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Matt Roberts
Junior Member
Registered: December 2002
Location: Australia
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Fine work Bill,
I like the detail in the background.
Excellent work on difficult areas like the hands and eye.
Matt
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BillFrey
Senior Member
Registered: February 2006
Posts: 204
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Thank you, Matt
This picture struck me because I have a similar communion picture of my mother taken about the same time. It would be a shame if this picture couldn't be enjoyed as I have mine.
The face was time consuming. I did the hands near the end and they fell into place with a little smudging and lightening, I got lucky. The dress was a bugger!
Of course, I see a few areas that could use more attention (or forgot to complete) , but, phew, I'm not anxious to open this can of worms again, hehe.
Thanks for your reply,
Bill
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zenda
Junior Member
Registered: September 2004
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Very lovely.
The dress is beautiful and her gaze very charming.
Nice work indeed.
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BillFrey
Senior Member
Registered: February 2006
Posts: 204
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Thank you, zenda
I spent too much time on the restoration, but it's such a treasure, I couldn't resist.
Bill
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Nezbitten
Member
Registered: November 2005
Location: England UK
Posts: 38
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BillFrey
Senior Member
Registered: February 2006
Posts: 204
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Thank you, Nezbitten
The dress and face and the two things that took the most time. Getting the eyes to look fairly normal was torture.
I think this restore is one that will never be finished, I even spent more time fine tuning the face (but didn't post it).
Thanks for your reply,
Bill
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Matt Roberts
Junior Member
Registered: December 2002
Location: Australia
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Bill - Your comment about the torturous time you had
getting the eye looking normal has made me feel better.
I must have made at least 30 attempts to get the eye
looking passable. It was so tough.
Boy, these old studio photographers really knew how to set up a shot.
Moms clothing, the backdrop, flowers, stool and cloth, statue, candle
and Mom holding the little photo. Beautifully composed and full of interest.
Matt
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BillFrey
Senior Member
Registered: February 2006
Posts: 204
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I agree, Matt, it was a tough one. Glad I'm not alone, too, lol.
I was thinking about this restoration, and wondered what on earth one could charge for it. For time alone it would probably be $800 and not many could afford that.
Agree also about the old studio photos. I think they're beautiful. When I found mom's picture, along with her brother's, I was thrilled. They draw one's interest immediately. I guess they were so important years ago... before easy travel and telephone communication.
Bill
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lurch
Senior Member
Registered: July 2006
Location: SoCal
Posts: 539
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Hi, Bill -
Nice job! That eye was a real challenge indeed (as if the whole image wasn't . . .). Seems like I spent hours on it, and more again after following Matt's suggestion to move it. If only we could ever see the real person to know whether or not we've damaged their identity in the restoration process.
About the cost - I couldn't afford to be a pro and deal with photos like this one. What I'd have to charge and what folks would be able to pay would be miles apart!
Carole
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<C> - Photoshop CS6 on a Core 2 Duo iMac
Illegitimi non Carborundum
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BillFrey
Senior Member
Registered: February 2006
Posts: 204
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Thank you, lurch,
I was feeling that my skills weren't so hot after doing this one!
If we want to make a living, I guess we can't take jobs like this one. But if one does, it better be perfect .... and mine isn't, lol, I kept on working on it after I posted the second version.
I'd love to know if anyone gets a good price for extensive restorations like this one. And I'd love to know how many hours they spent on it. I started one evening and got so involved I didn't finish until the next am. Should have been doing some 'paid for' work too!
Thanks for the reply, nice to have some interaction between members in the challenge forum.
Bill
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Dave.Cox
Senior Member
Registered: February 2007
Location: GrandPrairie.TX
Posts: 536
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Really nice work. Hope I can learn to do as well!
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BillFrey
Senior Member
Registered: February 2006
Posts: 204
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Thank you, Dave.Cox
I'm sure you'll feel your skills improve with each restoration. I had to develop a comfortable workflow to achieve the results I wanted. It was a long process for me, but I think I'm finally 'getting it'. (I cheated too by studying others' work that I admired.)
Bill
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lcramer53
Senior Member
Registered: January 2007
Posts: 237
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Great job, Bill! I joined this forum specifically (I thought) to learn restoration beyond my minimal skills, but after seeing what everyone has been able to do with my mother's picture, I nearly gave up on ever being able to achieve such marvelous outcomes and I got sidetracked with dabbling in photo-art and other sections of this forum.
Anyway, Bill, I think your rendition is truly marvelous. I'm so inspired by everyone's attempts that I went out and bought a couple of Katrin Eismann's books and will steer my attention back to learning restoration.
I found it really interesting how everyone seemed to agree that this particular picture was very time consuming and for what it would cost in time, most clients would not be willing to pay that much. So, is photo restoration worth it in the end to the restorer?
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Susie~
A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle.
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BillFrey
Senior Member
Registered: February 2006
Posts: 204
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Thank you, lcramer53,
Sorry for the delayed reply, I wasn't watching the thread!
Restoration is very rewarding, I love it.... but as you said, very few can afford the cost of restoring a photo like this one... or I'm just a very slow restorer, lol.
For that reason, I've begun to learn painting as well and have been concentrating on putting a portfolio together to market. The good aspect is that once the artwork is done, one can sell multiple prints. I'll still offer restorations and retouching, but painting might bring in the income. We'll see.
Thanks for you kind reply. 
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