Professional photo restoration and document restoration. Personalized service for private clients. Museum quality restoration for historical societies, documentary filmmaking, genealogy, ancestral research and all those dedicated to preservation of visual history.
A recognized photo restoration expert, Sebastian restored thousands of photographs from Civil War era tintypes to faded Polaroid snapshots taken at Woodstock, from camera obscura portraits of American settlers to NASA documents that were sent to the Moon aboard the Lunar Lander; from Revolutionary War veteran's land grant signed by the Founding Fathers to snapshots of GIs crossing the Rhine during the final months of WWII.
As an expert photo restorer he develop a loyal following of clients and restoration enthusiasts and appear on BBC News where he discussed and demonstrated some of the his photo restoration techniques.
Many of the photographs and documents were brought to his New York photo restoration studio from as close as East Village, Soho and Chelsea, others were send in from as far away as Hawaii, Florida, Texas, Alaska and even Europe and Australia. Some were lovingly kept in family photo albums, passed from one generation to the next, others were found in dusty attics and dirty basements.
Working closely with genealogy research experts, Sebastian helps people to illustrate their family trees and to preserve their family heritage and visual history by providing high quality document and photo scanning and archiving services.
Most recently he had the pleasure of restoring photographs for the special edition of“Leave Your Sleep” album by Natalie Merchant, museum quality restoration and replication of dozens of historical photographs from Greek Orthodox Archdioceses of America and restoration of photographs of Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire for HBO documentary special.
Photograph of Josephine Carlisi, one of the victims of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire is one of the few images restored for the HBO documentary special dedicated to 100th anniversary of that tragic event.
Particular attention was giving to preservation of the authentic look of the image while careful reconstruction on the facial features brought back the appearance of a young and beautiful woman who among many others perished in the fire on March 25, 1911
Restoration of old photographs, particularly those of the loved ones who are no longer with us, can be a very personal and moving experience for many people. Sebastian appreciates that, carefully listening and following any suggestions and wishes expressed by clients and striving to fulfill all of their expectations and instructions.
Factors taken into consideration include the image's physical condition and shape (restoration of a rolled up and curled photograph will require it to be flattened, stains and creases repaired, etc), and necessary requirements for a final print of a restored photograph. Based on that, an estimate is produced and the photograph enters the first stage of restoration process.
Photo restoration is a difficult and time consuming art form, especially when it comes to extremely damaged photographs on which important parts, particularly facial features, are missing. Even in such extreme cases artistic expertise and experience working with historical photographs allows for successful undertaking and completion of even the most difficult restoration projects.
Some situations require photo retouching services beyond the realm
photo restoration. Because of the challenge and fun, Sebastian rarely turns away such requests, be it whether coloring of an old black and white picture or turning a digital snapshot into a sepia tone “vintage” photograph.
Applying color to black and white photographs adds a wonderful touch to vintage and modern photographs alike. Originally a very difficult and costly process involving application of oil paint and markers onto the original photograph, photo coloring has now become more affordable with the advances of digital photo retouching and allows a variety of colors and shades to be applied onto a digital image with extreme precision and without any possibility of damage to the original.
Growing interest in
genealogy and preservation of family history sparked a high demand for archiving and sharing of old family photographs and documents. Unfortunately many companies that offer
Photo Scanning services are not prepared to deal with fragile heirloom photographs and documents. Risks of loss or damages to originals are compounded when work is outsourced to offshore companies that use outdated equipment operated by semi skilled workers.
Sebastian Wintermute offers high quality photo scanning at a reasonable price. Each item is scanned individually eliminating the risk of damage that may be caused by an industrial automatic multi page scanners. Scans are manually color corrected as required, while minor dust and scratches are carefully reduced without lowering image sharpness or quality.
Restoration of torn photograph
Torn, folded and discolored group photo showing the elegance of 30s fashion was carefully repaired by putting together five separate pieces and removing all the signs of damage. The restored photograph was printed on archival paper using pigment inks.
The photo of a vintage Chris Craft speedboat racing across Long Island Sound was affected by chemical deterioration from improper photo processing, at some point of time it also became covered with ink spots and numerous scratches. During the restoration the ink spots and other damaged areas were carefully retouched and realistic water and waves were added to recover the feeling of speed and beauty conveyed by this photograph.
A low contrast and faded portrait of father and son was digitally fixed to reveal the personalities of the two gentlemen and the appearance of WWI Italian army uniform.
After completion of the restoration and enhancements, a warm toned high quality photo print was made on archival matte paper.
Photographs dating back to the Civil War often exhibit fading, chemical deterioration and silver migration. Each of those images deserves careful consideration and preservation because of the historical significance that the are depicted on those photographs.
This striking photograph of three solders wearing cavalry uniforms required extensive restoration due to its uneven fading. Careful application of dodging and burning techniques and precise matching of tone and contrast helped to bring back the natural appearance of this Civil War cavalry group photo.
Restoration of photograph of the old Flatiron District
Nowadays known as The Flatiron District, the famous intersection of 5th Avenue, Broadway and 23rd street is a renowned for many of its historical landmark sights, monuments and buildings including the Flatiron Building, the former Fifth Avenue Hotel and Madison Square. On this beautiful photograph taken in 1903, the trolleys can be seen running along the Broadway line and horse drawn carriages are making deliveries to the busy mid-town businesses.
Sections of the original photograph were missing and it was showing uneven fading, but excellent quality and sharpness allowed the photograph to be restored to its former beauty. A large size Giclée print was made from the final high resolution digital file.
With time many Polaroid pictures become discolored, cracked and curled. Scratches and tears may result in separation of layers that cause further damage to the image. Such Polaroid pictures have to be restored with extreme care.
Since attempting to scan a rolled up or curled photograph may result in poor quality of image and in worst case further damage and even destruction of a photograph, first step in restoration has to be humidification and flattening of the photograph. By slowly introducing humidity into the layers of a photograph it can be uncurled and made pliable ones again. Quite often the process of humidification and flattening has to be repeated many times before a photograph becomes reasonably flat.
Many collections of historic photography and documents, while steeped in meaning and emotional value, are too fragile to handle or too delicate to display. Accurate reproductions can be easily reproduced and solve many of these issues. These faithful facsimiles facilitate display to wider audience as illustrations of an institution's legacy or corporate history, or as meaningful fine art.
Other clients who often find themselves in need of expert photography restoration are publishers of historical books and periodicals, documentary filmmakers, genealogy researchers, and all others who appreciate attention to details and accuracy of high quality restoration.
Museum quality restoration or replication of photographs and documents is a delicate and demanding process that requires great skills and dedication. Because of his technical expertise, knowledge of the history and evolution of photographic techniques, and high quality results, Sebastian Wintermute has been entrusted to restore photographs and documents not only by private clients nation wide, but also by some of the most prestigious businesses and institutions.
His work appeared in many publications and displayed in distinguished institutions such as; Metropolitan Club of New York, New York Fencers Club, Greek Orthodox Archdioceses, The Masonic Lodge of New York, Boy Scouts of America. This year Sebastian had the pleasure of restoring a series of photographs of famous poets used in the special edition of “Leave Your Sleep” album by Natalie Merchant.
