As many of you already know, on Tuesday 10th February I'm celebrating 18 years with SMS Creative Photography, here in Oxted, at 83 Station Road East.
As I cast my mind back to that cold and sunny morning, opening the shop door and eagerly awaiting my first customer in anticipation. The elderly lady who came in brought in an old faded family photograph that held many precious memories. Her enquiry was to see if it was possible to copy and restore the picture that she had carried with her for most of her adult life. She wanted to pass it on to future generations - after all it was nearly one hundred years old!
The process used to restore the photograph - pre digital - was to retouch the original with a fine paint brush and retouching dyes, it was a highly skilled job. A 5" x 4" copy negative was then created by photographing the retouched original and from the negative a new print was made. Sometimes the negative was retouched as well. It was a lengthy and costly process and you would always compromise a little of the definition once you had gone through the stages.
This brings me to how the production works now, in the 21st century, in the wonderful world of digital photography and photoshop. The original is scanned to create a digital file using a high resolution scanner. The file is then carefully restored with skill and precision and printed to perfection. An ideal opportunity for restoration of your faded memories.
The example below shows you the before and after of a recent commission.
When it's cold and wet outside it's a perfect opportunity to rummage through those boxes or old suitcases of family photographs. You never know what little piece of family history you'll find to reproduce, preserve and share. My skilled in house digital artists will work their magic to copy and restore moments from a bygone era. We can create a visual history in a bespoke book too.
Whilst you are looking you may come across some old home Cine or VHS/Betamax footage that you would like copied onto DVD. Just bring them in, it's as simple as that, we'll sort out the rest for you.
The perfect present for birthdays and anniversaries - memories shared with new generations - an original and thoughtful gift.
Speaking of anniversaries, on Saturday 14th February to celebrate our 18 years in Oxted, come and share our cake between 10am and 4pm, be lovely to see you! Thanks for reading, I'll be back in two weeks time.
Bye for now.
Stella