Restoring Old Time Photos: Three Reasons Why You Need A Professional Photographer For The Job

If you have a box full of old time photos of your ancestors, and some of them are a little ragged, you might want to frame them, preserve them and/or restore them. These will take more than just a little tape to restore them. Here are some more reasons why you need a professional photographer and old time photos restorer to renew your old family photos.

Really Old Photos Used Different Exposure Chemicals

When photography first began (around the time of the civil war), the exposure process used an entirely different set of chemicals than it does today. A professional photographer and photo restorer would be able to date your photos, take a small sampling of the sienna tones or gray-toned image ink and test it, and then determine what kind of paper and exposure chemicals were used to "print" the photo. It is a very long and meticulous process to make sure that the restoration stays true to the period and your old photos are properly restored.

Reducing Creases Does Not Mean Ironing the Pictures

You might be surprised to hear someone say you can just "iron the creases out of those old pictures." Well, actually, you cannot. If you were to attempt this, the photos might actually ignite, even if they did not immediately melt. Even after one hundred years of sitting in a box, a drawer or a trunk, the chemicals used to create these photos was (and still might be) very volatile. In many cases, toxic chemicals like lead or mercury were used too, in which case you could be poisoning yourself by placing heat on the backs of the photos and reactivating those toxins. If your photos are badly creased, DO NOT iron them! Take them to a professional photographer and picture restoration expert.

The Most Severely Damaged Photos May Need Modern Help

Sometimes, a photo is so badly damaged (e.g., torn, burned, flaking, etc.) that the only way you may be able to save that photo is through modern means. This process involves taking a picture of the damaged photo after it has been very carefully cleaned and repaired to a point where a clear image can be taken. Then the photographer will use digital imaging technology and photography software to clean up the image and perfect it. Finally, the image is printed on acid-free paper, and the photographer may even use "vintage" photo printing paper to make the image look as old as the original before giving both photos back to you. 

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