Photo studio releases negatives

FROM milestone occasions to passport photos, Thornton Richards Camera House has captured special moments since 1872.

Between 1967 and the turn of the 21st century, owner Sue Lewis said the photographic studio processed 24,000 orders, and kept all the negatives.

Now the Lewis family have decided to release all the past studio negatives to the community.

“People can come and get their negatives, and get their photos printed, or if they have got fading photos on their wall that were taken in the studio, they can get them replaced,” Mrs Lewis said.

“We often look at the negatives and think, why weren’t they given back to the people at the time? But back in the early days, photographers were very precious about the photocopy rights of the images on the film.

“In the late 60s, stabilisers weren’t strong enough for the Australian conditions because it was very early colour photography, but all the kept negatives from this time are still fine, although the rubber bands and sticky tape have disintegrated.”

Mrs Lewis said their archives are full of Ballarat history, from industry group shots to family portraits.

“We all have stacks of photos now because of our smart phones, but when these photos were taken, lots of people didn’t have their own cameras.

“We’ve got deb photos, studio portraits, lots of weddings, and school groups. We will return any negatives to institutions that we know of,” she said.

“There are passport photos which might appeal to families who don’t have a lot of photos of someone who has passed.”

Anyone who thinks Thornton Richards Camera House captured them, or a member of their family in their CBD studio should email [email protected] with their maiden name or surname, and an approximate date of the photo shoot.