Article
Analog enhancements: Photo editing in the pre-digital age
The photograph collection that highlight tools and tricks seldom used in the digital age.
The photograph collection in the Archives at Perkins is peppered with publishing notes and photographic manipulations that highlight tools and tricks seldom used in the digital age. These enhancements would have preceded publication or reproduction of an image. The trail of evidence left behind includes: selection and layout notes, mockups, details about scale, crop marks, airbrushing to mask backgrounds, and overlays and collage from carefully cutout objects or people.
The following images highlight retouching (hand-drawn photo enhancements with pen and ink) that I found especially clever. Each image below is followed by a close-up of the area circled in red.
Suggested citation
Stothert-Maurer, Molly. “Analog enhancements: Photo editing in the pre-digital age.” Perkins Archives Blog, Perkins School for the Blind, Watertown MA. February 27, 2015.
