I’m thrilled to share a recent photo restoration that I completed of a remarkable historical photograph… a panoramic image capturing the German zeppelin ZR-3 landing at the Naval Air Station Lakehurst in New Jersey on October 15, 1924 – just over one hundred years ago! This iconic moment occurred about twelve years before the Hindenburg disaster at the same location, which would forever link Lakehurst with airship history.

Wendy Tully, from North Ridgeville, reached out to me about a vintage, rolled-up photograph that had been tucked away for years at her home. She knew the photo depicted the ZR-3 zeppelin, which held special meaning because her grandfather, John Wintermute, had been part of the U.S. Marines ground crew assisting with the landing that day. (The zeppelin was acquired by the United States from Germany as part of World War I reparations and was named the USS Los Angeles.)

When Wendy finally decided to unroll the photograph to revisit its memories, the first inches crackled as they unfolded. Realizing she might damage it if she continued, Wendy wisely decided to seek help and brought this precious heirloom to my studio.

After examining the photograph, I advised Wendy that a full unrolling would be necessary to scan and digitally restore it accurately. Since the photograph was too large for a single scan, I captured it in six smaller sections, then used Adobe Photoshop to stitch them seamlessly together. I carefully removed dirt, dust spots, and other signs of age, adjusted the exposure and contrast, and enhanced the faded details to bring the image back to life. The restored print was mounted on artboard for stability, and a protective lacquer coating was added to guard against fingerprints and sunlight.

For a personal touch, I included her grandfather’s name, the event date and airship’s name in the photograph’s border, transforming it into a unique family keepsake. When Wendy and her husband, Rick, came to see the finished restoration, Wendy encouraged others to think twice before discarding old photos, saying, “If anyone has an old photograph that looks unsalvageable, don’t just throw it out. Take it to an expert who specializes in photo restoration to see what can be done to save it.”

Now, Wendy proudly displays the restored photograph in her living room, where it has become a cherished family heirloom destined to be passed down through the generations. Interestingly, Wendy’s original photograph is also cataloged in the Library of Congress database, though not in the vibrant, restored condition of her new print. (You can view the cataloged photo here: https://www.loc.gov/resource/ds.09689/)

If you would like a print of this historic photograph WITHOUT the caption below it – view or order one here: https://mark-madere.pixels.com/featured/historic-landing-of-german-zr-3-zeppelin-in-new-jersey-mark-madere.html

Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of restoring hundreds of photographs damaged by time, elements, and even disasters, including similar panoramic images as this. If you have an old photograph (or even a recent one) you’d like to save; feel free to reach out. I’d be happy to provide a free, no-obligation quote and offer options for restoring your treasured memories. You can reach me here.

See more or our work at https://SpectraLight.com/PhotoRestoration/

Do you have an old photograph showing a historic moment in our nation's history? Please share what event it was with a comment here.

The post Amazing Photo Restoration of Historic ZR-3 German Zeppelin – aka: USS Los Angeles appeared first on SpectraLight Photography and Design.

Get ready for some “big” hair styles and clothing rarely seen in over a quarter of a century!

In this video, we travel back to 1996 to experience a promotional video for our portrait studio located in our home on the corner of Bagley and Fitch Roads in Olmsted Falls.

We've been based in Northeast Ohio since 1980 with our first location in the Kamm's Corners area of Cleveland, then Olmsted Falls and now in North Ridgeville.

We truly appreciate the nearly 3000 clients that have trusted us to capture special moments in their lives through photography. Many have returned multiple times – beginning with their wedding photography, then family portraits – and years later – their children's senior portraits.

If you're a past client, please share in the comments which photography service we provided and when. We would also love to hear what you and your family are up to now!

The post “Blast-from-the-Past” – SpectraLight Photography’s 1996 Promotional Video appeared first on SpectraLight Photography and Design.

Don't let your precious memories fade away! With every passing day, your old photographs continue to deteriorate due to exposure from sunlight, humidity in damp basements, storage in hot attics and pollutants in the air.

