Timeless Images Photo Restoration

New Guinea - WWII series

2013-10-18T12:09:00.000-06:00

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Ray Downs posing with two army buddies and two New Guinea helpers

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A native hut in New Guinea

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Posing with some New Guinea natives

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David Rubin and Andy Grozdanoff

Friends at Camp Grant, Illinois

2013-10-11T11:34:00.000-06:00

Graduating class from the Sanitation Technicians School
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Ray Downs and Lee Mecham
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Camp Grant Illinois
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2013-10-10T12:15:00.000-06:00

I'm pretty sure this is the cutest soldier in WWII or any war since. The first photo is of Ray Downs saluting. The second photo is when he graduated from the Sanitation Technicians School and the 3rd image is of his graduation certificate. All three of these images are from August 1942.

I know that good sanitation was very important while they were out fighting but I think I would have been really ticked if I had been drafted into the army and then given that assignment. (Just sayin')

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San Fabian - Town being liberated in the Philippines

2013-10-09T11:17:00.002-06:00

This photo was taken in 1944, after the American army liberated the town of San Fabian.

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LDS soldiers in New Guinea are organized

2013-10-06T14:13:00.002-06:00

I love to see that even during the war, soldiers joined together to worship. I can't even imagine what comfort it was to these soldiers to be able to still go to church, even in the horrible conditions that they were in.

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Ray J. Downs is on the 2nd row from the front, 2nd from the left.

Entering town during invasion in Philippines

2013-10-05T12:20:00.002-06:00

This photo was taken in January of 1944.

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Company C - 31st Medical Training Battalion - Camp Grant, Illinois

2013-10-04T13:33:00.000-06:00

I am so excited for this next series of posts. I am currently archiving a large personal collection of World War II photographs. There are some that are very disturbing that I won't be showing here but the rest I find really interesting and I hope that you will enjoy them as well.

This photograph is from 1942. It is of half of Company C - 31st Medical Training Battalion - Camp Grant, Illinos. The other half of the photograph is cut off and tucked behind this photo but adhesive stickers were used to attach it face down on the scrapbook paper so I can't get it off without damaging it.

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Mick Strather, Wallace Steward & Harry Nehmr - Hugo, OK - 3 of Hugo's Raunders

2013-09-27T14:21:00.000-06:00

I'm not sure who these 3 men are or who Hugo's Raunder's are but I really like this photo. It reminds me of some of my favorite movies like Newsies. I don't know the story behind how the photograph got pen all over it but I'm sure a toddler was involved. Luckily they didn't color in entire areas of the photo so I was able to remove the pen along with a lot of scratch marks. I could have removed a lot more damage on this photo but I decided that the "worn look" gave the photograph character and honestly I like when old photos still look old.

Before

After

Francis Marion and Mary Elizabeth Hopkins

2013-09-22T15:13:00.000-06:00

I am always amazed at how much damage can occur to a photo just by time. This photograph is of Francis Marion and Mary Elizabeth Hopkins. It was taken in the early 1900s and has become severly faded. Luckily, I was able to pull the details out of this photo but often old photos become so faded that it is impossible to fix it. That is why it is so important to get your photos archived and digitally restored now, before it is too late.

Before

After

This is the backside of the above photograph. I love how Mary Elizabeth wrote a note on it and we can get a feel for the way she spoke.

"They kept call us to come out and have our picture made and we just stepped out on the porch like we was and(?) they a sight (right?) "

-Papa and Mamma

Aunt Clyda

2013-09-20T14:02:00.000-06:00

I don't know about you but I love old photographs. Throughout my life I've heard little bits about distant relatives but without putting a face to the name, it doesn't mean a lot to me. Photographs really bring a person to life and makes me feel connected to them.

This photograph is of Clyda Lou Hopkins. It was taken in the early 1900s, although I don't know the exact date.

Before

After

The perfect gift

2013-09-19T09:50:00.000-06:00

Now that Labor Day is over it looks like it's time to start thinking about Christmas; or at least that is what the retail world tells us. Even though I hate that we think about Christmas before we have even had Halloween or Thanksgiving, sometimes you do need that extra bit of time to come up with gifts for those friends and family that have everything.

I have a few of those people in my life and gift giving events can be so stressful but a few years ago I realized that photographs are something that they are always happy to receive. Of course Grandma and Grandpa love your children's school photos but what about giving them a restored photo from when they were a kid or of a parent who has passed on? Or maybe they have a lot of photographs of their childhood or ancestors but they are just sitting in a box, aging. Digitizing and archiving those photos would be such a precious keepsake for them and you can then give copies to anyone else who might enjoy them.

