Facets of History: My Colorization Work

Hi ATS,

I have worked in photo restoration for a few years, mostly as a hobby. My favorite thing to do though is colorize old black and white images from family photos and such. Recently I became obsessed with this idea of finding a color picture if LBJ's swearing in after President Kennedy was murdered. I found out that such a beast did not exist.

So I had to make one.



I hate the man, but it is such an important piece of our history that I felt it needed a different presentation.

From there I started to create other colorized works of people and events I find personally important.



Oswald. Getting shot. What else is there to say?



Franklin Roosevelt giving one of his first fireside chats. A man I highly respect.



Langston Hughes, one of my favorite poets.

This last image is one that brought me to tears as I made it. Bobby was our last, best hope in the country. The powers the be took him from us and one day I hope they suffer in the worst way possible.



I am making many more of these color views of the past. I hope to share them in the future with you.

reply to post by NuminousCosmos


Wow, these are really cool! You chose very interesting subjects.
These would be so awesome on a light board. I bet you could even get a gallery show with this stuff.
What's your process? What size pics are you working with?

My fave is FDR, I think; the coloring work on that one is really detailed. I love the Johnson pic, everyone looks really nervous.

reply to post by UnivoxSuperfuzz


Thanks for the kind words. I use a program called ReColored that helps to fill in areas with a flat color...from there I enhance it with a Corel Paintshop and then tweak it with Photoscape.

The originals are all high resolution copies I find online or scan out of books. I really like the results I have been getting.

Thanks again!

reply to post by NuminousCosmos


Very interesting and spectacular. You do an excellent job, and I absolutely love the colors.

Out of interest, how do you select what colors to use? Some details stick out when using certain color choices, like the pink outfits of the women in the LBJ photo, and other details like the green drapes with gold drape holders in the Roosevelt shot stick out and grab attention where they wouldn't in the B&W originals.

Do you research the colors of outfits and scenery for historical accuracy? If so, it's even more of a noteworthy accomplishment.

Well done.

reply to post by nineix


Thank you...I admire your work too.

As for color choices, I make a concentrated effort to research historical references-when possible. For example, the LBJ picture is based on the photos of Kennedy and LBJ (with wives in tow) on the tarmac when they landed in Dallas. The Oswald photo is based on a book illustration that was made by a sketch artist. FDR's Oval Office decorations are reproduced in his library (at least the photos I found online say so).

I do make choices based on complimentary colors and, like you said, eye catching highlights. For example, The Bobby Kennedy shot is just him-makes for a more dramatic focal point.

Nice work but I have to admit that some of the mystery is lost when you colorize these photos. Sometimes Black and White shows much more than color but that's just my personal opinion.

Originally posted by Kenrichaed
Nice work but I have to admit that some of the mystery is lost when you colorize these photos. Sometimes Black and White shows much more than color but that's just my personal opinion.

Eh, it really just shifts the focus of the work. I'd say black and white is more about subject while color photography is about color. With this work, I'd have to say the same thing. Although. as we can see in the Bobby K colorization, it does add some flavor and importance to the subject itself.

Any opinion on the light board thing, OP? I'd really like to see these big and bright.

reply to post by UnivoxSuperfuzz


Color is a highlight feature-I love B/W...but the color adds something for me.

As for the light table, I think if I could print these on transparencies, it would make for a really interesting visual experience. I am now going to have to look for one of these.

reply to post by NuminousCosmos


Found a site that does digital advertising prints on light boxes for really cheap.
www.alibaba.com...
www.alibaba.com...

reply to post by UnivoxSuperfuzz


Wow...thanks for the research! This things are totally affordable!

Here is my newest photo:



Pearl Harbor, 1941