AboutDavid Silver Expertise I'm an expert on all types of antique, classic, and contemporary cameras, as well as the general history of photography. Everything from ancient box cameras to modern single-lens-reflex; from simple Kodaks to sophisticated Leica and Nikon; from glass plates and roll film to movie and 35mm. I can identify and appraise them, explain how they work, and offer insights on their restoration and care. I can also provide historical background on vintage cameras and equipment, and guidelines on their purchase and sale.
Experience I've been a professional photographer and a student of the history of photography for nearly 30 years. During that time my collection of vintage cameras and photographic paraphernalia has grown beyond 2000 significant pieces. I've published nearly 70 articles in the field, including 16 in the popular "Buying Classic Cameras" series for PHOTO SHOPPER MAGAZINE from 1995 to 1997, I'm currently a contributing editor for CAMERA SHOPPER MAGAZINE and McKEOWN'S PRICE GUIDE TO ANTIQUE AND CLASSIC CAMERAS, and I've written numerous entries for WORLD BOOK ENCYCLOPEDIA. Portions of my collection have been displayed in museums and special exhibits in the past two decades, and many of the items were photographed as illustrations for books. In 1985 I founded the International Photographic Historical Organization (InPHO), which eventually evolved into its intended purpose as the best first resource for information on the history of photography. I'm also a founding member of several e-mail forums dedicated to specialized areas of photography, and I'm the moderator of the Internet Directory of Camera Collectors (IDCC), which remains the largest and most successful such group in the world. For more information about the International Photographic Historical Organization and its many services, please visit its web pages at:
Expert: David Silver Date: 1/7/2005 Subject: Preserving Photos
Question Some of my color prints from 10 years ago are turning pink. What might be causing this and how can I stop it?
Answer Hello Jeffery,
There are many things that may have caused this type of image deterioration, but the two most common causes are either insufficient fixing and washing during the printing process (a major problem with quickie one hour processing labs, and that's why you should always send your important pictures to a proper full service lab instead) or the printing paper is simply poor quality (one of the reasons why quickie discount processors can charge so little). The bad news is you can NOT stop this deterioration, it's a progressive chemical reaction that will continue until all that remains is a ghostly pink reminder of the original image. The reaction can not be reversed either. The good news is that if you still have the negatives, you can make all the new prints you want, preferably at a proper full service photo lab. The negatives are processed automatically in machines that do a much better job of completing the fixing and washing steps, so they tend to keep much much longer. The prints are usually done by "inspection" through a different sort of machine, and then a live person makes judgements about how much time to give each step in the process. Inevitably, the live person tries to do too much too quickly in an effort to save money, and the prints, although they look quite snazzy when fresh, tend to suffer in the long run. So if you have the original negatives, just go have some new prints made. But if you don't have the negatives, I'm afraid the news is all bad.
