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Archive for Sussex

Rush Job From Mexico Completed In 9 Hours!

I received an enquiry from a professional photographer in Mexico recently. He sent a scan of the image and, after I’d responded, he replied:

“A friend tried to restore this photo before, but it was AWFUL, they looked like plastic figurines! Please go ahead with the restoration. I will be very happy if you could do it fast, only if you can and it doesn’t affect the quality of the restoration. Please don’t make them like Toy Story!”

9 hours later he had the restored image for approval and replied:

“WOW, that was waaay faster than I expected. I am very happy with the result!”

Mexico

I was intrigued to know how he found Photographs Forever:

“I Googled photo restoration… I found a LOT, some in the US, some in India and a lot in the UK. And your site is the one I liked the most because your examples look natural, not as CGI as most.”

 So in recent months I have carried out restoration work for customers in Canada, Spain, Australia, South Africa, Isle of Man, Germany, USA, Italy and now Mexico!

 

Graffiti Art Retouched For Bof! CD Release

I recently was asked by Simon, accordianist with the folk/dance band Bof! to manipulate graffiti he had photographed to produce CD cover artwork for their forthcoming CD.

BOF!2013R2-Web

Here’s Simon’s story:

“I play traditional French and Breton dance music in a band called Bof! We have been going since 2000 and in that time have made three CDs. Earlierthis year we decided to make a fourth recording and, having recorded the music, we looked around for a suitable CD cover image. We looked at dozens of photos – some of idyllic scenes of the French countryside and others of people dancing. But then we came across a photograph I had taken while on a holiday in France some years ago. It was a picture of graffiti on a wall in the ancient, picturesque city of Quimper in western Brittany. The image expressed strong traditional Breton themes using the medium of spray painting favoured by graffiti artists the world over. The music Bof! plays is traditional but with a modern flavour, so this image seemed perfect for us.

Somehow, however, we needed to superimpose text on the image. How could we do this without spoiling the artist’s work? We came up with the idea of manipulating the image to include the name of the band, Bof! and the title of the recording, Bal (the French for dance).

So I sent my image to Photographs Forever to see if they could do what seemed like an impossible job. I have to admit I wasn’t very optimistic, but you can see the results for yourself. Needless to say we are delighted with how it’s turned out and this image will be the cover of our new CD which we hope to release in June.

You can hear samples of Bof! music at: http://www.myspace.com/bofanost

Genes Reunited Blog About Photograph Restoration by Photographs Forever

If you’re a regular user of Genes Reunited, you may already have investigated our Keepsafe feature, which allows you to upload treasured family photographs and documents. It’s a great way to ensure your digital legacy – a carefully curated and preserved archive that you can share with your family. But what about all those old photos that you keep meaning to scan in, but just haven’t had the chance? Photos, like any archive material, can degrade over the years – have you checked on those shoeboxes and old albums recently?

Richard Haines of Photographs Forever specialises in restoring old photographs, and says “Unfortunately photographs don’t age well and over time their quality deteriorates. Because photos are printed on paper, things such as handling, light, moisture, dust, and scratches often affect them. Regrettably, these factors can ruin our photos and prevent them from lasting through future generations. Poor storage, such as keeping photos in attics or basements or allowing photos to be exposed to sunlight, have all contributed to the poor condition of most of our photo collections.

“It is a very 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 you have digital copies you needn’t worry about further damage because digital images do not change at all.”

Faded photograph restored
Faded photograph restored

You can even get enlargements made of restored photos – perhaps you’d like to present your parents with a framed version of their favourite photo on their first holiday, or give all the grandchildren a copy of an old (but badly scratched and folded) family photo. Richard comments “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 repairing other damage. 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.”

Tattered portrait photograph of soldier rescued
Tattered portrait photograph of soldier rescued

Once you can see the detail in those old photos more clearly, they may even hold valuable clues to aspects of your family history – who’s that woman standing on the edge of the family group? What’s that landmark in the background? Richard says “Deteriorating photos may provide important historical links in your family or possible clues about your ancestors. When rebuilding your family tree, it is possible to determine certain aspects of your ancestry, such as weddings, landmarks of geographical nature and important occasions. Enhancing your old photos may reveal details you had not noticed before.” Remember, when you upload your photos to Keepsafe, you can choose to make them public to other Genes Reunited users and invite others to help you investigate them further – someone else might have the answers you’ve been looking for.

Take some time this week to look over your old photographs and create safe digital copies of them – you may even find precious photos you’d like to see restored. And if you have any questions regarding preserving old photographs then Richard would be happy to help you.

Try Keepsafe now

by Richard Haines of Photographs Forever

 

Click HERE  to see the Blog entry on Genes Reunited’s own website

A Couple of Restoration Ideas That Aren’t Photogtraphs

People that have had their special photographs restored will have realised the value of having had this work done.

