for flash slideshow click here

Can you imagine what it would be like to survive Hurricane Katrina and lose most of your treasures? Can you imagine the few photos that survived ending up mud-stained, mouldy, waterlogged or ripped, including precious pictures of weddings, dear great-great grandparents long departed, graduation ceremonies, special occasions and baby pictures? Our treasured photos capture the most memorable moments of our lives. Their loss is almost unthinkable.

Photojournalists David Ellis and Becky Sell spent a long week looking at photographs of the area’s residents, past and present, and their families. Using two computer screens, they voluntarily spent time painstakingly restoring some of the photos. Upon realising how mammoth the job was, David and Becky set up their gear in a space located by the local library and campaigned to get volunteers to help.

As word spread, more and more people donated their time and expertise in a bid to restore as many photos and memories as possible. There are currently over 750 volunteers throughout the world helping in the restoration and return of thousands of photos that were damaged in Hurricane Katrina and other natural disasters.

Operation Photo Rescue, a not-for-profit organisation, consists of image retouchers, who use their skills and PhotoShelter.com™ to restore storm-damaged images. Please see www.OPRworkshop.org for more information.

The restoration process begins with volunteers in the field using professional-grade digital cameras to digitise the damaged photographs. The digital copies are then uploaded to OPR's PhotoShelter archive where volunteers can access them. Volunteers check through the photos, comment on whether they can repair the particular photo and then, in a few days, receive an email notifying them that it’s ready to be downloaded. Once the images are restored, volunteers upload them to the OPR archive ready for printing and delivery to the original owner - free of charge! The mission is to repair photographs damaged by unforeseen circumstances, such as house fires and natural disasters at no cost to the owners. The American Government has granted funds to OPR to help meet some of the expenses.

Although you never know whose photos you’re helping restore, it is a very rewarding thing to do. If you have the skills and the time to help out, check out PhotoShelter’s website at www.OperationPhotoRescue.com, or email either info@operationphotorescue.com or volunteer@operationphotorescue.com. You’ll be so glad you did!

Below are some of photos I have restored. While they each presented varying degrees of difficulty, the ones displayed were the more challenging to restore. However, it was a challenge well worth the effort!

before	after

all images copyright © Kath Gillies Photography