You can now repair your faded and damaged photos yourself with “PhotoGlory” – an affordable and easy-to-use photo retouching software! With it you can:

• Colorize B&W photos with 1-click
• Repair torn corners, cracks & tears
• Correct faded or washed-out colors
• Fix major defects & recreate missing parts
• Lifetime license
• FREE technical support and updates

Save over 30% on your purchase of PhotoGlory through this special link: www.photoglory.net/order-special-spectralight.php
Hurry… Offer expires soon

Now is the time to restore and share your priceless treasures with your children and grandchildren… and relive the sentimental memories that go with your photos.

If your photo is extremely faded or damaged to the point that PhotoGlory can’t provide a satisfactory result – it may still be recoverable! The photo restoration specialists at SpectraLight Photography combine today's digital technology with old-fashioned artistry to repair worn, stained, spotted, torn, cracked, bleached and faded photographs to their original luster.

See more samples of photos that SpectraLight Photography has completely restored AND get a FREE guide with tips for saving water or flood-damaged photos at www.SpectraLight.com/PhotoRestoration.

Please subscribe to our YouTube channel and then click the bell icon to get instant notifications when we upload new videos: www.SpectraLight.com/YouTubeSubscribe

NOTE: If you purchase anything through the links on this page – I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. Your support allows me to research products and services to improve your life and mine… and I thank you!

For a no-cost, no-obligation appointment to examine your faded or damaged photographs and receive a free quote – contact us TODAY through this link or call 440.748.6300 (NOTE: This is a landline so text messages won't come through.)

The post Easy-to-Use and Affordable Photo Restoration Software – PhotoGlory appeared first on SpectraLight Photography and Design.

As a photo restoration specialist, I combine today's digital technology with old-fashioned artistry to repair worn, stained, spotted, torn, cracked, bleached and faded photographs to their original luster. Digital restoration costs have been reduced to at least half of what they used to be and the quality has improved substantially!

See samples of badly faded or damaged photos and how they look after restoration here. You will be amazed with the results.

Learn about our photo restoration services here. Get our FREE guide with tips for saving water or flood-damaged photos here. See a photo restored in a high-speed video here. Read our photo restoration FAQs that may answer questions pertaining to your faded or damaged photograph here.

Do you have damaged, faded or crumbling photos representing an important part of your family history? Don't give up on them just yet – they may be recoverable! For a no-cost, no-obligation appointment to examine your photographs and receive a quote – contact us TODAY through this link… BEFORE  it's too late. (NOTE: This is a landline so text messages won't come through.)

Please subscribe to our YouTube channel and then click the bell icon to get instant notifications when we upload a new video: Subscribe to SpectraLight Photography's YouTube channel.

Have you had a damaged or faded photograph restored? Why did you have it restored? To preserve a special memory? To remember a special family member? Please share your story with a comment here.

The post How to Remove Photos That Are Stuck To Glass appeared first on SpectraLight Photography and Design.

A few years ago (well, actually five-years ago) I had the privilege of creating amazing senior portraits of Alyssa Srail – Class of 2017 at Buckeye High School in Medina, Ohio.

In 1996, I photographed Alyssa's parents wedding (Carrie and Tom) on Thanksgiving weekend – which was a “magical” time for me. Carrie and Tom were one of those couples that I wish I could work with at every wedding. Although they had a large bridal party, everyone was a joy to be with.

Sorry, I digress.

I reconnected with Carrie and Tom in 2012 on Facebook. I saw they had a growing family with children entering high school. I asked if their oldest daughter, Alyssa, would be interested in representing my studio as a SpokesModel for senior portraits. She agreed and we did her photo shoot in my home-based studio as well as their amazing back yard with a beautifully landscaped pond. It was a “photographer's delight!”

I was really excited to capture an important time in Alyssa's life through photography. Not only is she a beautiful young lady, but she has an amazing personality. I loved how easy she was to photograph and the feedback she gave me as I directed her through dozens of poses.

I am so pleased by how well Alyssa photographed that I created THREE different videos from her session as you can see on this page!

The first one shows video clips from Alyssa's actual session taken by her mom. (Carrie was an awesome presence on set throughout the photo shoot. The love and respect that mom and daughter have for each other was amazing.)

The second video is of all Alyssa's photos set to music.

The last video is of an album I designed with her senior portraits.

I hope you enjoy the videos as much I enjoyed creating the photos within them.

