Old Photo Specialists

Since 1971, William Heroy trading as Old Photo Specialists, has been serving Greensboro, Guilford and many surrounding counties for more than 40 years in the restoration and reproduction of old and new photographs. Our work has always been created with archival materials and carries an aesthetic warranty in the quality of the work with respect to faithful reproduction of the image, detail and tonality. We have been in our current location in downtown Greensboro (320 S. Elm St.) since 1977. Please feel free to consult with the Greensboro Historical Museum (archivist dept.), the Greensboro Chamber of Commerce, the Jackson Library at UNC-G, and the administrations of A&T University and the Guildford County Commissioners for references.

As a graduate in Biomedical Engineering from Duke University, I have always been concerned with the nature of materials used in the construction of the photographs that exhibit true resistance to deterioration in image and color quality. I have also been saddened by the lack of such attention by others in this field that care little about lasting quality. Since our inception, it has been our philosophy to replace any product that failed to meet both the standards of excellence in quality of image and archival quality of materials used in the image making process. That guarantee still stands no matter how small or how large the assignment. To date, I believe we have worked on over 50,000 originals and made more than 250,000 reproductions.

Currently, we are using a new reproduction process referred to as Giclee' printing. Essentially, we are using oil based ink products to create images.. From a chemical and engineering perspective, the results and the testing of the results under very harsh conditions yield exceptional results both in the quality of reproduction and the durability of the materials that will ensure longevity of the final results. I do not expect a finer product to be available in the for seeable future! In addition, this product has brought down the cost of our services as much as 200% in some cases (Oil-tinting in particular).

About our services:

• Photo (old and new) restoration and reproduction to all new sizes whenever possible (blurriness of an original is a factor in some cases)
• Document restoration and reproduction to most any size.
• Restoration of some originals, canvas paintings and damaged frames.
• Antique Frame Gallery specializing in oval frames with convex glass, ornate Victorian and Edwardian "20'as" frames.
• Custom Picture Framing - if you do not already have a favorite frame shop you are happy with!
• Portrait and commercial photography (see special sections above for samples - I have spent nearly 25 years in the advertising field alone).
• Art Services - (see above) our in-house artist, Vance Garvin, can achieve almost any desired effect in pencil, oil, pastel and watercolor you might want at very reasonable pricing.
• Computer services; we can repair most computers, remove viruses, build new custom computers, design your web-sites, improve and add to existing ones, and address most other technical issues. Details of these services will appear at the top of the page soon.

About Our Staff

William and Anna Heroy - owners; Bill - Duke Univ., 40+ years experience photography and photographic printing

Vance Garvin - Commercial and fine artist, logo design, our featured portrait artist - 40 yrs exp.

Janie Barnes - UNC-G dept of Interior Design, frame restoration and general repair of fine art objects.

Jon Dalton and Ransome Coleman - Advanced computer technician and internet experts.

Megg Isaac - Stained glass design, repair, architectural doors and windows including installation.

Finally, if you do use other services, always inquire if the reproductions are made on color photographic paper even if they appear as black and white.. This product will not last!