Legacy portraits and archival prints
When the frame lets your family portrait down
You take the family portrait off the wall to dust it and find the photo stuck to the glass, with grit and a dead insect caught in the corner. The picture was never the weak link. The frame was.
Picture moving house after ten years. You lift the big family portrait off the hallway wall, flip it over, and see what the frame has been hiding. Dust has crept under the glass. A small insect has died in the corner. In one spot the print has pressed against the glass and will not come away cleanly.
Nobody did anything wrong. You bought a decent frame, hung it somewhere sensible, and trusted it. But most ordinary frames are made to look good on the day you hang them, not to keep out damp, dust and bugs for decades.
What it costs you
The portrait on that wall may be the only one with Grandpa in it, or the last one taken before the kids grew up. When a print like that is damaged, the session cannot simply be redone. The people, the ages and the moment have moved on.
And the damage is slow. You do not notice it happening, so there is no point where you think to fix it. You find out only when it is already done.
How we protect a legacy portrait
We treat the print and the frame as one piece of work, built to last.
First, the portrait itself. Every session is custom, planned around your family, here at our studio in Falkland, serving Kamloops, Vernon and the Okanagan.
Next, the print. Your legacy portrait is printed on museum-quality archival paper with inks that stand the test of time, and matted on acid-free paper.
Then the frame. We frame it correctly to protect the work: a professional frame that is airtight sealed, with UV protection, and that shields the print against dust, moisture and insects. That is exactly what gets into ordinary frames.
Throughout, Andrea wears gloves when handling your prints, so nothing from her hands ends up on the surface you will be looking at for years.
If an older family photo has already been damaged by a poor frame, ask us about photo restoration and scanning. We can work with what is left of it.
What changes for you
You hang the portrait once and stop worrying about it. No checking behind the glass, no surprises the next time you move. The faces on your wall stay clean and clear, ready to be handed to the next generation in the same condition you received them.
Start with the session, and we will take care of the rest, right down to the seal on the frame.