Photography has evolved through the years. Each technique requires an specific kind of material, so the material as well as the quality of the image are factors that influence the duration of the photograph. Antique photographs were done with silver nitrite, or bromide component, plus water over glass plates covered with egg whites, . When light hits the suspended light-sensitized salt, there are changes that occur in it which allow for chemical processes to create an image. Although the process is far more detailed than this outline suggests, this is enough to explain the fragility of images.

The damage of the images depends not only on the fragility of the materials used, but also in the environmental conditions. The places especially design to show the photographs have a very controlled environment where the temperature, humidity, the light as well as the materials used to display the photographs have been design to preserve the images.

When one of these factors is not the correct one, can be detected as follows; extra humidity will produce fungus and spores and with these the paper may be totally corrupted. This situation would not allow anybody to save or recover the photograph. If light is the problem, there will be changes regarding color. Last but not least, if the chemical reaction is affecting the photograph, small areas peeling will appear on the image, erasing it.

Restoring photographs can be done in two ways; one of them is less aggressive. A photograph is taken from the original and all the modifications are made in the new film, to enable the original to remain untouched, specially when a chemical reaction has already damage the photograph and further handling may jeopardize the safety of the image.

The direct restoration, as the name mentions, consists in working directly on the original photograph. This is done in special laboratories only.

Artec keeps in touch with the experts in this area. People totally involved with the world of photography, researchers and developers of new techniques. To enhance and improve the results in restoring images and or photographs.