Damaged Photo Restoration

My name is Tim Haas, I own and operate Damaged Photo Restoration. I have worked with professional photographers and the general public providing valued photographic restoration services since 1986.

Pre-digital Photographic Restoration

My interest in photographic retouching and restoration first began in the mid 1980s, back in the days before digital photography. I never worked directly on an original, a copy would be created by taking a picture of the original. This would provide us with a negative to work from.

I began by working directly on the negative with dye and on occasion using x-acto knives to remove emulsion where it was too dense. I would then make a print and work directly on the print with dye, colored pencils, paint and chalk. When the project was complete I would photograph the work again and make a finished print for the client.

Each new copy of the original was a generation removed and had slightly less image quality. With pre-digital photography the physical makeup of the film and paper added "grain" to the image making it appear a little more blurry with each new generation or copy.

Digital Photographic Restoration

Today I work digitally which eliminates the degradation associated with each new copy. The image quality of the finished work is virtually the same as the original.

I never work directly on an original photograph. A digital copy of the photo is created allowing me to work with that image using special imaging software. I combine the technical aspects of my work, my training in professional photography and the years of experience I have restoring damaged photographs to create the highest quality restoration possible.

Attention to Details

The true secret to my success as a restoration artist is simply my attention to detail. Too often I see other artists work that lacks attention to the details and as a result the finished work lacks emotional impact . . . it is dull.

Who does the work?

The majority of the work that comes into my studio is done by me personally. On rare occasion the volum of active projects or an occasional project that requires a specialist requires that I employee freelance artists. All work done by freelancers is supervised by me. The final product must meet my strict quality requirements.