Questions before you begin.

Absolutely. Many projects begin with a box from the loft, an old album, an envelope of negatives, or a collection that has not been sorted for years.

You do not need to count, organise or label everything before contacting us. Send us a message and, if possible, a quick photo of the collection. We’ll help you work out what you have, what may be worth preserving, and what the best next step might be.

No, not necessarily.

If your photographs are already grouped by person, family, date or event, that can be helpful. But if they are completely mixed together, that is fine too.

We can either digitise them broadly as they are, or talk to you about a more organised archive structure if that would be useful.

Yes. You do not need a large collection to work with us.

Some people come to Storykeepers with one damaged photograph they would like restored and framed. Others come with boxes of prints, albums, slides or negatives. Both are welcome.

We can scan almost all photographs including Polaroids, tiny prints from jewellery, multi prints, framed photos, photos in magazines or books, and photos in albums.

The higher quality the image, the better the resulting digital scan. We’ll always advise you if we believe a photograph is suitable for scanning.

That is completely normal.

You may know that the photographs matter, but not yet know whether you want digitising, restoration, framed prints, boxed reprints or a story book. We’ll talk through the options and help you choose an approach that fits your photographs, your budget and what you would like back at the end.

Yes. Your original photographs, albums, slides or negatives are returned to you once the work is complete.

We understand these items are often irreplaceable, and we treat them with care throughout the process.

No. Restoration is carried out on a digital copy of the photograph.

Your original photograph is not physically restored, painted, repaired or altered. We scan or digitise the original first, then carry out any restoration work digitally.

Your photographs are handled carefully and personally.

Before work begins, we agree what you would like us to do. Depending on the project, this may include digitising, restoration, file organisation, print preparation, framing or story book design.

We do not treat family photographs as ordinary paperwork. We understand they may include people, places and memories that cannot be replaced.

If your photographs or albums are fragile, let us know when you enquire.

Some items may need a more careful approach. For example, an album may be better preserved as full page scans rather than trying to remove individual photographs. We’ll advise you before starting.

Yes. Your photographs and personal details are treated with care and confidentiality.

Family collections can include private, emotional or sensitive images and stories. We only use your photographs for your project unless you specifically give permission for anything else.

We will retain a secure backup of your images for 30 days after completion. Once you have downloaded your images, or after 30 days, we will remove your images from our server and online storage.

We currently focus on:

• Printed photographs
• Loose family photographs
• Photo albums
• Scrapbooks
• 35mm slides
• Suitable negatives

If you are not sure what you have, send us a quick photo and we’ll let you know whether we can help.

Not currently.

We focus on printed photographs, albums, slides and negatives. We do not currently digitise VHS tapes, camcorder tapes, cine film, DVDs or CDs.

In many cases, yes.

Faded colours, yellowing, marks, scratches, creases, tears and age damage can often be improved. The level of restoration possible depends on the condition of the original image.

The best way to assess this is for us to see the photograph first.

Sometimes, but not always.

We can often make a significant improvement, but some images may be too damaged, blurred, faded or missing too much detail to restore fully. We’ll give honest advice before starting and explain what is realistic.

Not always, and often that is not the aim.

Our goal is usually to create a cleaner, clearer and more usable version of the photograph while still respecting the character of the original. Some images can be dramatically improved. Others are best treated gently so they still feel authentic.

This can depend on the project, but most customers will receive high-quality digital image files, usually JPEGs, suitable for viewing, sharing and printing.

If you have a specific requirement, such as files for archive storage, printing or family sharing, let us know when you enquire.

Yes. We can keep this simple or make it more detailed depending on the collection.

Files can be organised by album, family branch, date, person, event or theme where appropriate. If you already know how you would like the archive structured, we can discuss that before work begins.

Yes. Through our in-house print, framing and design service, we can turn restored or digitised images into finished pieces for display or gifting.

This is especially useful for old portraits, wedding photographs, memorial images and special family photographs that deserve pride of place.

Boxed reprints are printed copies of selected family photographs, presented as a set.

They can be useful when several relatives would like copies, or when you want to create a thoughtful gift from a collection of restored or digitised images.

A legacy story book brings together photographs, captions, notes and memories into a professionally designed printed book.

It might tell the story of a parent or grandparent, preserve a family archive, mark a milestone birthday, or create a keepsake that can be shared with children and grandchildren.

Not necessarily.

Some families already have captions, dates, names or written memories. Others only have the photographs and a few notes. We can help shape the content, but the more information you can provide, the more personal the finished book can become.

Yes. We can create duplicate digital copies, boxed reprints, framed pieces or additional books for siblings, children, grandchildren or other relatives.

This can be a lovely way to make sure the family archive does not live with just one person.

Pricing depends on what you have, how many items are involved, the condition of the originals, and what you would like back at the end.

A simple digitising project will usually be priced differently from a restoration, framed piece or legacy story book. Once we understand your collection, we can provide a guide price or quote.

See our guide prices →

No. A rough idea is enough to start.

The best way is to count out a number of the same sized images, stack them flat and measure them. Alternatively, if you have a box, album or bundle of photographs, a quick photo can often help us estimate the scale of the project.

Measuring guide: 500 loose stacked photographs is approximately 11cm–13cm high.

Yes. We will aim to provide you with an approximate guide to cost once we have initially spoken with you and understand what you have.

Once we have your photographs and have agreed the work, we will provide a guide price or quote before anything begins.

For restoration, framing and story books, we will usually need to see the photograph or understand the project before confirming the final price.

This depends on the size and complexity of the project.

A single restoration or small digitising project may be quicker. Larger archives, framed pieces and legacy story books usually take longer. We’ll give you a realistic timescale before work begins.

Sometimes, yes.

If you need something for a birthday, memorial, anniversary or family gathering, tell us as early as possible. We’ll let you know whether the timescale is realistic.

If you are local, collection may be available by arrangement.

For customers further away, we will usually ask you to send your originals using a secure tracked postal service. We’ll discuss the best option before you send anything.

Local collection, drop-off or appointments may be available by arrangement across the South West and other areas where practical.

We also work with families across the UK by secure tracked post. Availability depends on location, project size and timing, so please ask when you enquire.

Your original items are returned using the agreed method. This may be in person, by collection, or by secure tracked post.

Any finished physical items, such as prints, framed pieces, boxed reprints or story books, can be returned at the same time where appropriate.

We’ll let you know they have arrived safely and confirm the next stage of the process.

If anything looks different from what we expected, or if we need to adjust the quote or approach, we’ll speak to you before continuing.

No, not currently.

We do not currently digitise cine film, VHS, camcorder tapes, DVDs or CDs.

Our main focus is family photographs, albums, slides and negatives; however, we can scan documents, certificates or letters.

If your album or collection includes handwritten notes, captions, letters or small pieces of family history connected to the photographs, we may be able to include them as part of the archive or story book.

We cannot usually identify unknown people for you, but we can help preserve any names, dates, locations or notes that are already written on photographs, album pages or accompanying material.

In some cases, digitising the collection can make it easier to share with relatives who may be able to help identify people later.