Most of us have invested in a digital camera to capture life’s special moments while cherished photos from days gone by remain forgotten, faded or damaged with the passing of time.
Modern technology offers many techniques that can allow you to do something as simple as scanning your photos for storage or something as advanced as restoring and improving the look of faded or damaged images. You might be surprised at how far the restoration can go. “I have copied and restored a tin plate photo from the early 1900s,” says photographer Chris Cardy, owner of Chris Cardy Imaging in Parry Sound. “It was very dark and damaged, but we were able to restore it to its original beauty.”
There are many types of damage such as tears, water damage, discoloration or fading. “I have done enhancements to photos that have seemed dull because of low contrast, poor saturation, or color imbalance such as appearing too yellow or too green,” says Chris. “I have even restored and digitized over 150 photos and documents for a local historian’s book.”
Working in programs such as Camera Raw, photographic restorations work with layers allowing for manipulation of each part of the photo individually. Faces can be lightened, backgrounds enhanced and photos can even be edited by adding extra people. Group portraits taken in many versions can edit only the best smile from each individual for one amazing final shot!
Other services that can bring the past into the future include transferring old photos, negatives and slides to a digital format. Ancestors can be added to your family album on a digital frame and families embrace the ability to use digital files to celebrate the life of a lost loved one through digital image displays for memorial services. Ancestral photos can be scanned and a copy given to each family member to cherish and add to as life’s memories carry on!
At Chris Cardy Imaging your most cherished and celebrated moments can be reinvented. You can set up a consultation with Chris to discuss your restoration needs. She will be happy to offer suggestions and creative ways to not only restore your photos, but also ideas to display them. Contact Chris at 705-774-4928 or drop by the gallery at 5 Miller St. in Parry Sound.