FAQs: Frequently Asked Questions
- You're not taking new work? What is up with that?
- For many years Mary Holder, Principal of Images Revived, has collected maps of Yorkshire with a focus on the part of Yorkshire called Holderness. We are most grateful to our clients for all the opportunities you have given us to revive your images. It has been a great journey. The time has come to change focus for however long it takes to work on the map collection.
- Does Images Revived work on original documents or pictures?
- No. Images Revived will create a digital copy of what you give us. We return the original to you in the condition in which we receive it.
- Why Images Revived? Why not the bigger firms?
- Because we will go the extra mile for you. And, do you really want to trust your precious photos and documents to a series of strangers? Your original(s) is(are) handled by one person only in a secure environment featuring color-calibrated state of the art technology. Images Revived offers the flexibility to assist you with the special needs you may have related to your project.
- I need restoration done on the original. Where can I get help with that?
- Please consult with the Northeast Document Conservation Center.
- Which do you like better, photos or documents? Which kinds of issues are your favorites?
- We like them all. Working with old photos is aesthetically, technically, and personally satisfying in the wholeness it returns to the client. Working with documents is rewarding as there is always great meaning in them for the client and documents can require total attention to detail (yes, we tend to perfectionism...). Maps are a personal favorite as they offer an opportunity to step into a specific world at a specific time and cartography is a longstanding passion. We learn something from every piece we work on and we value the personal relationships we establish with our clients, many of whom provide us with repeat business. Technically speaking, the greater the damage the more alluring the project. We have a soft spot for the challenging ones.
- This is an unusual kind of business. What have you learned from it?
- People's old photos are extremely precious to them. Almost uniformly a client will hand us a photo and say "This is my sister [or whoever]". The photo is a link to someone or some time and is a living thing for the client. For this reason we bend over backward to protect the originals clients provide.
- We work on more photos of grandmothers as young women than anything else. This was not something we expected.
- People are used to looking at old photos as they are and removing all the age-related yellowing from the revived version can be jarring for the client. We do not make the photo look completely new again if the client does not want that. We have learned to listen carefully to what clients seek in our work.
- Are there photos or documents you will not work on?
- Images Revived will not accept work on images that are racist, pornographic, or otherwise offensive in the opinion of the owner. Also, Images Revived will not handle currency, contracts, or financial documents like stock certificates.