members with his family and wanted to see the man more clearly so I restored that section of the photograph that is just (1.5cm x 2.5cm) which I’ve printed A4 and it looks very good! Above is a photograph of the original photo alongside the A4 print. Below is the restored file.

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.