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DPChallenge Forums >> Photography Discussion >> VOLUNTEER! Photographers help Katrina victims salvage photos.
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02/03/2006 01:01:09 PM · #26
Hello!
Well, now I have joined dpchallenge as well!
The turnout from all of you has been OUTSTANDING! We're blown away!

So here's the information:
If you are interested in picking up some photos, I send them out in groups by family, that way you will be working on one family's order at a time.

I will send them to you, cropped and sized, over e-mail. Once you are done, just e-mail them back to OperationPhotoRescue@gmail.com (also where you can contact us!). We are looking for them to be retouched as much as possible (some are moderate, some are very difficult). We are also in need of people who can handle some difficult photographs! Photoshop is a must for this, and while we\'d love the help with other programs, all of the images require work that would be best done in Photoshop. We will print them here (or at home in Virginia as we are leaving today... gotta get back to our full-time jobs at some point!.. and mailing them back to each resident). We already have printing supplies, so help from that for that with this round is not needed.

We are hoping to have all of them retouched and printed by the beginning of next week to be sent out by the end of next week, so there's not a huge rush, but we want to keep it moving. There will hopefully be more opportunities to help again in the future!

As far as plans for the future, we will definitely let you all know by e-mail and through dpchallenge! This week was a trial run for OPR that went so amazingly well we have even more ideas to continue it on. Once we have things started and hashed out, we'll send out announcements letting people know how it will work. For now, email is the best way as getting these images done is our first priority of the moment.

THANK-YOU SO MUCH! We will also be doing a multimedia project about the program in the next couple of weeks to fill you in more. For now, you can read our blog at //web.mac.com/fiftyeggs60/iWeb/Site
This is updated daily.

If you have contacted me for photos/plan to contact me for photos, let me know how many you can take to have them done early next week and the difficulty you can handle. I'll send a group to you. Again, if you are up for a challenge, let me know! There are also other examples of what we've done on the blog.

We'll be hitting the road once the library closes this afternoon and arrive back in Virginia later on Saturday, so if I don't reply right away it's because we're in a truck! I'll get to you once I get everything set up again on Sunday.

So thank-you thank-you thank-you!
I can be reached easily by e-mail at OperationPhotoRescue@gmail.com, beckysell@hotmail.com, and if you\'d like my cell and need to reach me, drop me a line.

YOU ALL ARE AMAZING! What you all are doing for these people have received the following remarks from victims of the Hurricanes:
"You all are angels"
"This is such a blessing"
"I've been looking and looking for months and no one could help. Now I get my photos back!"
"We lost everything, and this is all I have left. Thank-you!"
They walk out of here showing everyone they're new photos, retouched by people just like you all over the country. They cry when we tell them people can help their photos, and you are helping to save some memories of happier times, wedding albums, photos of children and loved ones, and so much more!

Becky Sell and Dave Ellis

Message edited by muckpond - fixed link.
02/03/2006 01:11:21 PM · #27
I'll be e-mailing soon for a packet. Great project. I've seen the damage on the MS & AL Gulf Coast; it's massive. Hit close to home here in Mobile, so I feel this is an excellent way to give to those affected.
02/03/2006 01:24:56 PM · #28
oops...guess I can't help..only have PhotoElements....that explains why I didn't get a packet. Good luck everyone....what a great thing to do!
02/03/2006 01:35:12 PM · #29
I have sent an email too. I am going to look at a few of the more dificult ones and see if my abilities are up to the challenge. I do some portrait painting so it might be something I can help with. We'll see.
02/03/2006 01:50:45 PM · #30
Originally posted by beckysell:

Hello!
Well, now I have joined dpchallenge as well!
The turnout from all of you has been OUTSTANDING! We're blown away!

Becky Sell and Dave Ellis


What may be of help to us, is to know what the final product format should be in, it's size, DPI, sRGB IEC61966-2.1 assumed, jpeg assumed and limitations on file size in MB, etc.
(we are all a bunch of geeks - well, I speak for myself anyway)

Fixing pics is fun stuff, difficult is even more fun:
02/03/2006 01:58:03 PM · #31
Originally posted by BradP:

What may be of help to us, is to know what the final product format should be in....

I assumed they would send those details along with the photos.... does anybody know yet?
02/03/2006 02:01:05 PM · #32
Originally posted by Beetle:

Originally posted by BradP:

What may be of help to us, is to know what the final product format should be in....

I assumed they would send those details along with the photos.... does anybody know yet?


