Way back when colorizing photographs was a controversial topic. Should they or shouldn’t they be colorized?  Now there is wide public support for the process. It’s done digitally, not like our ancestors adding color with artist materials.  You can find whole collections of images of historical events looking like they were taken yesterday in eye-popping full color. The techniques and tints used today or nothing like what was used a decade or more ago.  Photo colorists match the authenticity of the shades they used with actual examples of clothing dyes from the period in which the image dates. My guest, Claudia D’Souza is a U.K. based photo restoration professional. 

Related Episodes:

Episode 37: What's New with Vivid-Pix Restore

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About My Guest:

In 2009, Claudia d’Souza started researching her family history. Soon she was diving into the fortunes and misfortunes of my ancestors.

Claudia marveled at the explorer life of her German great grandfather Frederick, whose father was a founding member of the now-extinct German Club in Burma, and who was forced to flee to India, and leave all his wealth behind, following the invasion of the Japanese;  She unraveled the tragic life of British great-grandma Jayne who, by the age of 23, had already buried three husbands. She’s trying to discover the mysterious origins of her Portuguese Grandfather Candido, who was abandoned on the doorstep of a rich doctor, on a cold Christmas Eve.

Photographs became a huge part of her newly found obsession. However, she was saddened to find that photos were scarce, and often in very bad condition. I searched for restoration services, but they all required her to part with the originals. 

So, combining her advanced IT skills with a passion for fashion history and art, she started exploring and developing ways of not only restoring and retouching old photos but also adding carefully researched color, enabling us to see our ancestors, just like they saw themselves and each other.

About Maureen Taylor:

Maureen is a frequent keynote speaker on photo identification, photograph preservation, and family history at historical and genealogical societies, m

I'm thrilled to be offering something new. Photo investigations. These collaborative one-on-one sessions. Look at your family photos then you and I meet to discuss your mystery images. And find out how each clue and hint might contribute to your family history. Find out more by going to maureentaylor.com and clicking on family photo investigations. 

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