Lexington, KY - Most people may not think of photography as a "fixable" household item, but John and Dawn Malick, who have operated the Walton Avenue photo restoration studio Malick's for nearly 30 years, certainly do.
With the motto "Blending the technology of today with the craftsmanship of yesteryear," the studio specializes in repairing damaged photographs through a combination of digital enhancement and surface painting. The couple started their business long before digital photography was a mainstay, and according to Dawn, their extensive experience in the darkroom has been highly advantageous to their practice today, which, though it is now more rooted in modern technology, still has the air of an old-timey photo shop.
"We're such a throwback - we live over the shop and we both started when we were just kids," Dawn said.
Jobs include repairing photos that have been damaged over time, due to water, scratches, or other surface damage caused by general wear and tear; touching up an old photo that has poor coloration or some other undesirable quality; and combining different photographs of different people into one image (i.e., if you only have separate photographs of your great-grandmother and great-grandfather, the images could be combined into a completely natural-looking couples shot) - all of which can be done without damaging the original print. And, Dawn adds, it's not terribly uncommon to field a request to remove an estranged family member or ex from a group shot.
"I usually say, 'And just what kind of a bush would you like in their place?'" she said with a laugh, adding, "It really doesn't matter what the problem (with the image) is, we can ordinarily solve it for them."