Discover more about our senior portraits here.

If you know someone who might enjoy my style of senior photography – please share this page with them. Thank you!

The post Magical High School Senior Portraits of Alyssa Srail – Buckeye High School appeared first on SpectraLight Photography and Design.

Recently, Gail and Ron Deemer from Ashtabula, Ohio contacted me to restore a large and badly deteriorating photo. It was in a closet for many years and had been folded causing multiple cracks.

It was a “small miracle” that we were able to restore the photo to its original glory and also create an individual portrait of Gail's dad from the large group photo.

In this video, you'll see the before-and-after photo restoration with an explanation of what we did to restore it. The following is the text from the video:

SpectraLight: Let’s look at the railroad group photo with Gail’s dad. Your original photo has a lot of cracks throughout. It’s turned yellow and is badly faded. There are two people on the far right of the group that are missing most of their bodies where the print surface has flaked away.

Comparing your original print to the restored one; what do you think of the work we’ve done to save it?

Ron: I cannot believe they're the same photograph. I really can't. The restoration is phenomenal. The original photo sat in a closet for years and had been folded up. For you to bring it back to a state of reincarnation – I would call it is just absolutely phenomenal!

My wife and I are both extremely happy with the way it came out.

SpectraLight: Gail, you wanted to take your dad from the group picture and have a full-body portrait of him by himself. The challenge was that he’s in the second row and partially hidden by another guy who's bigger and wider than your dad.

To accomplish that, we cloned your dad’s head from the restored photograph and placed it over the big guy’s body in front of him. We then slimmed down the body to look more like your dad’s body type. Finally, we added a portrait background to isolate him from the large group of men.

How do you like the results?

Gail: It's phenomenal. I am in awe of how you were able to extract him out of the larger photo and make a single photo using the other man’s body. The clarity is amazing. It's beautiful. You do fantastic work.

It's heart-warming because I now have a single picture of just my dad.

I have three brothers that will be so excited. I'm sure they're going to want a picture too.

I can't say enough about what a wonderful job you did. I can't thank you enough.

Here's how we created the individual portrait from the large group photo:

As a photo restoration specialist, I combine today's digital technology with old-fashioned artistry to repair worn, stained, spotted, torn, cracked, bleached and faded photographs to their original luster. Digital restoration costs have been reduced to at least half of what they used to be and the quality has improved substantially!

See samples of badly faded or damaged photos and how they look after restoration here. You will be amazed with the results.

Learn about our photo restoration services here. Get our FREE guide with tips for saving water or flood-damaged photos here. See a photo restored in a high-speed video here. Read our photo restoration FAQs that may answer questions pertaining to your faded or damaged photograph here.

Do you have damaged, faded or crumbling photos representing an important part of your family history? Don't give up on them just yet – they may be recoverable! For a no-cost, no-obligation appointment to examine your photographs and receive a quote – contact us TODAY through this link or call 440.748.6300… BEFORE  it's too late. (NOTE: This is a landline so text messages won't come through.)

Please subscribe to our YouTube channel and then click the bell icon to get instant notifications when we upload a new video: Subscribe to SpectraLight Photography's YouTube channel

Have you had a damaged or faded photograph restored? Why did you have it restored? To preserve a special memory? To remember a special family member? Please share your story with a comment, here.

The post A Photo Restoration Miracle? The Gail and Ron Deemer Story appeared first on SpectraLight Photography and Design.

A couple years ago, Jim Morabito called to see if I could save an old photo from the 1920s or 1930s that was deteriorating and fading badly. He found it in his attic and realized it had been passed around in his family for several years.

The photo is of the first house that his grandparents lived in on West 65th Street when they immigrated to Cleveland from Italy in the early 1900s. Jim's grandmother had a grocery store and his grandfather had a barber shop downstairs. His grandparents lived in the back of the building and Jim's family lived upstairs.

In this video, you'll see the before-and-after photo restoration while Jim gives a brief history of the building.

As a photo restoration specialist, I combine today's digital technology with old-fashioned artistry to repair worn, stained, spotted, torn, cracked, bleached and faded photographs to their original luster. Digital restoration costs have been reduced to at least half of what they used to be and the quality has improved substantially!

