CYBER MONDAY Photo Restoration Limited Time Offer.

Just in time for the holidays:  A Cyber Monday Limited Time Offer!  Buy one restoration service at full price, get a second one for half price!  Services start at $39.95. This is good from today until 11:59 pm Monday, November 30, 2020.

When I was very young, I loved looking at my grandmother's photo album.  All of those people, deceased by that time, were mysterious to me and it was difficult to understand how they were related to me, if they weren't really there now.

As I've gotten older, I've taken my most favorites and kept them in a safe box specifically for storing photographs.  When I learned Photoshop in 2006, one of the assignments was to restore an old photograph.  I chose my favorite one of her, in a ball gown; it was faded into that awful magenta, so common with photographs from that era, mid-to-late 50s.

Keeping in mind that my grandmother already loved pinks and purples, I painstakingly painted in the wall colors and furniture, the embroidered sampler that my mom still has, and her gorgeous gown.  It came to life!  I remember calling her to find out the color of the flowers of the corsage, and a few other details.  When I presented the photograph to her, in a sparkly, tiara-like frame, she cried, to see it so beautifully restored.

Since then, I've done a few here and there.  I've had requests of taking snapshots of people who passed away, and retouching them for their celebrations of life, and had them printed as 16x20s on either canvas or metal.  These pieces were especially displayed at these celebrations, so as you can see, turnaround is very quick for this kind of situation.

As it is a luxury service, my rates start at $39.95, and increase depending on the damage of the photograph, such as tears, stains, rips, etc.  Please know that I take the utmost care to restore your favorite photographs to their beautiful, original state.

If you have a cherished photograph for which you'd love to have an estimate, please scan it, at 1200 ppi, and email it to meganmartineau6@gmail.com.

What's New at Honey Bee Photography!

I have broken toes!

The PA told me that I'm down for at least 4-6 weeks.  That means that I can't do backyard sessions until around September 10.

What kind of gift do you give to a person who has everything?

In the meantime, the holidays are coming very quickly.  What is a great gift for parents and grandparents, ages 50+?

Slides and negatives digitally transferred, and photo restoration.

Yes, I can do those services.  I've been doing it for years, I just didn't say much about it.  Check out some of these before and afters of slides and photo restoration.

With slide and negative digital transfer, I crop, color correct, and sharpen your photographs.  

Here's a recent photo restoration project that I completed.

My client was very, very happy with the work that I did with this.  I'm able to work on all kinds of damage, whether faded, torn, water damaged, cracked, etc. I offer hand-tinting, too.  Prices vary according to damage, size of photograph, etc.  I also subcontract super-8 and video transfer to digital.

 Backyard portrait parties

I expect to be able to do these again after Sept 10, 2020.  Many families have turned their backyards into oasises ( oases? oasi?) because they are now spending time at home.  With COVID-19, families have been spending more time together, and according to those of you that I've spoken with,this have been a huge gift.

Celebrating this kind of love is really important.  The closeness you're feeling now may dissipate in time, and trying to remember what it really felt like will get harder as the years go by.  

I'm looking for 5 families who have the following criteria:  1.  A beautiful backyard.  2. The willingness to let me use said backyard for their friends and families who would love the opportunity to do a limited edition session. 3.  Credit towards artwork based on the sales of your friends and family.

Our beautiful, luxury products are available with special savings ONLY for these events.  The only theme is that it's fall, so these would be done on these specific dates:  October 24th and 25th; November 1; November 7th and 8th.  Of course, if you wanted a week day, like a Monday or a Friday, we can certainly accommodate.  

Disclaimer:

There is a requirement of 5 additional families.  I will help you with asking around as I have a one-sheet for you to share with everyone, so that you will have 5 families.  These five additional families cannot be part of your immediate family.  All 6 families will have a full experience, and will get to see their photographs the same day and make their order.  

All safety precautions will be followed, including masks, gloves, and hand sanitizer.  We will not be providing any refreshments, that is up to you to bring those.  Remember, it may be warm on those days, so having water and other refreshments is imperative on those days.  I will be waiving the session fee, but there will be a non-refundable $100 retainer to be spent towards your purchase.

Pets with Santa sponsored by BowieCLAW and Calvert Brewing Company

Here at Honey Bee Photography, we've been working with BowieCLAW for years now, and we want to keep the tradition of Pets with Santa, as well as a special themed In the Leaves Day in early October.  We're manifesting that we'll be able to do the photographs outside, and orders inside in a room that is easily accessible.  We're in the middle of negotiations now. I may put up a survey of some sort on my Facebook Page to get some excitement going.

Motorcycle fall sessions

Who do you who loves the open road in the fall?  I am reaching out to bikers who take advantage of spring, summer, and fall with their Harleys, and in the winter, ride on those days that are 50° plus.  

I have the perfect solution for you!  I photograph my clients authentically, according to their lifestyle, not who I think they should be.  So if you love the freedom that your motorcycle gives you, let's talk.

I do have a project coming up with a local dealer, so watch out!

Costume sessions

With Halloween being an uncertainty this year, I know that you want to try to give your kids some kind of happiness and fun with their costumes.  This year, I'm doing a food drive on Saturday, October 3 from 10-2 in my studio home.  My home will be sanitized for safety, and all safety measures will be followed.  The session fee is 10 pieces of non-perishable food items, cans, or boxes.  You'll receive a 10 minute session and a digital photograph of your choice, which you'll be able to see with my assistant on my front porch.  Volume priced packages will be available, including trading cards, greeting cards, and other fun pieces.  You'll have beautiful photographs of your child's fresh costume to enjoy for years to come.

The Psychology of Old Photos

"Those were the good ole days!"

"They don't make things like they used ta!"

"Back when I was a kid, I walked a mile uphill in waist-high snow both ways to school!"

Did you ever wonder what that looked like?  

Well, the third one about walking was always an exaggeration; it's to tell kids that they really have it easy these days with school-buses and car-lines for drop-off and pick-up.

We are really lucky to be living in today... because most families have at least 100+ years of photographs of their loved ones, when they celebrated life, got a photo in the corner of the yard against the flowering bush, and the hunting photos!  It seems that even with how bulky and heavy cameras were back then, people knew the value of photographs.  It was a record to them of good times, brought joy, and helped them to remember that exact moment in time.

When you go home for the holidays in December, do you lug out the old photo albums?  I mean the ones with the black pages where the black and white and sepia photos were encrusted with corners that had been licked and placed to keep the photo in place.  I mean the ones with the sticky backs, that had so much acid in them, your photos turn yellow.  I mean the ones with the static pages that when you ripped open the film covering on the page, your hair would fly up!  

Do you sit on the sofa or on the floor with your mom and grandmom and peruse the albums? Do you ask questions about who is in the photos, and what's going on?  Do you try to insert yourself in the moment to discover what that day might have been like: the warm sunshine, the cool breezes, the smell of the flowers, what the colors actually were, what their voices sounded like?

I encourage you to dig out an album or the shoe box of photos, and get on Zoom with your grandma, and ask her about the photographs.  I bet you'll hear stories that you never heard before, and gain an appreciation of exactly how easy we do have it these days!

I mean, anti-perspirant and washing machines/dryers! 

Bee in love with the heart-work of your life.