As well as restoring damaged and faded black and white photographs there are other types of restoration I thought you may be interested to know that I do.
I’ve recently restored a newspaper article dated January 1966 which was very fragile and about to fall apart. Here’s the before and after, having combined two parts of the newspaper:

Then there’s the terrific artwork that our children have done at school on awful quality paper that fades and tears so easily.
Still retaining all it’s original charm this painting is now saved forever, can be printed and framed, any size, and it won’t fade as the prints are on archive paper :

I can digitally restore and make huge improvements to all your:

  • Damaged photographs  
  • Faded black & white/colour photographs
  • Photographs that contain unwanted articles, backgrounds or even people!
  • Newspaper cuttings and photographs
  • Drawings and paintings
  • Children’s artwork
  • Documents
  • Virtually any printed material!
So do make the time to dig out those important photographs, paintings or newspaper articles etc and get in touch with me so I can restore them to their former glory or, in many cases, give you results better than the original ever was!

There’s No Time Like The Present……To Get Those Photographs Restored

If you’re still thinking about getting those special photographs of yours restored, see what recent customers have said about the results I produced for them.

“The restored photos arrived today and they are really excellent.  They recall teenage and early twenties so well that I was, as Victoria Wood used to say, filling up!  Thank you so much Richard.”
Tom G – Ambleside, Cumbria
“Hi Richard. You have produced another masterpiece!  My mother and fathers wedding photograph is great.”
Frank A – Birmingham
“Hi Richard – photographs received this morning.  They’ve surpassed my expectations and are truly lovely. Thank you so much for taking the time to readjust the colours.  We have I think achieved a wonderful true to life result which my parents will be overjoyed with. I will recommend Photographs Forever to friends and family.”
Jane S – Aylesbury
SOME EXAMPLES OF BEFORE AND AFTER RESTORATION

    

Remember, I can digitally restore and make huge improvements to all your:
  • Damaged photographs  
  • Faded black & white/colour photographs
  • Photographs that contain unwanted articles, backgrounds or even people!
  • Newspaper cuttings and photographs
  • Drawings and paintings
  • Children’s artwork
  • Documents
  • Virtually any printed material!
So do make the time to dig out those important photographs etc and get in touch with me so I can restore them to their former glory or, in many cases, give you results better than the original ever was!

January – The Ideal Time For a Photograph Rummage!

Do you have loads of your precious photographs safely tucked away somewhere?
With the promise of snow and cold January days and nights what better time is there for you to locate and rummage through your old family photographs?
Although we all have photographs we feel are really precious, how often do we actually look at them?  I know from personal experience that once you sit down and start looking through your photographs it’s a really enjoyable experience!
Maybe you’ll find that some of them are very small that you may like enlarged or framed so you can keep them on view to be continually enjoyed.  Others may be looking faded or tatty and would benefit from being digitally restored.
If you find you have a quantity of photographs that you would like to create into a Photobook the cost for a high quality scan and basic image optimisation is as little as £2.50 per picture.
This means you’ll be able print copies and enlargements as well as email your photos to others.
So make an appointment with yourself for this weekend and check those photographs out. You’ll be glad you did! 
Let me know how it goes..
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For Christmas we gave our children their own 100 page Photobook of themselves growing up. They were all absolutely thrilled to bits with them..
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Most importantly your photographs, once scanned, can be stored safely on a CD with no fear of them fading or deteriorating ever again.
 
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RECENT RESTORATIONS
Below is a photograph in a newspaper where my customer’s son was cycling with Bradley Wiggins. Newspaper articles are usually relatively poor print quality with the ‘dots’ being very visible when enlarged. This restored photograph was printed 15″ x 10″ and looked really impressive.
The photograph below was an interesting challenge. The original photograph had been badly damaged by water. Not only that but the original frame glass was also smashed and the photograph was stuck to the broken glass! As the photograph had great sentimental value, the customer had framed the stained original complete with the broken glass in a new glazed frame!  It was not possible to scan so I photographed it and restored from that image.
Mounted in a new frame with mount finished the transformation.
So if you need any help or advice in relation to storing, cataloging, scanning or restoring your photographs, don’t hesitate to Richard a call on 01825 740986 any time, I’ll always be happy to help.

Photographs Forever – Guest Blogger on Ancestry.co.uk and also Your Family Tree Magazine

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:

Benefits of Restoring Your Photographs

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 – Mature Times Competition

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

Friday, 13 July 2012

Autodot biography_2

Autodot biography_1

 

 

 

 

 

 

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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.

Photograph restoration1

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.

Photograph restoration3

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

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Win Photograph Restoration Worth £50

The Federation Of Family History Societies is running a competition that is open to all.

Here are the details:

This Month’s Competition

Soldier

Photographs Forever

Many of us come across old family photographs during our family history research but sadly some are damaged. We met Richard, who runs Photographs Forever, at this year’s WDYTYA. Photographs Forever provides a quality Photo Restoration, Photo Retouching Service and Photo Editing Service that will restore the life to your photographs. They will scan or (re-photograph) your photographs in high resolution, restore and provide digital files and/or fresh new prints of your old photographs to give them a new lease of life and help them to last.

For your chance to win a fabulous photograph restoration prize worth £50.00, answer the following question – Name the four photograph restoration services offered by Photographs Forever and email your answer with “Photos Forever” in the subject line to competitions@ffhs.org.uk by 8 June 2012.

Enter now and GOOD LUCK!!

If you would like to see the remainder of the May Ezine from the Federation of Family History Societies, here’s the link:

http://www.ffhs.org.uk/ezine/ezine1205.htm