some things can never be replaced

by Brian Dressler Photography, Inc.

Volume 1 / Issue 2

tornadoes slam the midwest when survivors were asked what they hoped to find intact in the rubble of their belongings, or what they hoped to save in the chaos of evacuation, the most common response: family photos

giving thanks for enduring memories Leveled buildings. Uprooted trees. Rubble. Debris. Destruction. Loss. These are the images that pervade recent reports of those devastating tornadoes, which ripped through the Midwest just last week.   As a photographer, I understand the power that images have to tell a story—to capture a moment that often cannot be put into words. Included among the front-page photos of overturned cars and shattered roofs are those of residents searching desperately for belongings, even the smallest possessions that may have remained intact during the tumult.   Of those whose lives and homes were torn apart in a matter of seconds, when asked what they searched for under broken tree limbs and shattered glass, “family photos,” was overwhelmingly the most common response.   Houses can be rebuilt. Insurance can replace vehicles, appliances, and the comforts of home. However, photos, if damaged beyond recognition by torrents of rain, wind, and smoke damage can never be replicated.

While we here in South Carolina, do not fear the destruction of tornadoes, other devastating circumstances can just as swiftly ravage our most precious photographs, and along with them our stories, our memories, and our histories. House fires, floods, or other natural disasters, for which we are often unprepared have the potential to leave us without these most precious relics of our lives.   This is why photo restoration at Brian Dressler Photography is one of the most personally rewarding services that we offer our customers. Not only can we digitally enhance and retouch aged, damaged, or torn photographs and documents, but also when we restore these irreplaceable images, we create digital files that can be used to replicate your photos in the event that they are destroyed. When I studied the faces of the tornado victims in Illinois whose lives were forever changed, I couldn’t help but hope that they had already preserved their heirloom photographs.   I imagined what emotional turmoil that they had to be enduring while they sought to meet their most basic needs of survival, which, I’m sure was accompanied by sheer gratitude for simply being alive. However, I couldn’t help but wonder if during the quiet moments, when families began to recall the keepsakes such as baby pictures or wedding photos, heaped in the remains of the place once called home, there resonated just as deeply another sense of loss.   As the holidays approach and we find ourselves overwhelmed by the chaos of the season, we can lose sight of the people in our lives who mean more than any material objects. While we’re checking off our shopping lists, we sometimes forget to take stock of the memories of holidays past that fill our photo albums or hang over the mantle.   However, it’s during this season when gathered around the tree with friends and family that we’ll pore over those albums, or reminisce about the family holiday vacations, noting how the kids have changed. We’ll pull out the pictures of when Grandma and Grandpa used to dress up like Santa and Mrs. Claus, or pictures of the lights that Dad would string all over the first house he and Mom had. We laugh and enjoy the memories, and we hope that they last a lifetime.   Instead of running all over town on Black Friday, or perusing website after website on Cyber Monday, why not give a gift that truly captures those people for whom we are most grateful—our family. When you have your photos restored or retouched at Brian Dressler Photography, we can make duplicate copies in any number of sizes, whether to fit into a stocking or to display over the fireplace.   While we send our prayers to the families in the Midwest who may be spending the holidays far from home, we will hold onto each other a little tighter and treasure the memories that we can hold on to for even longer.

 

Photo Restoration

We suddenly realize that there are photographs that will disappear, never again to recount the history made in that fraction of a second when the shutter flashed open.	some moments only happen once in life A single photograph has the power to capture a moment in history that will only happen once in our lives—a couple’s wedding kiss, the birth of the first grandchild, a family reunion of multiple generations, high-school graduations, landmark anniversaries, retirement celebrations—these occasions become the stories of our lives, and their images become our memories. When we pull the weathered photo album from the shelf to reminisce or to share, the pictures themselves narrate our life’s story. when photographs disappear, so does history   Right now, we are more than just voracious consumers; we are invaluable players in this technological age where anyone with a cell phone can point, shoot, and even digitally enhance pics on the fly. Our children have seen more generations of cell phones than they have of their own family members.   While we can share images with the world faster than one can say, “digital upload,” and while we still hold dear the barrage of images dropped into virtual buckets, clouds, or books, and while we’ll ooh and aah over the app that makes last night’s take-out appear “vintage,” we suddenly realize that there are photographs—hanging on the wall at Grandma’s, or stuffed in a shoebox under the bed at Great Uncle Ira’s farmhouse, or slowly fading away in the “memory book” that your late husband made for you when you were first dating—that will literally disappear, never again to recount the history made in that fraction of a second when the shutter flashed open.
Contact Us: Brian Dressler Photography 3021 Rosewood Drive Columbia, SC 29205 (803) 254-7171 www.dresslerphoto.com	restore photos, slides, and documents Using the latest digital restoration techniques, we can restore, retouch, manipulate, and enhance new and old photos and can even apply these techniques to restore damaged, stained, or torn documents, like awards or diplomas. In fact, we can even make prints from those old Kodachrome slides, too!
SPECIAL GIFT IDEAS: The look on our customers’ faces when they see their restored photo for the first time is a very touching experience. It’s as if they’ve been reunited with a lost part of their lives. We offer a variety of reprinting and resizing options to allow you to give meaningful gifts that will continue to touch hearts and lives for many years afterward.	a word about “discount” restoration offered by others   We know that there are less-expensive options out there for restoring pictures; however, we eliminate the worry of what could happen if you were to choose to mail off the only picture of your great, great-grandfather to an out-of-state facility that simply feeds the photo into an automatic processor. Remaining optimistic that nothing happens to damage the fragile photo during this one-size-fits-all processing, the results often support the adage that “you get what you pay for.”   our expertise is clearly visible   However, our photo restoration and retouching work is done by hand and on-site at our Columbia, SC, studio, where we can guarantee the color and quality of our detailed work. We first render a digital file of your photograph using professional photo editing software. While most “big box” outfits apply a few coats of superficial “enhancements” to your photo and call it a day, we thoroughly assess the myriad layers that can be altered and work meticulously within those layers to restore the life behind the image—not just a glossy, photocopied version. Years of experience and skillful finesse are apparent in our ability to remove any color casting, stains, blemishes, tears, scratches, and creases. Because no alterations or repairs are applied to your original picture, we are able to provide you with an archival-quality, high-end reproduction of your old prints or slides to ensure that not only the photographs, but also the history, which they share, will be around for generations to come.   Instead of running all over town on Black Friday, or perusing website after website on Cyber Monday, why not give a gift that truly captures those people for whom we are most grateful—our family. When you have your photos restored or retouched at Brian Dressler Photography, we can make duplicate copies in any number of sizes, whether to fit into a stocking or to display over the fireplace.   While we send our prayers to the families in the Midwest who may be spending the holidays far from home, we will hold onto each other a little tighter and treasure the memories that we can hold on to for even longer.