See samples of badly faded or damaged photos and how they look after restoration here. You will be amazed with the results.

Learn about our photo restoration services here. Get our FREE guide with tips for saving water or flood-damaged photos here. See a photo restored in a high-speed video here. Read our photo restoration FAQs that may answer questions pertaining to your faded or damaged photograph here.

Do you have damaged, faded or crumbling photos representing an important part of your family history? Don't give up on them just yet – they may be recoverable! For a no-cost, no-obligation appointment to examine your photographs and receive a quote – contact us TODAY through this link or call 440.748.6300… BEFORE  it's too late. (NOTE: This is a landline so text messages won't come through.)

Please subscribe to our YouTube channel and then click the bell icon to get instant notifications when we upload a new video: Subscribe to SpectraLight Photography's YouTube channel.

Have you had a damaged or faded photograph restored? Why did you have it restored? To preserve a special memory? To remember a special family member? Please share your story with a comment, here.

The post Photo Restoration Saves Special Memories for Jim Morabito appeared first on SpectraLight Photography and Design.

This summer I had the opportunity to photograph the new North Ridgeville Fire Station No. 1 Open House. But ordinary photos just wouldn't give the immersive feel that this large and complex structure presented.

I decided to photograph the station with a 360° camera and create a “virtual tour” with those images. The result of my work is seen above. If you're viewing this page from a computer – place your mouse anywhere on the photo, click and hold the mouse button and start moving the mouse in any direction.

If you're on a phone or tablet, place your finger anywhere on the photo and slide it in any direction. OR… simply move your device in any direction and you'll see the part of the room that is visible as if you were moving your head from side-to-side or up-and-down!

On each photo is an arrow that tells you where you'll go next if you click or tap it. When you get to the room with the fire pole – look up to see the opening that the firemen slide through. Pretty cool, yes?

Have you experienced a 360° virtual tour before? Do you like how you can see the entire room – including the floor and ceiling? What kind of businesses do you think would benefit from a virtual tour? Please share your thoughts with a comment here.

See more photos and videos highlighting what is great about CLEveland and Northeast Ohio on our HOTonCLE website: http://HOTonCLE.com

Please subscribe to our HOTonCLE YouTube channel and then click the bell icon to get instant notifications when we upload a new video: http://HOTonCLE.com/YouTubeSubscribe

See the gear and software we use to create our videos and photos: https://spectralight.com/Gear

The post North Ridgeville Fire Station Open House: Virtual Tour in 360° appeared first on SpectraLight Photography and Design.

Every now-and-then, I have the privilege of creating senior portraits of a girl who just intuitively knows how to pose and offer just the right expression at the moment the photo is created.

Audrey O'Bryon, our class of 2017 SpokesModel at Strongsville High School, “rocked” her photoshoot with dozens of cool poses, a variety expressions and an amazing array of outfits that truly showcased her personality.

If you would like senior portraits that show your personality and fashion sense, call us to schedule your session ASAP at 440.748.6300. Our calendar is filling fast for the Class of ’18 – especially for the “early birds” who want to experience the unique portrait style at SpectraLight Photography.

Discover more about our senior photography and grab our price guide here.

The post Senior Portraits of Strongsville High School’s Audrey O’Bryon Truly ROCK! appeared first on SpectraLight Photography and Design.

$$ Go Green! $$ – A Green Screen Presentation by Bill Morley of Bill Morley Photography based in Independence, Ohio.

The program will cover:

● How to incorporate green screen into engagement sessions, senior sessions, families and kids – in rain or shine!

● Event photography: offer green screen as an alternative to cheesy photo booths 

● Where to get free backgrounds on the internet and with your own camera

● Foolproof lighting techniques: blend your subjects seamlessly into exciting backgrounds!

● Comparisons of green screen software

● And much more! 

See how your studio can have fun and save money!

Join us for this fun and informative program that will change the way you look at green screen!

This program is offered by the Society of Northern Ohio Professional Photographers on Tuesday, March 25th at the North Olmsted Public Library at 7 p.m.

The post Amazing Green Screen trick – place people anywhere in the world without leaving the studio appeared first on SpectraLight Photography and Design.