February 2011

Dick Goddard summons 80th birthday snow storm

14 brave souls venture out in near-blizzard-like conditions to see presentation

mark_madere_spectralight_photo_restoration — Mark Madere of SpectraLight Photography shows a before-and-after example of how two separate pictures of a man and a woman can be digitally combined to create a new photograph depicting them as a couple.

On February 21st – amid blustery weather conditions, 14 people made their way to the North Ridgeville Library to see my special presentation: “Photo Restoration – The Art and Science of Resurrecting Damaged and Faded Photographs.”

The presentation was sponsored by the North Ridgeville Arts Council and was open to the community. I covered the causes of damage and fading to photographs and how to avoid it. There were several before-and-after photos showing how pictures that were once unsalvageable using old restoration techniques can now be restored to their original glory with “digital magic.”

See examples of photos that were in near-unsalvageable condition that were restored to their original condition: http://www.SpectraLight.com/PhotoRestoration

A special thank you to Alan Willoughby who e-mailed the following comment: “Janet and I enjoyed your photo restoration presentation at the Arts Council meeting on Monday evening. It was time well spent despite the snow.”

I am available to speak to other groups or clubs on this topic. Just comment on this post or contact me here.

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 photo here.

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, below.

14 brave souls venture out in near-blizzard-like conditions to see presentation Read More »

Mark spoke about the miracles of photo restoration at North Ridgeville Arts Council

Beyond the shadow-of-a-doubt – unforgettable Groundhog Day memories

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I grew up 30 just minutes from Punxsy but never experienced the fun and festivities of Punxsutawney Phil and Groundhog Day.

In 2003, I decided to document all the crazy activities surrounding this world renown occasion. This video captures the residence of Phil (the Punxsy library), the members of the Inner Circle with their top hats and tuxedos and photos of the news media from around the world. Even Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell got it on the action!

You'll also witness Phil's wedding chapel where couples actually get married to coincide with Groundhog Day, Phil-themed games for the kiddies, vendors selling groundhog mementos, ice sculpture and wood carving contests and even a 5K race.

The last photo in the video is a three story groundhog located next to a burger joint on the edge of town!

Groundhog Day in Punxsutawney is a “must-see” event that will warm your heart.

Have you ever been to Punxsutawney to see whether Phil would see his shadow? If not, do you think you'll ever make the trip? Please share your thoughts with a comment here.

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

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: http://SpectraLight.com/Gear

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Groundhog Day magic

4 Comments

: See article for how the top photo was created.

February 2nd – the magical day when the world’s attention turns to a little town in western Pennsylvania where an over sized rodent predicts whether spring will arrive early.

I had the opportunity to witness the fun and festivities in 2003. My goal was to capture the essence of the celebration in just one photograph. A monumental task when you discover all the cool things going on around Punxsy (that’s what the locals call their town) during the week surrounding the great prognostication (prediction).

Although I created a photo that captures the spirit of the day; it required three different photos blended together in Photoshop to create the image seen here. I first took the photo of local high school boys on stage as they “entertained” the 25,000 spectators at Gobbler's Knob. About 18 minutes later – the fireworks were set off. In fact, the fireworks were in a different part of the sky – not over the stage. After I overlaid the fireworks over the boys, I had to digitally “erase” some of the fireworks so they wouldn’t appear to be exploding right in front the boys.

This year's festivities may be the best yet as they celebrate their 125th “Groundhog Day.” For more information, visit the official Groundhog Day website.

As a side note, I found that battling the photographers who came from around the world for best photo position was worse than photographing Jimmy Carter's arrival in Cleveland for the Presidential Debates in 1980!

Groundhog Day magic Read More »

Dick Goddard summons 80th birthday snow storm

14 brave souls venture out in near-blizzard-like conditions to see presentation

Mark spoke about the miracles of photo restoration at North Ridgeville Arts Council

Beyond the shadow-of-a-doubt – unforgettable Groundhog Day memories

Groundhog Day magic

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