Christmas time and memories

If you have the opportunity to get together with family this Christmas, take the time to collect some family stories, write them down or better yet, record them. Go through picture albums and reminiscence and record those memories. It's really sad when family members pass away and they are the only ones who can identify people are in the pictures.

As you go through your pictures, label them. One thing I do with my old pictures is to make notes on sticky notes and attach them to the back of the photos, then later I can go back and transfer that information to wherever I need it. You don't want to use pens because they can bleed through  or if the pictures are stacked, it can smear onto another picture. You want to preserve your pictures and also make copies of them. Scanners are a good way to make copies of your pictures or if you're comfortable, you can use a camera to digitize those precious photos. Don't store pictures in magnetic albums, the albums are acidic and will eat away at your pictures.  If there is writing on the back of the pictures (people used to do that years ago, scan that information and you will also have your ancestors handwriting - got kids? See if they can read it, if not make sure to transcribe it). If you have pictures stuck to those pages, before you try and remove the pictures, I recommend getting a high quality scan and save it in a .tif format rather than .jpg. Removing stuck pictures from magnetic albums takes patience. One way to successfully remove those pictures is to very carefully slide dental floss between the picture and album page. Remember patience is key when you do this.

Share your photos, familysearch.com and ancestry.com. People working on family history love to find pictures of shared ancestors, and share the stories you have too. We have so many treasures that we can share with our families.

Over time pictures can be damaged or faded. Don't throw them away.  If you have any that are faded, discolored, torn, damaged, etc. let me know and I can bring them back to life. Pictures enable us to remember parts of our life we've forgotten.

And also have a very Merry Christmas and enjoy your time with your loved ones.

Edward and Clois Owens

Edward and Clois Owens were married on October 3, 1917 in Salt Lake City, Utah in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints temple. They had 15 children, and 12 of those children lived to adulthood. They had 3 sons serve in World War II, one whom died on Okinawa. 2 other sons served in the Korean war and 1 served in the Vietnam war.  They lived a hard life but they taught their children how to work hard, how to serve others, and how to love. This picture was taken in 1965 and it faded with time.This is possibly one of the last pictures of them taken together, Clois passed away in 1969.

What a privilege it was to work on this picture, especially since they are my grandparents. 

If you have any pictures that you would like restored, please contact me at cherisphotos10@gmail.com for a quote.

Photo tinting

Prior to color film, any colorization of pictures was done by hand.  The process started in Europe, then spread to Japan, and eventually the United States.  The 1900-1940s were considered the "golden age" of hand colored photography. Basic dyes were used to color the pictures and they would often build up color using a wash of layers. Landscape photography was especially popular with artists and during the depression there was a dip in popularity due to the expense. Eventually color tinted stopped with the introduction of color film, but then in the 1960s it made a bit of a comeback as people wanted antiques in their homes.

I grew up seeing family pictures that had been hand tinted and I didn't fully appreciate the work involved with the whole process.

I had the opportunity to work on a photo for Susan. There were a few wrinkles and the picture had faded with time.  I love hearing the stories behind the pictures I restore. She told me she was the little girl in the yellow dress and this one a special picture to her mom.

So removing the wrinkles and bringing back the color gave the photo a whole new life. Seeing the joy in Susan's face and her excitement to show her mother made it all worth it.

If you or anyone you know have pictures that are damaged and/or faded, get in touch with me for a quote to restore your pictures.

Evergreen State Fair - 2014

For the 2nd year, I was a photographer at the Evergreen State Fair in Monroe, WA. It's always an amazing experience capturing the events of the fair. I love watching the people as they participate in the fair. Covering the entire fairgrounds, I had the opportunity to see so much.  One day, I noticed a dad standing over his son who was laying on the ground crying. It made me chuckle because as a parent, I've done the same thing when my kids have had a meltdown.

Watch out, you're going to be wet.

One of the perks of being the fair photographer is having inside access. The logging show is always a crowd favorite.  I needed a towel after the log rolling but it was so worth it. By time both loggers were done, I wasn't the only one who needed a towel.

You never know what is going to happen with the animals at the fair. The petting zoo welcomed 2 new kid goats to their family.  They were about 2 hours old in these pictures. It was amazing to watch them learn to stand.

Shooting a rodeo is not something I get to do very often. Bull riding has limited opportunities if the bulls are having a good night. This particular night is was bulls 1 - cowboys - 0. I don't think any of the cowboys stayed on for more than a second or 2. But the next night, the cowboys had the better night. 

                                

The barrel racing adds excitement. If you've never seen a rodeo, the horse sprints at the beginning and end of the race and they have to go around 3 barrels. If you knock the barrels over, you're penalized. The sprint at the end is always intense as they race to finish strong.



                                                                                                                                                                              

The carnival is always full of action and excitement. I try to take advantage of the Ferris wheel and go up to capture the aerial view. This one is a favorite of mine because all the rides are at the peak of their ride.

 Contests are a part of the daily activities. The pie eating contest is a crowd favorite. The contestants were given a whole pie to eat, crust and all.  This man was a plant and the other contestants didn't know anything about it. He came out with a roll of paper to tuck into his shirt, he tried to use a knife and fork behind his back, and then he grabbed the plate to try and flip the pie.  He's wearing so much pie because a pie was smashed in his face.

