AboutSteve Pearson Expertise Try me for 35mm or darkroom issues. I am a professional photographer in Australia. I work solely in 35mm digital format, after 35 years of colour and monochrome film in many formats. I have darkroom experience and for many years belonged to my local camera club. I conduct photography workshops around the state on any and most subjects relating to photography and often judge photography exhibitions and competitions.
Experience I hold a Diploma of Applied Science in Forensic Investigation, with part of my studies involving photography. I spend most days with a camera and am into digital photography in a big way. I was given my first camera in 1965 and have not been without one since. I spent nearly 20 years as a forensic investigator with my state Police Force, and since retiring a couple of years ago have concentrated on commercial photography - especially weddings.
Expert: Steve Pearson Date: 10/10/2005 Subject: Stuck Photograph
Question I don't know if you will be able to help on this one but here goes.
I have a photograph of sentimental value and its frame has broken. The photograph, after many years in the frame has become stuck to the glass of the frame. How can I detach it without ruining the photo?
Answer Hi Keith. I know exactly the problem you speak of. I'm trying to do a similar restoration for a friend. Sometimes (and only sometimes) the photo can be separated from the glass just by soaking it in tepid water. A bit like floating a postage stamp off an envelope. It doesn't normally hurt to try that as all photographs during their processing stage go through a series of chemicals and washes before being dried. Whether wet or dry, DON'T try to pull the photo from the glass. You'll only rip the emulsion from the paper and leave part of the image on the glass. About the only other successful way to do this is to place the photo and glass into a scanner and scan it. This effectively copies the photo so at least you have preserved the original image in the event that you DO manage to damage it. If scanning, save it as a TIFF file. You can then work on it in Adobe(R) Photoshop(R) to remove any marks that may be evident where the photo is in contact with the glass. Without seeing the photograph it's hard to offer any more advice than this. You could refer it to a photo restorer - they are usually listed in the Yellow Pages (or Pink Pages - depending where you are), or if it is very valuable and there appears to be a chance of wrecking the thing altogether you can go to the extreme of contacting a Government records and archiving department for advice. Good luck with it, which ever way you go.
Cheers,
Steve P
