8 - Sunday, December 11, 1988 —- West Vancouver Villager Old portraits come to life in local TIME TRAVEL is possible photography studio. ' Mysterious old photographs line ; the walls, drawing the viewer into their depths with glimpses of the ' past. Arriving at the studio, torn, faded, scratched and yellowed, these old family portraits and mementoes of another time are restored to their original clarity through the magic of Choo’s tech- nique. : The process, though painstak- ing, gives him a tot of pleasure. “It’s like looking back into the . past. And it’s a real joy to be able to restore these family heirlooms,”’ says Choo. He points tothe elaborate costumes, the stiff poses and unsmiling expressions of those people of yore. “Very few.people looked into the camera: The photographers were following the styles of the portrait painters, such as Rem- brandt,’’ he notes. One might wonder why the new- ly married young couples were ‘photographed with the man seated and. the woman standing behind him. And why the little children looked so miserable, and occa- sionally blurred. “They had to hold their breaths for two minutes while the photograph was being taken,” ex- plains Choo. Some of those restless children end up flooking Jess blurry than they did in the original picture, after Choo gets through with them. It’s part of the process he uses in the restoration, which starts with taking a picture of the picture with one of his expensive 4x5‘ Linhof cameras. The fragile original is ‘put aside and Choo sets to work on the new negative, using copy film that in- creases contrast and removes the yellow and faded areas. Skilled use of the airbrush cleans studio in David Choo’s Ambleside up the scratches.in the background. Tiny photographs are blown up ~ to make it easier to work on them” and increase the detail. “But then you blow up the scratches too, and these have to be touched up by hand,"" says Choo. This technique worked well on the: small, mangled portrait of a woman that was a customer’s only picture of his mother. Barely rec- ognizable in the original, she became a real person looking out of a large clear restoration. A 100-year-old picture of a man in an ornate uniform (an assistant to the King of Jordan) required ex- tra care. Its shiny surface made it difficult to copy, so Choo . fephotographed it using cross po- larization. This involved putting filters on the. camera -lens and the two lights, which had. to be set up at exact, .:45 degree angles to counteract reflections. Some of the details of the tniform were then filled in with an airbrush. The missing piece of a torn fam-, ily photo was similarly recreated with an airbrush, Choo filling in part of a table and a child's dress. ‘*Fuzzy"’ kids are made more distinct with a few touches of the airbrush. Then, as in the old days, the pic- tures can be handpainted in color. by Choo or an assistant. Sometimes people are surprised: at the cost of the process, which is the same as the cost of a new por- trait, with an extra charge for the artwork involved. “*There aren’t many phoisgraphezs doing this kind of work nowadays,”’ says Choo. Originally from Malaysia where A MASTER of portrait restoration, photographer David Ch restored to its original clarity. he worked asa journalist, Choo began to learn about. restoration about 14 years ago when he pur- chased Cathay : ‘Studios in Van-- couver and joined the Professional Photographers of Canada. He also had a studio at Wood- wards for a time, and does take restoration orders from all over the province. His skills have developed to: the point where his work has been ac- cepted to juried shows of the Pro-. ‘fessional Photographers of Canada, which will soon name him Holiday activities planned the West Vancouver kee Arena at 926-8621. THE WEST. Vancouver Recreation Centre and Ice Arena invite all to participate in their planned holiday events. Holly Follies, for ages three to five will run from 9 a.m. to 12 noon and 1! p.m..to 4 p.m, from Wednesday, Dec. 28 to Friday, Dec. 30, and will include many ac-: tivities and an outtrip. Cost for the three-day program is $28. Preregistration is necessary. ° Winter Adventures, for children aged six and up, will run from 9 am. to 4 p.m. and will include several. special outtrips such as a toboganning day at Cypress. Cost (for the program is $48; preregistration is necessary. e eae Ice Fantasy, for children four to eight years, comes up on Dec. 18 at the ice arena, from.1 to 2:30 p.m., and includes fun-filled activ-. ities such as ice painting and snow sculptures. Tickets ($6 for children; $10 for a family) must be purchased in ad- vance at the West Vancouver Ice Arena (786 - 22nd St.) and are also good for ‘the special Santa Skate. & that follows the Ice Fantasy pro- ff gram. Pitt : The annual skate“ with Santa which takes place at the arena on Dec..18 from 2:30 to.4 p.m. is \. open to all the public at the public skating rates of the ice arena. Parents with cameras are welcome to take pictures, but photo oppor- Bring your investment to the professionals. Don't be fooled by. imitators. We will bring your investment back to its original condition. a NEW AND USED CAR PROTECTION PACKAGE § * UNDERCOATING A rubberized material that adds soundproofing to your investment as well as inhibiting rust. * RUST-PROOFING From $95 Penetrates inner panets and all bare metal areas to inhibit ust. NS © SUPER SHINE . * SCOTCH GUARD STEAM CLEANING _ Please: phone for, appointment, From $85 A paint treatment that keeps that high gloss shine. From $145 Fabric protection against stains — includes, headliner, mats, etc. From $45 Even brand new cars should be prepared properly before packages are done. From $20. 1311. PEMBERTON AV. =o NORTH VANCOUVER . a Master Photographer. 4 Choo is algo noted for. his, own . portrait photography, and ‘is a master. of double ‘exposures ‘and other special techniques. . One: example: was a- custom-:. made picture for a. West. Van-. couverite showing 2 family group- ing against the backdrop of the nighttime view of Vancouver from the customer’s living room. But modern, up-to-date portrait. “photography is in some ways not), as lasting as the decades-old black » and white photos that. Choo 926-9811. photo Mike Wakefield _Shows one of the family heirlooms ‘he has restores. . Color prints are not as stable. as black. and white and will fade and discolor, especially , when exposed to sunlight. : Some of. the restoration work . Choo does is on pictures that/are © 20 years old or less.” L “Black .and_ white negatives ‘ should be made along with a color portrait,’’ advises Choo. David Choo's studio is located at 1341 Marine Dr. in West Van- couver. The phone number is Support| your local merchants. 0. you like the convenience of having shops and services close to where you _ live? Give local business :a boost by looking over the advertisements in this paper to ‘see what. values can benefit you, and by patronizing those businesses located right i in your own neighborhood. YOUR N NEIGHBORHOOD" N EWSPAPER