So start looking through those old photos and you are sure to find that perfect photo. And as soon as you do, you and I can start creating that perfect Christmas present.

Rhonda Nerdin

2013-06-18T19:32:00.000-06:00

Original

Restored Article

Up-Close view of the restored photo

Vicky Amdal

2012-12-14T13:49:00.000-07:00

Vicky Amdal

2012-12-13T17:22:00.001-07:00

Todd Fernandez

2012-12-03T16:57:00.000-07:00

Jessie Dean

2012-11-27T21:15:00.001-07:00

People often tell me that their photo is irreparable because their child got a hold of it or the paper became brittle and the photo was now in pieces. They are always surprised to learn that "in pieces" doesn't mean ruined. The pieces can be scanned in an played with like a jigsaw puzzle. Once all of the pieces and in their correct place, the tears can then be removed and missing pieces of the photograph can be rebuilt.

Check out this photograph that had been loved for many years. It had been torn and then taped back together. There are also quite a few cracks that I am willing to bet were very close to breaking apart, as well. Luckily, this photo was repairable and now the family can have a nice copy to enjoy.

Melissa Martin

2012-11-15T23:19:00.000-07:00

I think it is so sad how much damage time can do to a photo. This photo was inside a frame, behind glass and it still suffered a lot of fading. It also got a little water behind the glass which caused the photo to stick.

While this photo did not have the water damage, you can see how badly time can fade a photograph. The edge of the picture is where the frame was covering it. Although it has more color, the colors have still changed and are not the same as the photo originally was.

Helen, James & Woody Butterfield

2012-07-29T18:55:00.000-06:00

Before

After

Back again

2012-07-29T13:35:00.002-06:00

Wow, I can't believe how long it has been since I posted anything. It's not that I quit, or even took some time off, I've just been extremely busy. Since last October I've restored all of my Dad & Mom's childhood photos & created each other them an album. I've also been restoring other photos like crazy.

I want to expand my business so I've branched out into wedding album design. These albums are amazing & so fun to be able to create. I've been working with the very talented Carrie Butler of Carrie Butler Photography as her album designer & now I've started designing the wedding invitations for some of her clients. Can I just say that I love what I do.

Anyway, hopefully I'll be able to find the time to start posting again.

Adriana Eldred

2011-10-11T08:22:00.000-06:00

Isn't this a cute picture. So sad that, for whatever reason, it was damaged past the point of being able to be enjoyed. These are the photographs that I really like to work on. To be able to give someone back a priceless memory is very rewarding to me.

The Downs Kids

2011-06-24T14:31:00.002-06:00

This photo is of Bessie (age 2), Reva (age 7) & Ray (age 5) Downs. It was taken by Menlove Studios in Provo. There isn't a date on the photo so I'll have to look up the kids birthdays to find when this photo was taken. The original photo was a 3x5 & on first examination it seemed that the only damage was to the edges of the photo. Once I looked closer, though, I noticed that the whole picture is severely scratched from years of movement against another object. I also noticed that all 3 kids faces were damaged in the development process.

I'm happy to say that I was able to repair all the damage plus correct the damage that was done during development & that this picture is now "better" that the original.

Original Photo

(restored photo)

Bessie (original photo)

(restored photo)

Ray (original photo)

(restored photo)

Reva (Original Photo)

(restored photo)

Who knew a wet glass could be so damaging?

2011-02-28T17:01:00.000-07:00

All this damage was caused by a cold glass, covered in condensation, being sat on the photograph. This photograph was also a reproduction, which made the quality tougher to work with.

Sincerely, Eliza Hopkins

2011-01-13T13:02:00.001-07:00

A New View

2011-01-13T13:00:00.000-07:00

I found a second photo of the same little girl from the previous post. It's a different pose but from the same photo shoot. What I realized is that the "mold" on the curtain in the 1st photo is actually a flower print. I've looked over & over at the 1st photo & I still can't tell it's flowers, but it's definitely flowers in the 2nd photo. This is why I always save a copy of the original photo whenever I do a restoration. That way, I can go back to the original photo, someday, if I want it to look different or if technology changes.

What a Transformation

2010-12-03T15:19:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure who this picture is, the back says "Mrs Butterfield, 1469 Coronado, Long Beach CA". I'm thinking it might be Mary Indiann Butterfield.

The original photograph was bent, torn & covered in mold. After I restored it, I decided I wanted to color it as well. I think it's such a cute photo.

Original

Restored Black & White

Restored & Colored