One of my favorite hobbies is finding antique photos and tracking down the real-living descendants of their families. It requires a combination of genealogical research and modern-day investigations.
Physically salvaging these photos from antique shops and estate sales is a ton of fun and part of the reason I named my process “Ancestor Salvage.”
I also enjoy digitally “salvaging” photos, sharpening, editing and retouching them (sometimes using AI) makes the people in the photo seem so much more real
My Own Ancestors; Salvaged from Photos
I wasn’t much into photo editing until I discovered that a distant cousin of mine posted my great great grandmother in a family portrait with a teenage great-grandma Phoebe on Instagram. Phoebe was only 24 when she died, leaving my Grandma orphaned at 3 months old. Phoebe’s mother Stella was 48 when she died and I didn’t see either of their faces until I was 46. Phoebe’s face rocked my world, but in the image, Stella’s face was ripped straight through (shown below and below)
Top row:
Nellie Markley, George Thomas Markley, Phoebe Markley
Second row:
William Jefferson ‘Jess’ Markley, Lionel Markley, Darlene Markley, Garland Markley, Stella Markley (Estella Mae Garber)
Antique Photo Restorations
When I found the image of Phoebe and Stella, there was a rip in the photo, right across Stella’s face. I used Procreate, Photoshop and MyHeritage image editing software to make the repair. I failed to log my specific process, I had no idea how much I’d end up loving the results.
Since then, I have spent a ton of time taking Youtube courses on photo editing. I am learning my software tools better and experimenting with my own photos. Joining Facebook groups for free photo edit requests has given me an opportunity to edit other people’s photos to suit their needs. I’ve worked in color and black and white, studio portraits and casual photos. I’ve even had fun learning tricks to colorize images realistically. My favorite photo editing jobs are the antique portrait restorations. I like repairing cracks and removing stains.
Gallery of Samples of Restored Images