Your Questions, Answered.

The easiest way is to send me a snapshot of your photo — a phone photo is fine for an initial assessment. I'll come back to you with a free, no-obligation quote and a recommendation on what's possible. You can send it via the contact form, by email, or by SMS to 0468 908 606.

Virtually any type — black and white, sepia, colour, hand-coloured, daguerreotype reproductions, and everything in between. I work on portraits, group photographs, wedding photos, military photographs, landscapes, documents and certificates. If it can be scanned, it can almost certainly be restored.

Yes — and often the most heavily damaged photographs produce the most remarkable results. I've restored photographs with missing sections, severe mould and water damage, extensive insect damage and significant colour loss. Send me a snapshot and I'll give you an honest assessment of what's achievable before any work begins.

Yes — certificates, maps, letters, family documents, artworks on paper and historical records are all within scope. I offer digital document restoration with the same care I bring to photographs. Note that I work digitally from a scan — I don't handle or repair the physical document itself. If physical conservation is needed, I can refer you to a qualified paper conservator.

Yes — colourisation is one of my most requested services. I research historically accurate colours for uniforms, fabrics and settings, and work closely with you throughout the proofing process to ensure the result feels natural and true to the original. See the colourisation page for examples and pricing.

Yes — I have a growing network of picture framing partners around Australia who offer photo restoration as part of their service. If you're near one of my partners, you can drop your photo in-store and they'll handle scanning, restoration coordination, printing and framing. See the framing partnerships page for details, or find your nearest partner location.

Most restorations are completed within 2–4 business days. Complex projects — extensive reconstruction, large group colourisation, severely damaged images — may take a little longer. If you have a deadline, let me know when you get in touch and I'll do my best to accommodate it.

Never. I work entirely from a high-resolution digital scan — your original photograph never leaves your hands and is never at risk. The restoration happens entirely on the digital copy.

Unlimited. I send you a digital proof and make whatever adjustments you'd like — colours, tones, specific details — until you're completely happy. Nothing is finalised and nothing is charged until you've approved the result.

My goal is always a result that looks completely natural — as though the damage was never there. I deliberately avoid artificial perfection, over-sharpening or an overly processed look. The restoration should feel faithful to the era and character of the original photograph, not like a modern retouching job.

Yes — I can work with phone photos, screenshots, Facebook downloads and other low-resolution sources. These images require upscaling and enhancement before restoration work begins, which may affect the final quality and pricing. See the restore from phone page for tips on getting the best possible source image.

Yes. Fire damage — smoke staining, heat yellowing, partial charring — and water and flood damage are both within scope. For photographs that have recently been in a fire or flood, scan them as soon as they are dry — damage is progressive and the sooner they're digitised the more information can be preserved. Send me a photo for a free assessment and I'll tell you honestly what's recoverable.

Pricing is based on the complexity and extent of the damage — not a flat rate. I offer four tiers: Basic from $75, Standard from $125, Advanced from $200, and Elite from $350. Send me a snapshot for a free assessment and I'll recommend the right tier for your photograph.

See the pricing page for a full breakdown with examples of each tier.

Yes — a 20% discount applies to orders of three or more images. If you have a larger collection to work through, get in touch and I'll provide a tailored quote.

I accept bank transfer, credit and debit cards, and PayPal. Payment is only requested once you've approved the restoration — you never pay upfront.

Officeworks offers inexpensive flatbed scanning for A4 and smaller photographs. For larger documents or photographs, you'll need a specialist print shop or copy centre with large-format scanning capability — contact me and I can help you find an option near you. If your original is too fragile to scan, a careful phone photo in good natural light is a workable starting point for an initial assessment.

600dpi minimum — higher is better, particularly for small photographs or images with fine detail. Save as TIFF or high-quality JPEG rather than a compressed PDF. The better the scan, the better the restoration result.

JPEG, PNG, TIFF and PDF are all fine. For the best results, TIFF is preferred as it's uncompressed — but a high-quality JPEG is perfectly workable. If you're not sure, just send what you have and I'll advise.

Yes — I use a combination of AI-powered upscaling and manual refinement to enlarge photographs for printing, significantly improving resolution and recovering fine detail in the process. This works on small original prints, low-resolution digital files, Facebook downloads and yearbook photographs. See the photo enhancement page for more detail.

Your high-resolution digital file is delivered via a secure Dropbox link immediately on payment. The file is print-ready at any size. If you've also ordered a print, that will follow separately within 5 business days, dispatched directly to your door from my printing partner in Canberra.

Yes — I offer museum-quality archival giclée printing through my Canberra printing partner Lucent Imaging, a Canson and Hahnemühle certified fine art print studio. Prints are produced on premium archival papers with pigment inks rated to last over 100 years, and dispatched in Flashback-branded packaging with free postage on orders over $50. See the printing page for sizes and pricing.

Yes — digital restoration is available to customers anywhere in the world. Restored digital files are delivered online regardless of location. Archival prints can also be shipped internationally — contact me for a postage quote to your country.

Yes — unconditionally. You only pay if you're completely delighted with the result. If you're not happy, I don't charge. It's been my policy since day one and it's never changed. Over 13 years and thousands of projects, I've maintained a near-perfect satisfaction record — not because I'm perfect, but because I don't stop until the result is right.

Revisions are included throughout the proofing process at no extra charge. Once you've given final approval and the file has been delivered, additional changes may be quoted separately depending on the scope — but in practice this rarely arises. Take your time reviewing the proof and share any specific requests before approving.

Yes — where it's useful. AI tools have improved dramatically and can provide an excellent starting point for certain types of damage recovery, particularly large-scale structural restoration. I use them selectively as a foundation, then apply careful manual refinement on top.

What AI consistently gets wrong — and what I correct manually — are faces, fine fabric detail, and historically specific content like uniforms, medals and insignia. A photograph restored purely by AI can look plausible but not quite right. My role is to ensure the result is accurate to the actual person in the photograph, not a generic approximation of them.

You can — and for some simple jobs, an AI tool may give you a result you're happy with. Where they fall short is in the detail that matters most: faces that look like the actual person rather than a plausible reconstruction, clothing and fabric with the right texture and character, and historically accurate colours for uniforms, medals and period dress.

If you've tried an AI tool and the result is almost right but not quite — particularly around faces or fine detail — that's exactly the kind of work I specialise in finishing properly.

AI will continue to improve — and that's not something I shy away from. For simple, low-stakes restoration work, AI tools are already capable of producing adequate results. But for photographs with real emotional significance — a grandmother's portrait, a wedding photo, a military image — the difference between adequate and truly right matters enormously. The human judgment, historical knowledge and personal care that go into a considered restoration are things AI cannot replicate. Not yet, and perhaps not ever for work that genuinely matters.