FEATURED PROJECT:
"All Aboard"



Of all the things I do, one of my favorites is restoring old photos. Sure, it's fun to create a new web site, or develop an exciting opt-in e-mail campaign, or design a new logo; but few things are so personally gratifying as breathing new life into an old family photo. Unfortunately, these precious windows to our past are often the victims of neglect, and if not properly stored and maintained, time is not kind to old photographs.

This month's featured project has special significance to me because one of the men in the photograph is my Grandfather Hood. Since Grandpa Hood passed away before I was born, I naturally treasure any link to him I can find. For forty years, my Grandpa Hood worked as a pipe fitter for the New York Central railroad in Detroit, Michigan, and this classic photo shows him and his fellow workers next to a giant steam locomotive. What a great discovery! I wasn't even aware that this photo existed until recently, when my Uncle Dave showed it to me.

The photo itself was in fair condition, with the usual amount of rips and discolorations. It was easy to tell that it was a copy of a copy, but overall, it was a fairly clean photo. This photograph is a pretty typical of most of the photos I restore. So much of properly restoring an old photo is knowing how much work to do, and when to stop. It is, after all, an antique. My goal in restoring an old photo seldom is to return it to its original brand new condition, but rather to preserve and carefully repair what is already there. Visible alteration of the photo is not an option.



The first step was to get a high quality scan. I always scan photos at a high resolution so I can produce a very detailed and high-quality image. This high resolution "mother file" is the one I digitally manipulate and use to create smaller "daughter files"- the actual files used to reproduce the image.

The restoration process started with simple adjustments to the brightnessand contrast of the image. Through the course of being produced and reproduced, the contrast of the image had deteriorated somewhat. During this process, great care had to be taken to not "wash out" certain lighter areas of the image (particularly the sky), which leads to loss of detail. Usually, as in the case of this restoration, varying degrees of brightness and contrast adjustments must be made in different sectors of the photo. This process takes more time than the "blanket" contrast corrections that most photo restorers do, but it produces much better results. The human eye is very sensitive, and it can detect when things aren't just right.

The next step was to apply a custom made "unsharp mask." This is a photographic term that, contrary to what it sounds like, brings the image into sharper focus. Actually, it is an optical trick that makes the image appear as if it is in better focus, and when used properly, the results can be quite stunning. This photo was pretty sharp to begin with, so only minor sharpening was needed.

Lastly, I touched up the scratches and rips. Careful judgment must be exercised during this process, as it is possible to remove TOO much. It is, after all, and old photo, and smaller dust marks and scratches actually add to the character of the image. The finished image looks great, but you can still tell that it's an antique photo.



As I said before, old photos connect us with our past, and help us understand who we are today, but without proper care, these precious snapshots of our family history are prone to deterioration. Most everyone has a shoebox full of cracked, faded, stained and torn photos hidden away in a dark closet, just waiting to be resurrected. If we spend the time and money it takes to restore and preserve these pictures, they are sure to become some of our family's most treasured heirlooms.

To learn more about how I can help you restore and preserve your old photos, e-mail me at: PhotoHelp@NathanHood.net