2010-11-17

I am a photographic undertaker

Quiet in death, ca. 1930s


This is one of the many photos I have been restoring over the past year.  This is the daughter of a family friend named Lydia Penner.  Beyond the name on the back of the photo, nothing is known of her.

4 comments:

J. Evan Kreider said...

This is a splendid result and an interesting glimpse into history. The Amish near Goshen, IN used to request photos of deceased lying in state because they had none of them while living. I am interested in how you work on these. Presumably a good scan, followed by what software?

Ken Bryant said...

What an extraordinary photographer that must have been! In what format is the original -- a plate? A large negative?

Tony Funk said...

Hello Gents,
Evan: to answer your question, the photo was scanned at high res. The software used is Nik Software. It's fantastic because it contains numerous presets that you can change, add to, combine, etc. For example, the "tonal contrast" setting brought out all the design in the lace. Without the setting, you could barely make out the designs. I also used a setting called "Midnight" to create the ethereal looking light - dodging here and burning there.
Ken: I don't know what the original negative was. We found these photos in a box after my mom died.

Yoshi said...

Thanks for commenting on my entry. This photo really caught my eyes. SERIOUSLY! I agree with Ken Bryant and understand the fact that you have been restoring.
This photo (or she, or your software skills) really grab my attention.

Well, I should be following your blog from now on.

Thanks for sharing.

Yoshi from Japan