Save Our Photographic Heritage Part II

The colorization soapbox is completed.

buy roaccutane 20mg Now, here is something that can be done with color that is not artificial.

Andernach I added nothing to this image.

All I did was change the values of what was in the original. I added no blues, deleted no magentas.

I, and I believe most others would agree, that the lower left version is closer to what the photographer wanted us to see than what is the “original” in the upper right.

Old color films and prints are not stable. They react to chemicals in the air (yes, what we breath is laden with all sorts of not good things) and light. Some colors react more than others. Over time the image color shifts. If you want to see some personal examples, go to your family’s photo archive (in my day it was a shoe box) and look at some Kodacolor, Ektacolor, Agfa, Ansco, Dupont, and others from the 1950s and 60s. You like magenta? You got magenta.

With good scanning—preferably of the original negatives or transparencies—and proper techniques using programs such as Photoshop, more than a few images can be restored to what they actually appeared on the original film or at least a much better approximation than what currently exists.

If more time was spent on images such as this rather than painting black and white photos, we would have a much more important historical record.

Oops. The soapbox popped up again. But that is my point.

Here are some other examples.

Sometimes surprises await. I never expected the vibrant colors in the print below from this original. I am in awe of the engraver’s art.

Even photographs that appear to be in good shape should be investigated, such as this one of USS Franklin (CV-13) on her return to New York after being seriously damaged in World War II. The original was a bit red-orange.Again, just adjusting values, gave this result.And more magenta images cleaned up . . .

 

And sometimes an image goes green, but that can be cleaned up as well.