 Eric - The One Man Band was performing and some boys couldn't but join in the fun and they started break-dancing. They were good and drew quite the crowd around them. The best part is they were just enjoying the fair and having a good time.






 

4-H is a huge part of the fair. The kids spend hours getting ready training and grooming their animals. The dogs enjoy posing and some will even smile for the camera.

 

 One of the highlights of the 2014 fair was the opportunity to see Bill Cosby perform. I was able to hand off my camera at the end of the meet and greet and have my picture taken with him. After the meet and greet, he sat back stage and talked. He was asking about the kettle corn that is sold on the grounds and asking how it is made. He was going into extreme detail and we just laughed. The amazing thing was when performed, he incorporated that backstage conversation into his opening bit. It was so much fun to see him.

Kids

Sometimes the hardest pictures to take are those of your own family.  My kids are willing to let other people take their pictures, but when it comes to mom, they hide when they see the camera.  I love being able to take pictures of my kids and getting them to laugh and just have fun.  Watching them makes me realize they grow up way to fast. But I am so lucky to be their mom.

Cheris Photos and Restoration: Super Moon

Cheris Photos and Restoration: Super Moon: Living in the northwest, we don't always have the opportunity to see astrological events so having clear skies for a super moon is a tre...

Super Moon

Living in the northwest, we don't always have the opportunity to see astrological events so having clear skies for a super moon is a treat.  I took advantage of the clear night and headed to one of my favorite parks in the area, Lundeen Park.  There were a couple of eagles flying around but I wasn't able to get a shot of them, next time.  I love being near the water, it is so peaceful and calming.

LaPierre's family photos

For many people, taking family pictures is something that can be pushed down the list of priorities. Scheduling can be difficult to coordinate between mom and dads and the kids schedules.  I had the opportunity to photograph the LaPierre family in January.  Deon was traveling out of the country on a regular basis and so they wanted to have updated family pictures because you never know when something can happen to a family member.  I had photographed their family a few years ago and they were due for updated pictures.

We went to a park on a beautiful Saturday afternoon and we were able to get some great family pictures.  As we took various poses and groupings, I could see Karin, the mom, getting more and more tired as our time progressed but we just brushed it off.  On Sunday, she laid down to take a nap and her husband couldn't wake her up.  He ended up taking her tot he emergency room where her blood pressure was dangerously low.  Deon ha been scheduled to leave the country on a work trip earlier in the day, but his trip was unexpectedly canceled.  The doctors were able to stabilize Karin's blood pressure and she was sent home.  She ended up back in the er the following week with blood pressure that was extremely high.  This time she was admitted to the hospital and eventually ended up being diagnosed with thyroid cancer.  Surgery was finally scheduled and she had to have her thyroid removed.  With everything going on with her health, we weren't able to meet to go over their pictures.  Finally, after several months she is now a cancer survivor and their pictures were delivered.  Take the time to enjoy your family, you never know what curves life will throw your way.

Harman Ruth

Meet Harman Ruth, he was born July 4,1846 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and he's my great, great grandfather. He served in the Civil War in the 10rth Pennsylvania regiment, entering the war as an under aged young man.  After the war, he married Kate Vandergrift, had about 8 children (we're working on verifying his children, our records have some errors) worked as a farmer and moved west.

I love this picture, but to me it's a little dark.  I'd like to be able to see some of the details in his face. So I lightened it up and I really like the way it turned out.

 I have been learning about my family and through the wonders of technology, I have been able to meet some distant cousins.  Harman has been a man that has created confusion in our family because different records show different first names.  Some records show Herman and others show Harman.  One of my goals is to try and correct errors in my family history, but I was stumped which name was correct.  Finally, an answer was found when I was researching old newspapers. I found an article in the Montana Roundup newspaper dated November 16, 1933 in which Harman actually answers the question.  The article says "He is sensitive about his name. Most people insist, he declares, on calling him 'Herman'.
It isn't 'Herman.' It's 'Harman, no 'e' in it. And the middle initial is Y, don't forget that."

Here's to Harman Ruth.  I can't wait to discover more history about my ancestors and along the way maybe find more pictures that I can restore.  It has a special meaning when it's your own family you're working on.

Father's Day

Pictures are a great way to preserve family history, showing our posterity how we lived.  We are able to capture moments in time that will be forever etched in our memories and those those times and stories at later times.  Father's day is the opportunity to show our dad's how much we love and appreciate them.  Often times, the pictures we have of our dads are faded, damaged or just need some tender loving care to restore them to their original quality.

The dad is Ed Kaye and his son Derek.  The picture was taken about 1988 when Derek about about 1 year. The smiles on their faces show the love they have for each other.  Fast forward to present day, Derek looks so much like his dad and now Derek has a son of his own that he can create new memories of his own.

Removing the shadows gave the picture a whole new life and brought the focus to their faces.  One dad will be receiving a special father's day gift.

Happy Father's day to dad's everywhere.  If you have photos you want restored and brought back to life, please contact me at cherisphotos10@gmail.com for a quote.

