TUCSON PHOTO RESTORATIONS

The process of repairing old photos is something I enjoy. I love the expressions my customers give, when they see the treasured photos, they thought had seen their last days, have been given new life.

Repair Old Photos

I began to digitally repair old photos about twenty years ago. I hated having to pay my photo lab their exorbitant fees, whenever a correction needed to be made to one of my images. So I decided to acquire the necessary software and equipment and learned to do it myself. This was when film negatives and slides (positive transparency film) was still the primary media being used by professionals. If an image needed editing, I would scan the slide or negative to create a digital copy.

By 2005, most photographers, professional and amateur alike, made the transition from film to digital. Subsequently, as a professional photographer, in order to provide my clients with the quality product they expect, it became imperative to devote a *significant amount of time in the so called digital darkroom. (*This has always been the one big drawback to digital photography.) After photographing a wedding, I would typically spend anywhere from twenty to forty hours editing the resulting images, depending on the size of the package.

My point to all this is that I have literally spent thousands of hours, making digital corrections and alterations to images. As most people can attest, when you spend that much time doing anything you become pretty efficient at it. Twenty years ago, when a woman brought in the torn and faded old photo of two baby children (shown below), it took me nearly four hours to do the digital repair work. Today, I can do the same thing in less than twenty minutes.

What this all translates into for you, the customer, is SAVINGS, more production and less cost. You can go somewhere where they supposedly specialize in this kind of stuff and pay through the nose, or you can have me do it , better and for less.

Digital Services

Digital Photo Repair

It should be noted, I do not repair the actual physical prints. Instead, the old or damaged print is scanned and a digital copy is created. The original print is returned to you. Digital corrections are made to the digital file.

After completion, you receive digital file(s) of the repaired image. You can take the digital file(s) and have your own prints made somewhere, or I can have have prints made for you. If you are in the area, depending on the size of the job, I may be able to do the work, while you wait.

SlIDES AND FILM NEGATIVES: At this time, I do not offer restoration services or digital reproductions from slides or film negatives.

This was a fun project. A woman brought this old torn photo in, which had been kept under wrap for years. She didn't know how old it was, but speculated that it probably dated to the early nineteen twenties. Then we found the date 1926 meticulously written on the back, by her mother in law, who was about sixteen in this photo that contained her high school diploma.

Photo Color Restoration

A customer asked me if could restore the faded color in this photo, taken in the early seventies. I was like, what color, all I see is a sepia tone? She recalled the original colors the best she could and I took it from there. If you have an old photo where the color is beginning to fade, it is best that you get it to me before there is no color left at all, as the task of restoring color becomes more time consuming and costly, when there is no color left at all.

How Get a Price Quote - For a price quote, please do one of the following:

VISIT: If you live in the Tucson, Marana or Oro Valley area, all you have to do is call (Cell: 520-990-3964, Land: 520-744-2067) to set up an appointment to show your photos. I will provide you with an on-the-spot assessment of the repair cost. PLEASE ~ NO UNANNOUNCED or DROP BY VISITS! (I work from a home/office.)

SEND ME AN EMAIL: If you only have a few images you want estimates for, send an email and attach digital pictures of each image. *Read instructions below.

TEXT IT TO ME: Take a picture of it with your cell phone and text it to me, at 520-990-3964. *Read instructions below.

*If the print(s) you want digitally repaired are 8x10 inches or smaller, you can avoid the travel time it takes to bring them here, by scanning them with a flat bed scanner or taking quality images of them with your cell phone.

SCANNING: If you have access to a scanner and want to use that method, check your settings first. Scan a quick preview of the print. Select only the printed image area. Set the properties to "color prints" or the equivalent. Set the resolution to 300 dpi or higher. Save the image in a folder, using the JPEG format, if possible. Then send them to me. Other formats are acceptable as well.

CELL PHONE IMAGES: If taking pictures with your cell phone, for best results, use window lighting. Avoid direct sunlight and DO NOT use flash. Lay the print down on a white, black or gray cloth or paper background. Stand as close to the print as possible, without casting any shadows on it. Line up the photo with your camera, so that all four corners of the image are proportionally equal in the frame and not distorted. (This process is similar to taking a photo of a check for mobile bank deposits.) Snap a picture. Examine the results. Make sure there is no blur, shake or image distortion. If you are not happy with the results try again, until you achieve satisfaction. Then email or text the files to me. When quality photos are produced, I can provide a more accurate estimate of the cost to repair. Sometimes the quality of the files people send to me are so good, I am even able to use them to perform the actual repairs.

SHIP IT TO ME: If none of the above works for you, you can ship your prints to me. *Click here for shipping details and instructions. Please call for approval before shipping anything to me.

Disclaimer - COPYRIGHT LAWS
PLEASE READ: Submitting photographic media for repair or duplication, in digital or hard copy, implies that you own or have given been the go-ahead to have copies made. If your images were taken by an active photographer or studio, be sure you have their prior approval before submitting your media. Check with me, if you have any questions.