Ramblings of a Grouch

So you got your photograph to Digitalmemoriesonline. What happens next?

Well, we need to scan the photo into the computer memory. However, it's no good slapping it into the scanner and pressing the button, we need to take safety precautions first. You may think it's not likely a dangerous accident resulting in personal injury will occur, and you would probably be correct. However, it is quite easy to inadvertently damage an old photo.

Sometimes I need to make a print part way through a restoration. Then I may draw on it, mark sections off, write instructions and notes - anything to make sure I get the best results at the end of the day. But an original photograph should be maintained in the condition it was received, and that means taking precautions.

So the first thing to do is to don a pair of white cotton gloves. These are not just for playing at miming like Marcel Marceau, they also prevent grease and oil from the fingers getting on to the photo. A greasy fingerprint can spoil the scan and so create more work to be done during the restoration process. More importantly, grease and oil are absorbed into the photographic paper itself and will, over time, permanently mark the image. Grease is also a good breeding ground for mould and mildew.

Next is dust removal. I use a microfibre cloth to gently dust the surface of the photo. This is to remove fluff, stray hairs and the larger pieces of dust (smaller dust specks can be removed digitally). The keyword is gently as it's easy to scratch the surface of a photograph. I also make sure the glass bed of the scanner is clean - I keep a separate microfibre cloth for this purpose.

Occasionally it is necessary to use a spirit-based glass cleaner. In this case I leave it to dry for 15 minutes before even thinking of laying the photo on the glass.

With these steps done it's time to scan, a process we'll cover in the next installment.

Until next time ...

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