How to create a Vintage Look for your Photos

f you're into vintage photography, then you know just how difficult it can be to get the aesthetic right for your photographs! A vintage edit with generic sepia-tinted filters has a more 2012 feel than an authentic retro look. So, how do you achieve a vintage look that’s authentic?

Whether you're taking pictures with a smartphone or a professional camera, there are some hacks that you can employ to make your photographs look authentic and from an older era. Here are some to get you started!

Monochrome:

Although the Lumiere brothers in the 1850s introduced colored photography, the trend didn't catch on until around the 1970s. That's because of people’s reluctance to invest in unstable colored ink, which ran the risk of bleeding and destroying pictures.

So, black and white photography reigned for decades before colored photography caught on. Monochrome photography is a great way to dabble in vintage photography. Many photographers also find it fascinating to play with the light and dark elements of monochrome photography. Plus, black and white pictures always add a dramatic flair!

Blur Effects:

While cameras today can focus on the tiniest speck of dust, it’s important to remember that older cameras didn’t possess this ability. So, if you're looking to stick to the authentic vintage theme, play around with blurring your background or even the subjects!

When opting for vintage photography, the perfection should be in the composition and the subject matter, rather than the quality of the image.

Faded Colors

One of the most obvious signs of vintage photography is a one-tone tint with a bit of a fade—something that is present in nearly all of our old photographs! That’s because keeping photos tucked in shoeboxes or old photo albums causes slight damage to the pictures. This would blur details and leave a red or yellow hue behind.

If you want to achieve the same look, skip the premade filters and play around with the photo settings yourself. Add a red or yellow hue to your images and reduce the contrast. You can also reduce the picture's saturation; the best way to figure out what works best is to play around with both saturation and contrast until you're satisfied. Many editing apps also give you the option of adding fade or dust specks, which can make your picture look like a vintage image that's begging to be restored!

While it’s fun to play around with digital photography to give it a vintage, faded look, you should also get your original vintage pictures restored to their original state!

At Heritage, the Houston-based photo restorer provides damaged photo restoration services that can bring back the actual color and detailing on your old photographs. Contact them today for more information about their services.