I don't know, I'm still waiting for my packet... =/
02/03/2006 02:03:05 PM · #33
I received a note from Becky saying my packet would be sent sometime this afternoon. (Apparently we floored 'em!) =)
02/03/2006 02:03:47 PM · #34
Originally posted by KaDi:

I received a note from Becky saying my packet would be sent sometime this afternoon. (Apparently we floored 'em!) =)

same here... guess they are now busily scanning for us
02/03/2006 02:05:47 PM · #35
Well she did say in her posting that:

"I will send them to you, cropped and sized,...."

so i guess we just return them the same way?
02/03/2006 02:07:26 PM · #36
I'd love to help, but don't know that my ps skills are up to it.
02/03/2006 02:11:17 PM · #37
Originally posted by beckysell:

Hello!
Well, now I have joined dpchallenge as well!
The turnout from all of you has been OUTSTANDING! We're blown away!

So here's the information:
If you are interested in picking up some photos, I send them out in groups by family, that way you will be working on one family's order at a time.

I will send them to you, cropped and sized, over e-mail. Once you are done, just e-mail them back to OperationPhotoRescue@gmail.com (also where you can contact us!). We are looking for them to be retouched as much as possible (some are moderate, some are very difficult). We are also in need of people who can handle some difficult photographs! Photoshop is a must for this, and while we\'d love the help with other programs, all of the images require work that would be best done in Photoshop. We will print them here (or at home in Virginia as we are leaving today... gotta get back to our full-time jobs at some point!.. and mailing them back to each resident). We already have printing supplies, so help from that for that with this round is not needed.

We are hoping to have all of them retouched and printed by the beginning of next week to be sent out by the end of next week, so there's not a huge rush, but we want to keep it moving. There will hopefully be more opportunities to help again in the future!

As far as plans for the future, we will definitely let you all know by e-mail and through dpchallenge! This week was a trial run for OPR that went so amazingly well we have even more ideas to continue it on. Once we have things started and hashed out, we'll send out announcements letting people know how it will work. For now, email is the best way as getting these images done is our first priority of the moment.

THANK-YOU SO MUCH! We will also be doing a multimedia project about the program in the next couple of weeks to fill you in more. For now, you can read our blog at //web.mac.com/fiftyeggs60/iWeb/Site
This is updated daily.

If you have contacted me for photos/plan to contact me for photos, let me know how many you can take to have them done early next week and the difficulty you can handle. I'll send a group to you. Again, if you are up for a challenge, let me know! There are also other examples of what we've done on the blog.

We'll be hitting the road once the library closes this afternoon and arrive back in Virginia later on Saturday, so if I don't reply right away it's because we're in a truck! I'll get to you once I get everything set up again on Sunday.

So thank-you thank-you thank-you!
I can be reached easily by e-mail at OperationPhotoRescue@gmail.com, beckysell@hotmail.com, and if you\'d like my cell and need to reach me, drop me a line.

YOU ALL ARE AMAZING! What you all are doing for these people have received the following remarks from victims of the Hurricanes:
"You all are angels"
"This is such a blessing"
"I've been looking and looking for months and no one could help. Now I get my photos back!"
"We lost everything, and this is all I have left. Thank-you!"
They walk out of here showing everyone they're new photos, retouched by people just like you all over the country. They cry when we tell them people can help their photos, and you are helping to save some memories of happier times, wedding albums, photos of children and loved ones, and so much more!

Becky Sell and Dave Ellis

This is a worthy cause where DPCers can make a good contribution.

Please, please PM or mail me for how I might help.
02/03/2006 02:13:46 PM · #38
hi all!

yep, you've floored us! the response has been outstanding! so if it's taking me a bit to get to you, that's why!
I will be sending along the photos asap this afternoon! we'll be finishing up here soon, so as i said, don't worry if i don't get to you because i will on sunday! (we still have to load a truck of gear... plus more people are coming this afternoon with new photos!)

As far as file size, etc... I am sending the images cropped and sized, jpeg format, highest quality possible. One at a time.
Some before and afters are on the blog (see former post for site). Some of our favorite photoshop tools: copy stamp, history brush, gaussian blur (mainly for the edges), also a copy and paste of parts with a light eraser to go for proper colorization, etc.

THANK-YOU! I CAN'T SAY IT ENOUGH!
02/03/2006 02:18:33 PM · #39
oh, one more thing...
i am going to take a few minutes from replying to your great offers to help to actually send some of you batches of photos (literally, every time i go to get started, there are more messages to reply to from volunteers... you all are an amazing group of people with such big hearts!).

I will continue getting back to you all as soon as possible!
02/03/2006 02:45:34 PM · #40
Originally posted by beckysell:

hi all!

yep, you've floored us! the response has been outstanding! so if it's taking me a bit to get to you, that's why!
I will be sending along the photos asap this afternoon! we'll be finishing up here soon, so as i said, don't worry if i don't get to you because i will on sunday! (we still have to load a truck of gear... plus more people are coming this afternoon with new photos!)

