Process
How Restoration Works
The process is designed so you understand the condition of the photograph before any restoration is undertaken. I review the image first. Paid work follows only after the scope is clear.
1. Send your photograph
You submit a digital scan or a high-quality photograph of the damaged print by email. The original photograph can remain with you. If the print is fragile, stuck in an album, or too large for your scanner, a well-lit camera photograph is a reasonable starting point.
Include a short description of the damage if you wish. You do not need technical language. “Torn through the middle” or “faded and stained at the bottom” is enough.
2. Damage assessment
I review the photograph and identify the visible damage: tears, water marks, scratches, creases, stains, fading, missing areas, or a combination of these. I also look at how much original visual information remains in the important parts of the picture.
Assessment is not a restoration. It is a reading of the source image.
3. Restoration scope
You receive an explanation of what can reasonably be addressed. That explanation may include work I believe will read clearly, areas that may only improve in part, and losses that cannot be accurately reconstructed.
Pricing depends on the condition of the photograph and the extent of the work. I do not publish a single fixed price here, because a small scratch cleanup and a heavily torn, stained print are not the same project. The scope discussion is where the cost is set.
4. Restoration
If you decide to proceed, I restore the photograph digitally with attention to the surviving details of the original. I repair what the source supports. I do not modernize faces, change clothing, or replace a background unless damage has interrupted those areas and the surrounding image shows what belongs there.
5. Digital delivery
The completed photograph is supplied as a high-quality digital file suitable for personal archiving and, when appropriate, printing. The original print is unchanged, because the work is done from the copy you sent.
Turnaround time depends on the complexity of the restoration and the number of photographs already in progress. I will give a time estimate when the scope is agreed. I do not quote a standard number of days on this page, because it would not be honest for every project.