Bringing family history to life through movement and colour

My career as a digital colourist began when my cousin asked me to store several old trunks filled with my great-grandparents’ photos and letters. As I perused their letters and studied their faces, it occurred to me that I could teach myself to paint their photos digitally - in colour!

Inspired by other vintage photo colourists, I saw what was possible. As I colourized my great-grandparents’ photos, faces emerged from the shadows, and became more lifelike with every layer of colour. I began to realize the resemblances among our family members. In a very profound moment, I saw the face of my great-grandmother Christine in colour for the first time. I instantly felt a powerful connection to the woman looking back at me - even though we never met.

Ever since, I’ve been obsessed with bringing black and white photos to life with colour and animation and filling in the gaps in my family’s history.

It is a privilege to work with other families to help bring their vintage photos to life. I treat every photograph as I would with those of my family, carefully matching the colours to the clothing of the era while striving to maintain the physical traits and personalities as you remember them.