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I Am Bringing The Past To Life
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I Am Bringing The Past To Life

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Since 2013 I’ve been re-imagining faces and places from history through the art of colorization.

These are just a handful of what I have realized over that time, as well as a few videos of the process itself. What began as a hobby soon became my work and two years on I began accepting commissions daily, from all sorts of people, with all sorts of photographs.

More info: Facebook

1867 – Henry Taylor, a part of ‘Life Freshwater’ by Julia Margaret Cameron

Old and new, the colorization process begins on a portrait, which at the time of writing is 149 years old.

1963 – Lee Harvey Oswald is photographed by Dallas PD after the assassination of John F Kennedy

Colorization of trauma to skin surfaces takes time.

Paul Joseph Goebbels

Colorization of the Architect of NAZI propaganda during World War 2. This project isn’t resigned to the good side of history or bad, it is reflective of the people and places that are a part of it. ‘My Colorful Past’ exists to educate as well as entertain by bridging a gap between history and art.

1866 – Christabel by Julia Margaret Cameron

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The line between an obvious colorization and producing work that simply looks alive is hard to cross. This particular photograph took very many hours to realize fully. It has never been seen like this until now.

1950 – Summer on the beach by Nina Leen

This was a snapshot partway through colorization. Materials, textures, skin tones are being realized fully.

April of 1970. Commander James A Lovell of Apollo 13 on screen at NASA Mission Control, lead by Flight Director Eugene Kranz

This particular photograph took many days to complete. The NASA imagery of Apollo and Gemini lends incredibly well to the process, this would be the first of several photographs by NASA that I would look to colorize.

1924 – Sydney Central Police Station

Vera Crichton fell foul of circumstance. Her portrait was one of the first I ever colorized, hers forms a part of a series I completed on Australian mugshots from the 1920’s.

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1931 – Salvatore ‘Lucky’ Lucania

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At the very center of the foundation of organised crime in the United States, this was a haunting mugshot to work on.

1894 – Butch Cassidy

Portraits of persons associated with criminal life are popular for obvious reasons. Butch Cassidy is no exception.

1906 – Palm beach Florida

Folks take a break on the beach. This was a complex photograph to realize fully.

How far can you go?

Coney Island by Weegee – colorized. Colorization can be as complex as you wish, in the main it is governed solely by patience, technique takes second place. This photograph is a great example of that. This is unique and essentially unseen in color.

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coreysmith avatar
Corey Smith
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Well-done colorization somehow makes a B&W photo more real. Nice job!

pakisulat avatar
Dark Half
Community Member
6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

do u get to choose the color? or when you heal a picture it will reveal it's true color?

coreysmith avatar
Corey Smith
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Well-done colorization somehow makes a B&W photo more real. Nice job!

pakisulat avatar
Dark Half
Community Member
6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

do u get to choose the color? or when you heal a picture it will reveal it's true color?

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