Photo Restoration question

[ichieh]

I am surprised that most of the responses were against restoring this photo. Is it really sacrilegious to make the picture looks better?

[EddieP]

Originally Posted by ichieh

I am surprised that most of the responses were against restoring this photo. Is it really sacrilegious to make the picture looks better?

Not only does it make it look better but restoring also cleans it, mends it etc. Restoring slows the degradation process of photos and will make your photo last longer. Your 103 year old photo has 103 years worth of acids, molds, bacteria, moisture, dirt and grime which as we speak now is slowly destroying your photo. Restoring photos will preserve it for future generations.


This thinking is a carry over from card collecting which is a carry over from collecting game-used memoribilia. I get it. But photos??? Serious collectors of photos and art don’t think that way. If a photo/painting can be fixed the artist will get it fixed. A well known scam in the art world is to cover a photo/painting’s defect/damage with a frame. The major reasons why a Gallery/Seller will not restore an Art piece are: 1) the seller is cheap or 2) restoration will cause more damage to the piece.Art collecting 101 is to remove the piece from the frame, examine it for any defects/damage AND demand the seller fix the damage OR drastically reduce the price. The thinking here is the exact opposite, If you had a family heirloom photograph that got damaged wouldn’t you try to get it fixed? How many people here will drive around in soot covered cars or dirty and ripped clothing? Even game-used jerseys get washed before being sold to the public.

I could write more stuff on this. But rant over.