Who Repairs Old Photos? (NOT digital restoration)

bvy · Mar 4, 2019

Is there anyone who professionally repairs old photos? I have one family treasure that has some crud over a portion of it -- looks like a thin layer of whatever was sitting against it in a wallet for a long time. Trying to remove it myself, even after soaking in water, was unsuccessful. It's a color print on matte paper. Thanks.

Hilo · Mar 4, 2019

Hello from The Netherlands

Perhaps ask someone in this place: https://www.photoantiquities.org/

removed account4 · Mar 4, 2019

Hi

I don't know anyone who still does that sort of work the non-digital way. If so, it might require you learning how to do it yourself !
this book >>> https://www.amazon.com/Retouching-Y...+retouching&qid=1551729504&s=gateway&sr=8-217
is great. It was published before the flight to digital and is thorough. You might be able to still find the retoucing dyes online.

bvy · Mar 4, 2019

Thanks. Not looking for a restoration, per se, but rather someone who could peel the crud off revealing the picture underneath without ruining it.

chip j · Mar 4, 2019

My friend here in Youngstown is very good at restoring photos by hand. Very reasonable, too.

MattKing · Mar 4, 2019

Does Pittsburgh have a city archive or a museum with a collection of photographs? If so, there may be people there who can help.

removed account4 · Mar 4, 2019

bvy said:
Thanks. Not looking for a restoration, per se, but rather someone who could peel the crud off revealing the picture underneath without ruining it.

good luck with that especially since for the past 10-20 YEARS has been using electronic methods. I am sorry for being a pessimist, but as someone who does
archival silver gelatin photography for libraries and archives, the people who do old school restoration work are kind of extinct, like people LIKE US who do silver gelatin work...

GOOD LUCK in finding someone who does your thing ( and is affordable )
john

ps. Sorry to sound like a bummer, but >> photoshop fixing > light jet is still a color print, that's how they print c41 film ...

bvy · Mar 4, 2019

jnantz said:
good luck with that especially since for the past 10-20 YEARS has been using electronic methods. I am sorry for being a pessimist, but as someone who does
archival silver gelatin photography for libraries and archives, the people who do old school restoration work are kind of extinct, like people LIKE US who do silver gelatin work...

GOOD LUCK in finding someone who does your thing ( and is affordable )
john

ps. Sorry to sound like a bummer, but >> photoshop fixing > light jet is still a color print, that's how they print c41 film ...

I'm not following. I'd be thrilled for a digital restoration and/or print, but about a quarter of the image area is under a solid surface of goop.

removed account4 · Mar 4, 2019

bvy said:
I'm not following. I'd be thrilled for a digital restoration and/or print, but about a quarter of the image area is under a solid surface of goop.

'
IDK it sounded like you were only interested in "traditional" work. There might be "digital" restoration people around..

chip j · Mar 4, 2019

Sorry bvy, but my friend retired some yrs ago and his corrective oils are all dryed up.

John51 · Mar 5, 2019

Do you have any non treasure prints that have similar crud?

Would be useful to practice on.

removed account4 · Mar 5, 2019

bvy said:
I'm not following. I'd be thrilled for a digital restoration and/or print, but about a quarter of the image area is under a solid surface of goop.

Sorry for my confusion! The title of the thread says specifically ( NOT Digital Restoration ) so I thought you were going the old school route. You might see if a mini lab local to you has anyone they work with that does photo restoration. I know the one near me does that sort of work, or sends out to have someone else do it, maybe there is a similar service near you.

John

darkroommike · Mar 5, 2019

You're actually looking for a conservationist rather than a restoration. Restorations are done either with a copy negative and fiber based "work print" that is airbrushed or the Photoshop equivalent. Conservation is very expensive. I hope that you made the best negative or scan you could before you got started. BTW I remember reading years ago about some guy in Japan that did the kind of conservation you seek. years ago, no details.

AgX · Mar 6, 2019

darkroommike said:
You're actually looking for a conservationist rather than a restoration. Restorations are done either with a copy negative and fiber based "work print" that is airbrushed or the Photoshop equivalent. Conservation is very expensive.

Interesting differentiation. Here in Germany we got a different meaning again, what makes discussions difficult.

bvy · Mar 6, 2019

jnantz said:
Sorry for my confusion! The title of the thread says specifically ( NOT Digital Restoration ) so I thought you were going the old school route. You might see if a mini lab local to you has anyone they work with that does photo restoration. I know the one near me does that sort of work, or sends out to have someone else do it, maybe there is a similar service near you.

It's fine, I just meant that digital restoration wasn't the correct tool for the job.

John51 said:
Do you have any non treasure prints that have similar crud?

Unfortunately not.

chip j said:
Sorry bvy, but my friend retired some yrs ago and his corrective oils are all dryed up.

Thanks for checking.

MattKing said:
Does Pittsburgh have a city archive or a museum with a collection of photographs? If so, there may be people there who can help.

darkroommike said:
You're actually looking for a conservationist rather than a restoration.

I think you're right. And maybe Matt's idea can help me find one.

tezzasmall · Mar 6, 2019

jnantz said:
...this book https://www.amazon.com/Retouching-Y...+retouching&qid=1551729504&s=gateway&sr=8-217
is great. It was published before the flight to digital and is thorough.

Thanks for the book recommendation. Like many, I am constantly learning how to retouch 'the old fashioned way'. And the book in the UK is only a couple of pounds / dollars including postage, so for the price even just a few new tips or techniques will be well worth the price paid.

Terry S

ultrachrome-x · Mar 6, 2019

In North America, these people do this work and are damn good at it...

http://www.thebetterimage.com/

pentaxuser · Mar 6, 2019

My commiserations,bvy. If you are sure it is a form of "gloop" on the surface it must be frustrating when it looks as if the right treatment will lift it and leave the image underneath OK. Now a bit of probably unhelpful speculation. If it is a "skin" is there any chance of even lifting the edge slightly with say a sharp old-fashioned razor blade. If it can be lifted even marginally without any signs of lifting the emulsion underneath then it might indicate that it can be somehow floated off but other than,say, concentrated wetting agent I have no idea.

pentaxuser

Wallendo · Mar 6, 2019

Maybe this will help:
http://www.fujifilm.com/support/photo_cleaning/

Prof_Pixel · Mar 6, 2019

You can try American Institute for Conservation page at https://www.culturalheritage.org/membership/find-a-conservator for help.

John51 · Mar 8, 2019

I've read articles about paintings that were discovered to have another painting underneath. Not sure how the imaging was done. If they can get information from the original painting with the oil paints of the second painting in the way, maybe there's a way to photograph through the crud on your photo.

Who Repairs Old Photos? (NOT digital restoration)

Moderator

Privacy & Transparency

Privacy & Transparency