Mold Wars

Having been born and raised in the New Orleans area, I know a thing or two about mold and mildew. It's just a fact of life in warm, humid climates. These dual enemies attack almost everything, and while the advent of air conditioning has lessened the danger somewhat, every denizen of the gulf south has experienced their damage.

Even though I now live in the mountains of western North Carolina, mold and mildew continues to be a problem. We can get fairly warm and damp here too. A friend recently asked me if I could restore a treasured photo of her as a little girl that had been ravaged by mold. She emailed me a copy to show me what the damage looked like, and yeah, it was pretty bad. Red mold on a black and white photo was a new one for me. Believe it or not, I enjoy the challenge of restoring photos like this, but this one looked really tough. Damage to skin areas and to a dress with fine polka dots would be especially challenging. At least there was no damage to the little girl's smiling face - that might have made the task too much even for Photoshop.

Original scanned photo

Besides the obvious red splotches, there were dozens of other mildew splotches and dust spots. Most could only be seen on the original print when held at a certain angle to the light, but my scanner saw them all. Like an actual wall in a home, there comes a time when cleaning is no longer good enough - it's time to re-paint. So I matched the color of the brightest area of the wall and re-painted the entire thing, removing the splotches, darkened edges, and also the flash shadows. The dark area to the left had to get the same treatment. I matched the tones of the unlit area and darkened doorway in the background, and re-created the entire space. That was the easy part.

Next came repairing the skin and dress areas, and restoring the stuffed toy skunk (Disney's Flower) on the table. Using the clone tool and the paint brush, I was able to re-create an upper arm, parts of two legs, and portions of the dress. Although not all of Flower's white back stripe is visible in the original photo, I added a little of it back to give some separation from the unlit background area. Unfaithful to the original? Maybe, but I think it makes it a better photo. 

Finished restoration

I finished it up by improving the contrast that had faded away over the years. I also got rid of the yellowish color cast, returning it to a true black and white. I was pleased with the way it came out, and so was my friend. We decided on a 5x7 horizontal crop so it could be framed for display. 

Final cropped version

I considered that while yesterday afternoon's rain gave me time to do this instead of yard work, it was also creating conditions for more mold and mildew. Oh well, I guess that's life in the south! (Click on photos to enlarge.)

Eye Catching Color

Exterior - Broadways Nightclub, Asheville, NC  -  2015

(Click on photo to enlarge.)

As I stated in a previous post, sometimes I just roam around looking for something to catch my eye. How could I miss this fire engine red wall and mural outside a local nightclub?

For Future Generations

Window Seat, Asheville, NC  -  2015

(Click on photo to enlarge.)

Long time visitors to this site know that I am a big fan of the photography of Walker Evans (1903-1975). In his documentary work for the Farm Security Administration in the early 1930s, he seemed to demonstrate a knack for knowing what subjects would be interesting to future generations of viewers. I'm sure that many of his photos seemed mundane, and maybe even boring to his contemporary viewers, but they are so fascinating to look at all these years later. Evans preserved little slices of contemporary life that give us a glimpse of an era of history that is so different from ours, and yet we still see many similarities because people are just people in any era. I hope that decades from now some of my photos will hold the same interest to some future viewers.

Looking For Images

Bust In A Window, Asheville, NC  -  2015

(Click on photo to enlarge.)

Sometimes when I go out with my camera, I have a specific target in mind. I may be hiking to find a particular waterfall, or traveling  to see a certain monument or building. Other times, however, I'm just roaming around, waiting for something interesting to catch my eye. I may walk for blocks without lifting my camera to my eye once, and then, there it is!

I saw this bust in a window of a sculpture studio. It sat on a glass shelf, several feet above the sidewalk, almost appearing to float in the window. The sun reflecting off the edge of the glass shelf, and the reflections of surrounding buildings in the glass of the window added a surreal aspect to the image. The image was already set up for me; all I had to do was compose and shoot. I could never have anticipated or planned a shot like this. Sometimes you have to just keep walking until you find it.

Another Untitled

Untitled, Asheville, NC  -  2015

(Click on photo to enlarge.)

I saw this on the side of a new building, and I thought it was worth an exposure. I had no idea what to call it, so punted and went with the versatile title, "Untitled".

Indestructible

It's been mowed over, stepped on, dug up, and endured several winters. It just keeps on coming back. I've not seen anything as resilient as this fern that has finally earned a permanent place in our front flower bed. After all its been through, I think it has won the right to be there.

Survivor, Canton, NC  -  2015

(Click on photo to enlarge.)

This heat!

Trinidad Dancer, Waynesville, NC  -  2011

(Click on photo to enlarge.)

This heat wave has my mind wandering, mainly to October. However, it also reminded me that Folkmoot is less than a month away. I guess that's because it's always hot during Folkmoot. The organizers decided that it would be a great idea to invite dancers from all around the world to come perform for us wearing heavy, elaborate costumes during the most miserably hot part of the summer. What could be more fun? I endure the miserable climatic conditions because I can get shots like the one above without leaving Haywood county. Besides, there's sweet tea and air conditioning waiting for me back at my computer!