Prom

Prom season is an exciting time of year for most high school students.  I love the pictures of Jonathan.  I've know him since he was a little boy and now he is so grown up.  He looks so handsome in his tux. Hope you have a great time!

Arne Hendrickson

Family history is something that has become more important to me as I've gotten older.  One of the regrets I have is that I didn't take advantage of opportunities I had to learn more about the lives of my grandparents while they were alive.  Both sets of grandparents lived through the depression and lived hard lives.  They also saw some amazing advances in the world during their lives.  Think about the changes the world has experienced in the past 100+ years. I remember my grandpa reciting a poem about a purple rose and I heard it so many times that I stopped listening.  Now I would love to be able to share that poem with my children and help them learn more about their ancestors.

I have worked on my own family history from time to time.  I've had some information given to me and I always say that I need to sort through it and find out what I really have.  I have found some gems for my ancestors through the internet and I'm very grateful for that information.  So imagine my surprise when I'm looking at familysearch.org and I see a wedding picture of my great great grandparents.  I didn't remember ever seeing the picture and so I contacted the person who submitted the picture.  It was in pretty good shape, but there was some wear on it and I wanted to make it look better.  What a thrill it was today to receive the file, and I couldn't wait to work on it.  While I love working on other people's family pictures, there is a special feeling when it's your own family. So here's Arne Hendrickson and Gustava Martinson and there were married about 1888 in Norway.

Do you have any old or damaged photos that you want preserved or restored, contact me at cherisphotos10@gmail.com for a quote.
 

Unexpected Surprise

I had the opportunity of being one of two photographers for the Evergreen State Fair in Monroe, WA last August.  It was an amazing experience and afterwards I submitted some of my favorite photos for a fair photographer contest.  I didn't hear anything and so I thought that I didn't do very well.  So fast forward to April 2014 and I've been hired to be the photographer for the Spring Festival at the Fairgrounds.   had to take my contract out to the fairgrounds and while I was there I was looking at the pictures in the display case.  I realized that one was mine so I started looking a little closer and that was when I saw the little blue ribbon on the information card.  I took a minute for me to comprehend that the picture I took of my little girl won a blue ribbon.  My boss thought he had told me but he hadn't.  Seeing that ribbon completely made my day.

Here's the story behind the picture.  I took my 2 youngest to the fair and they wanted to try and win a stuffed animal.  They choose to throw darts, even though neither of them had ever done it before.  Laura popped the balloon with the very first dart, I was shocked.  She couldn't wait to pick the red and pink giraffe, she still loves that little animal.  I love the joy that is showing in her face. 

I can't wait to take pictures this weekend and hopefully I'll be able to capture the joy and excitement for the people at the festival.

Fanny Elizabeth Dudfield

I love hearing the stories behind the pictures that I'm asked to work on.  We all have our own personal and family histories and we never know when we may find a connection with someone.  I had restored some pictures as a surprise, and when the new pictures were given as a gift, the mom went and pulled this picture and asked me if I could fix it.  Her daughter had never seen the picture and so a dialogue was opened up about family history.  Oral histories have been a way of passing down stories from one generation to another, and hopefully at one point the stories will be written down to be preserved.

Here's the before:

And the after:

Thank you for your service

It's never to late to say thank you to all those men and women who have defended our country and helped preserve our freedoms.  My dad served in the US Navy for 20 years before he retired as a Chief Petty Office.  He served as a corpsman and we were blessed as a family to not move around very much.

One of my dad's first duty stations was in Japan.  He and my mom were newlyweds and it was their first adventure outside of the United States.  While there, they adopted a beautiful German shepherd they named Kelai, which they told me means pretty.

Most of their pictures from Japan were taken using 35mm slides and overtime, the slides are starting to deteriorate.  I'm in the process of digitizing the slides and restoring them so I can get my parents to record their memories for their grandchildren.  Here is the first of the pictures.

Arlias "Art" Owens and his dog Kelai

I couldn't leave the picture as it was and let it continue to deteriorate.  So, here's the updated copy of it.

My dad will always be my hero.  Thanks dad for all you've done.

Old to New

We take pictures so we can preserve our memories and share those experiences with others. With today's technology it's not uncommon to see with iphones recording every detail.  They are used to record their kids first moments, achievements, school concerts, sports and just about everything related to their family.  But it hasn't always been that easy to record memories.  When cameras first came out, people had to sit still for an extended period of time for the photographer so he could get the proper exposure. We have the ability today to easily digitize photos through scanning or using a digital camera.  I can remember my mom making color Xerox copies of pictures that she wanted to save.  Color copies was a pretty standard practice and unfortunately at the time, copies were made of color copies and each generation of copies lost some of the original detail. With this picture, that seems to be what happened.  At some point, mold developed on the picture and then a color copy was made of it.  Having a damaged picture is better than not having a picture at all. 

With today's technology, we are able to restore images that would have been lost.  I was able to take out the coloring from the mold and clean it up.

A photo that the family thought was lost has now been back to life and family members kept close to the heart.

If you have any pictures you would like restored, please contact me for a quote.