Black and white line drawing of a vintage camera with a large lens.

Preserving Photo Prints and 35mm Slides

A damaged, black-and-white photo from 1943 showing a young Benton R. McKee standing outside in the snow with his dog in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. Young Ben is wearing a hat and a dark jacket, and there are houses and leafless trees in the background.

Vintage Slides and Prints:

Digitization (scanning)

  • Our competitive pricing varies by media type and quantity

  • Minimum charges may apply

Retouching

  • Simple retouching is available for color, fading, scratches, etc.

Colorization

  • While results can vary greatly by photo and the quality of the original material, adding color to some vintage photos can truly bring them to life

  • Pricing is per slide/photo and varies by complexity

Restoration of damaged photos

  • Restoration is available by request

  • Not all photos are eligible for restoration

  • Photos will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis

(David’s late father is the subject of the example photos shown on this page)

Restored black-and-white photo from 1943 showing a young Benton R. McKee standing outside in the snow with his dog in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. Young Ben is wearing a hat and a dark jacket, and there are houses and leafless trees in the background.

Lantern Light Learning’s founder, David, has been captivated by vintage photos for nearly his entire life. He enjoys photography as a hobby and can still smell “fixer” if he thinks about it. In recent years, his passion for vintage photos has only intensified. He is currently preserving the photos and videos of his parents, who passed away in 2023 and 2024.

Lantern Light Learning has had many requests to digitize 35mm slides, prints, and even vintage home movies. We have also been asked to “restore” vintage photos for family events or gifts. Clients have been thrilled with the results!

Many providers offer digitization and restoration services, but our service is personalized to you. We love to hear the stories behind the photos and videos, to learn what makes them special, and to see the joy that these digitizations and restorations bring to families.

Competitive pricing is provided upon request.

Home Movies:

Digital Conversion

  • We offer conversion of some video tape formats, so please inquire about this if you’re interested

  • We can also extrapolate home movies that have already been converted to DVD in order to create digital files which can be posted for private streaming to share with your family and friends

The finished result (what we return to you)

  • Completed files can be placed onto a USB stick

  • Files can also be placed in a shared online space (iCloud, Dropbox, Box, etc.) - great for sharing with family and friends

  • Prints and enlargements of photos are available upon request

  • DVDs are available for finished photos or videos

The example below is one of our favorites and is starring David’s father, Ben, and his father’s sister. The original photo was in pretty rough shape. The restored photo was used for Ben’s celebration of life. While colorization is not always necessary or desired, as mentioned above, it can truly bring some special photos to life.

A vintage, torn and damaged black and white photograph of a young boy and girl sitting on a bench, dressed in vintage clothing, with the boy wearing striped socks and the girl wearing a bow in her hair.
Black and white restored vintage photo of a boy and girl sitting on a vintage chair. The boy is wearing a shirt, tie, shorts, and striped socks, and the girl is in a dress with a bow in her hair. Both are smiling softly, sitting close on the chair.
A colorized and restored vintage photo of a boy and girl sitting on a vintage chair. The boy is wearing a shirt, tie, shorts, and striped socks, and the girl is in a dress with a bow in her hair. Both are smiling softly, sitting close on the chair.
Vintage restored photo of a boat captain wearing a cork life jacket and heavy weather boating clothing.

This photo was restored from a very old, ripped, faded and damaged photo of a distant relative. In case you’re wondering, that’s a cork life jacket.

Frequently Asked Questions:

  • This varies dramatically by photo and the complexity of the damage. Some photos can’t easily be restored.

  • This depends on the quality of the original photo, but in many cases photos can be printed as posters or even canvas prints. We work with several providers for printing and will review whether your photos are eligible for large-format printing. Restored photos make amazing gifts!

  • In addition to providing the finished videos and photos on a USB stick or DVD, they can also be shared via a link with private access. Alternatively, videos can be uploaded to a private YouTube Channel with a link that may be shared with friends and family.