Photographs and negatives are some of our most valued possessions. They chronicle ours lives and the adventures we’ve been on. They preserve the faces of our loved ones who have passed away. They show each year of our children growing up. It is terribly distressing to find that our photographs and negatives have been damaged in a fire. We are desperate to know if there is any way that these precious treasures can be recovered. If this tragedy has befallen you the first thing you need to do is call a photographic restoration specialist. Make an appointment to take the photos and negatives to the specialist as quickly as possible. The longer the photos sit the more damage they will suffer.
Photographic negatives are damaged by the heat of a fire. When heated the emulsion or layer of a negative that hold the image gets sticky. It will adhere to any surface it comes into contact with. The emulsion of a negative could crack, distort, or shrink as a result of fire damage. Color negatives can change color or fade. Black and white negatives are not as likely to fade. Handle the negatives with care while moving them after the fire as they will scratch easily. Soot and debris will adhere to a heated negative often becoming permanently ingrained in the negative.
Photographs are also damaged by the heat from fire. If the temperature of the fire is hot enough the base of the photo will burn. The emulsion on the photograph will become sticky and adhere to any other surface it encounters. Photos stacked together will become stuck together. If the photographs are in an album do not try to remove them. Fire damaged pictures can be scratched easily when handled. When the emulsion is heated and gummy soot can become embedded in the print and the acidic quality of soot can damage and change the colors in a print. The longer soot is in contact with the print the more severely it will damage the print. If water comes into contact with the print the emulsion will become gelatin like and stick to other prints or anything else. Don’t try to pull two prints apart because the emulsion will come off removing part of the image from the print.
If the photos are wet, put them in plastic bags and freeze them until you can get them to the photographic restoration specialist. If they are dry move them from the fire damaged area and keep them safe until they are taken to be restored. The restoration specialist may be able to clean and restore many of the negatives and prints. After the specialist has repaired the prints as best as can be done there may be several prints that are only partially restored. There could be parts of the images that are missing from the photo. Computer software such as Paint Shop Pro and Adobe Photoshop can recreate the missing parts of the images. The photo can be scanned, the missing recreated, and a new print made that has the complete image. This is good news for everyone that treasures their family photographs.
About the author of this article:
chris blastoyout is a disaster article writer for orlando fire restoration and chicago sewer backup
