Throwback Thursday:  Here is a restoration I made last year that I wanted to revisit.  I get a lot of phone calls about all that is possible with photographic restoration, most calls speak about the photograph as a precious family treasure.  Often the image to be worked on is the only image of that family member.  I start slowly with each photograph, I sit with it for a few minutes just looking at the damage and think about where to begin.  This photograph is like a lot of images that I restore.  It has damage to the face, as well as texture to the paper to work around.  I created a new negative, then printed a silver gelatin fiber print.  I then sepia toned, painted with oil, and varnished the final photograph. 

The turnaround time on images like this is generally about 3-4 weeks start to finish.  I do receive work via mail as well as taking local appointments in Chicago.  If you would like to talk to me about restoring your family's favorite photographs just give me a call!  I love helping people bring these type of images back to life.  - Jen 619 (829) 5002

Restoring photographs will always be a great love of mine.  To be able to breathe life back into an old photograph can be a gift to the family that receives it.  This image was restored by first creating a new gelatin silver negative and photograph.  The photograph was then sepia toned and painted with oil.  The frame had seen some wear with time, so it too was given some new paint.  Now back together with it's original frame, this painted photograph allows the family to see a face that had long ago faded giving back what seemed lost to time.

The original photograph is a faded paper print, circa 1950.  It is so badly faded that there was little image to be had.  Some parts of the image I airbrushed in to create detail, especially in the faces.  I then created a newly restored slide and tintype.  This metal photograph is one of three, sent as a gift to each one of the little kids in the original.

Last year I photographed Rachel and Fred's wedding.  It was a beautiful ceremony at the Alcazar garden in Balboa park.  Surrounded by family and friends, they exchanged vows and promises of a new life together.  For their first anniversary, we made a framed photograph for Fred, and we then took that same image and created a digital tintype of the special moment for Rachel.  These digital tintypes can be made from almost any image!  Click here to get started uploading your own.

This in one of eight family photos that I restored this week for a client.  The originals have been all different, some with water damage, some terribly faded with time.  The image on the left is the original circa 1930; the image on the right is the restoration.  Next, I will create a new negative of the restored image on the right, and then will print a gelatin silver photograph to replace the faded original.  Now this 'only picture of grandpa' will live on for his great-great-great grand kids to enjoy!

I took in an order of nine old tintypes this weekend.  They are all from one family and even though they are all badly damaged, it is still amazing how much detail remains on the surface of these tiny metal plates.  I'll be putting the missing pieces back together, rebuilding this families tintype heirlooms, and restoring old memories of long gone relatives. 

I can now even restore the old tintype to a new tintype, which is a great way to preserve memories both new and old.  Click here to get started!  They are 20% off just until the end of the month!

This digitype was made from an old family photograph; my great-grandfather is the boy standing to the far right.  I had restored this photograph a number of years back and made silver gelatin paper prints for my family.  I saved the digital file and yesterday made this digital tintype from the image.  Now this family heirloom is truly preserved!  Click here to get started making your own!

Preserve your family memories by turning your paper photographs into tintypes. 

Click here to get started uploading your images! 

Remembering those special moments with photographic restoration.  The original image is a 2" x 3" faded color photograph of Paula and her parents on her graduation day from St. Francis School of Nursing, in June of 1966.  Paula was twenty and just three years out of high school when she completed the nursing program that brought her to San Francisco.  She went right from graduation to working as a nurses aide until she received her license.  Paula then worked in a medical surgical unit and later as head nurse for several different units.  Her career as a nurse lasted 38 years until she retired.  Her education cost roughly 2200 per year and included room & board, uniforms & laundry; it is quite a shift from the nursing educational requirements of today.  Paula's whole education and first brand new car (blue vw bug) cost less than ten thousand dollars.  Paula is my second mother, and always an example of the 3 p's.  Pretty, poised, and practical, she is a self made gal and I love her.  I restored this photo as an early mother's day gift, that I could frame and mail to Paula to celebrate her accomplishments as a professional woman and loving mom.