Scanning
Prints, 35 mm film, slides and odd-sized negatives, scanned in Smoky Lake and returned as clean digital files.
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Anna Hicks · Smoky Lake, Alberta
Old photographs, carefully restored
I restore damaged and faded family photos by hand, scan prints, film and slides, retouch photos for brands and photographers, and design websites and brand identities for small businesses.
Experience
10+
years restoring family photographs
25,000+
hours of hands-on retouching and restoration
7+
countries where my work has been printed
What I do
Four services, one careful hand
Scanning brings an old photograph into the digital world. Restoration repairs it. Retouching and design put photographs to work for a business.
Photo restoration
Cracks, stains, fading and missing pieces repaired by hand, so a family photograph looks like itself again.
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Retouching
Product, e-commerce, portrait, beauty and wedding retouching for brands, photographers and agencies.
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Design
Websites, online stores, brochures and brand books for small businesses, from first sketch to launch.
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Real work
Before and after
Every pair below is a photograph that came to me damaged. Drag the handle across each one.
BeforeAfter
BeforeAfter
BeforeAfter
My method
By hand, not by an app
Automatic restoration tools guess at a face and often invent one. I work from the print itself: I rebuild what is missing from what is still there, one area at a time, and I stop when the photograph looks like the person and the day it recorded.
That takes longer than a filter. It also means the result keeps its natural look, with the grain, the clothing and the expressions that make the photograph yours.
Natural finish
Skin, hair and fabric keep their texture. Nothing is smoothed into plastic.
Faces stay yours
I repair faces from the print. I do not swap them for a generated look-alike.
Files you can use
Full-resolution results for print and screen, delivered by secure download.
Design
Brands and websites with a point of view
Beauty salon
Beauty salon website and brand
Quiet editorial calm instead of the usual pink spa template: serif type, arched photo frames and a booking-first layout.
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Car rental
Car rental website and brand
Trip-first rental: say where you are going and the site suggests the car, the winter kit and the pick-up point, instead of a wall of car classes.
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Hand tools
Hand tools catalogue, store and brand
A workshop-manual catalogue: every tool has a maker's note on its steel, its handle and how to keep it sharp, not just a spec table and a buy button.
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How it works
Three steps, no surprises
01
Tell me what you have
Send a few photos or describe the project. I look at the damage or the brief and reply with a plan.
02
Agree the details
You get a quote and a turnaround before any work starts. Originals can be dropped off in Smoky Lake or posted to me.
03
Receive your files
Finished work comes back as full-resolution files by secure download, ready to print or share.
Drop off or pick up in Smoky Lake.
Post originals to me with Canada Post.
Send digital files from anywhere in the world.
Questions
Good things to ask
Short answers to the questions I hear most. The full list is on the FAQ page.
What do you do?
I restore damaged and faded photographs by hand, scan prints, film and slides, retouch photos for brands and photographers, and design websites, brands and print pieces for small businesses.
Where are you based?
I work from Smoky Lake, Alberta. Scanning happens there. Restoration, retouching and design are done online, so you can be anywhere. See the service area for distances and drop-off options.
Do you use AI to restore photos?
No. I restore photographs by hand, working from the print itself. Automatic tools tend to invent faces and smooth away texture. By hand, the result keeps the grain, the clothing and the expressions that make the photograph yours.
How long have you been restoring photos?
For over 10 years. I have more than 25,000 hours of hands-on retouching and restoration behind me, and my work has been printed in more than seven countries. Read more about me.
Can I see examples of your work?
Yes. The portfolio has before-and-after pairs you can drag to compare, plus a full page for each design project.
From the blog
Guides worth reading
How to Choose DPI When Scanning Old Photos
DPI explained with real numbers: what resolution to pick for prints, film and slides, and when higher stops helping.
Read the guide
How to Safely Mail Old Photos and Film
Pack and post old photographs, film and slides so they arrive flat and undamaged. A checklist for sending originals by Canada Post.
Read the guide
Old Photo Restoration: What Can and Cannot Be Fixed
An honest guide to old photo restoration: the damage that repairs well, the damage that is hard and what no one can bring back.
Read the guide
Product Photo Checklist for Your Online Store
A practical checklist for shooting product photos that sell: background, light, angles, size and what to leave for retouching.
Read the guide
Natural Retouching: Where to Stop
How to retouch portraits so people still look like themselves: texture, eyes, teeth, hair and the checks that stop over-editing.
Read the guide
What Is a Brand Book and Why Small Businesses Need One
A brand book records your logo, colours, type and rules for using them. Here is what goes in it, who needs one and when to make it.
Read the guide
Let's talk
Your photos deserve a careful hand
Tell me what you have. I reply with a clear plan, a fair quote and the next step.