Happy Retirement

This is just one of the faces in town last weekend to celebrate her granddaddy's retirement.  I hadn't met the family until just a few minutes before the banquet began.  But what an incredibly sweet family they are.  The love, honor, and respect they demonstrate toward one another was inspiring. 

Rain, Rain, Go Away

Lots of rain then.  Lots of rain now.  Lots. 

The year was 1979. I had  purchased my first SLR (Pentax K1000) and was in a photography class at Bellarmine College in Louisville.  Eager to practice what I was learning, I headed out with friends to The Great Balloon Race which kicks off the Kentucky Derby {cue  My Old Kentucky Home}.

But morning came early, and it was cold.  And it rained.  And rained.  And rained.

When I Grow Up

Somewhere I read that when we are toddlers, we interact in our world in a more genuine manner than we do as we get older.  As a toddler, we don't hesitate to laugh, to cry, even to have a tantrum - emotions perfectly appropriate for our current situation.

I also read that at about the age of three, we begin to understand that the important people in our lives expect us to behave in a certain way. We want to please them, so we try to conduct ourselves in a manner that we believe will make them happy.

Freshness

I've been painting.  First was a guest room.  Was in the mood for a blue ceiling.  So I did it.   It's a Benjamin Moore paint:  Spring Mint.  The walls are a soft yellow:  Concord Ivory.  And somehow this was the beginning of wanting everything I see daily to look fresher, cleaner, brighter. 

What's the Point?

 When you look at this image, it's hard to imagine it began as....

  

Before and After: The New 'Do

The big reveal for the haircut was Sunday afternoon.  She was at our house for her brother's birthday dinner and after cake, I snapped these pictures of her new hairdo.  As soon as I uploaded them, I was reminded of a toddler version of my daughter with bangs and a bob haircut and a perky headband.

Grandpa's Cream Route

The original picture is from the late 1800's and was printed on a postcard.  It has been stored in one of those "magnetic" albums, but fortunately, there was no adhesive on the face of the image.

Sweet Smiles

I've had the opportunity to meet some really wonderful people through my business of restoring vintage photographs.  This little baby with such a sweet smile is now a mom whose son who has a personality and imagination that reminds me of my son.

Color Adjustment (2)

Like my last post, the greatest challenge in this restoration was the color.

Moderately simple changes in tone and contrast began to reveal details lost in the original. The best surprise in these details was her eyes.  They are spectacular!

Color Adjustment

Honestly, I find color to be the single most difficult element to restore.  I've tried one technique after another, but recently developed a combination that works for me.

So here's a tip: try using a series of masked color adjustment layers, varying the opacity of each layer and "painting" the image where you want specific color to appear.  I'm liking the result.