As far as file size, etc... I am sending the images cropped and sized, jpeg format, highest quality possible. One at a time.
Some before and afters are on the blog (see former post for site). Some of our favorite photoshop tools: copy stamp, history brush, gaussian blur (mainly for the edges), also a copy and paste of parts with a light eraser to go for proper colorization, etc.

THANK-YOU! I CAN'T SAY IT ENOUGH!


I saw this thread this as I was rushing around in the morning and I am glad to see that there is now a posting directing us on how we can help.

For myself, I see that Photoshop is a requirement:-( I only have Paintshop Pro and given a short list of the tools you use I am not sure I would be able to assist.

If you do not mind I could post the contact info in my journal - I have an account on deviantART - such that it would notify any of my watchers that there is a volunteer opportunity to help. Also you mention that there may be another Rescue Operation planned for the future...if so with enough time I could submit a written article to said deviantART for a news item. And of course now that you have joined you can post here to let everyone know that another Photo Operation Rescue is occuring:-)

The more volunteers the more opportunities to help these people restore a little bit more of their lives and preserve history. Thank you for doing this.
02/03/2006 03:05:43 PM · #41
I asked about the Photoshop requirement (as I use MS Digital Image Pro 10) and she indicated that it wouldn't be a problem as long as it had essentially the same tools. I think that given the talent on this site, you've got a pretty good idea of whether or not you could tackle the job with the tools/software you have. Since we receive and return them in high quality jpeg format, then how we arrive at the final result isn't as important as getting there (from every indication she gave me).

Hope this helps...
02/03/2006 03:12:29 PM · #42
Why on earth would they care just exactly HOW we got there?

As long as we can return a much improved photograph, the owners of it are now better off than they were before.

So I'd say go for it, with whatever tools you have available to you.
02/03/2006 03:42:16 PM · #43
She questioned my PhotoElements but has sent me a sample that someone else is actually working on, to see if the program would handle it. I'll get back to her tonight.

I too thought 'As long as we can return a much improved photograph, the owners of it are now better off than they were before.' So will give it a whirl...worse case scenerio they don't like what I did and can have someone else do it over.

02/03/2006 03:44:27 PM · #44
I'd love to get involved with this. It is such a good way of helping.
I'm out of circulation until next weekend, but I'll mail them and sign up for some of the later batches.

Great work everyone.
02/03/2006 03:46:52 PM · #45
wish I could help but my skills are not up to this, methinks! Well done DPC forthis remakable response.
02/03/2006 03:47:39 PM · #46
i'm just about to start work on my first images. i just wanted to thank all of the DPCers out there who have thrown their hat into the ring. for all of the griping and grousing we get bogged down in, it's important to remember that we're really a "super awesome" (as mk would say) group.

thanks! you guys didn't disappoint me at all!!!!!!!!!
02/03/2006 04:11:20 PM · #47
hello dpc folks!

Just letting you know that we have to get packed up and going, so if I haven't gotten you a bunch of images yet, I will. Then take your time to do them. I"m sorry I wasn't able to get them all out... we got swamped here today! I have all of your names and emails and offers. Thanks SO much for helping! They will get to you as soon as I can!!!

Becky
02/03/2006 04:38:43 PM · #48
just sent an email myself - looking forward to hearing back from Becky :)
02/03/2006 04:50:46 PM · #49
here's my first before and after:



i put that drop shadow in to help me more easily see the edges but i'm thinking about leaving it now. what do you guys think? it's hard 'cause they're on such a blank background.
02/03/2006 04:56:46 PM · #50
we might as well turn this into a learning opportunity. here are some things that i've always done when restoring old photographs (or, really, doing any kind of serious editing). i'm by no means an expert, but i thought these might help someone:

1) don't be afraid to copy and paste a section from a different part of the photo. you can then blend the bit you pasted and cover up whatever you couldn't fix. i used this a bit on the photo below, when i was trying to replicate the pattern in the woman's blouse.

2) use the pen tool to make a detailed selection shape. once that selection is made, you can stamp or brush or whatever inside the selection without affecting pixels around it. this is helpful when you're stamping something close to the edge of a face or something in the photograph, as it retains the original shape.

i never finished my pen tool tutorial but now i will. if you've not used it, it's my favorite path-makin' tool in photoshop. learn it. love it. it's your friend.

3) feather your selections! you can always firm up the edges later if need be, but feathering before cutting and pasting or stamping makes the edges blend much better

4) dodge and burn is not just for overprocessed landscapes! :) you can use it to fix spots in light or dark clothing quickly.

5) when i clone stamp, i do it on a new, blank layer and use the "Use All Layers" option on the stamp toolbar. this way i'm not affecting the original image and can then change the opacity or the blending mode of whatever i've stamped to make it look more natural.

who else has tips to share?
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