David Stratton

I have recently retired from a career in advertising, where I have worked as a photographer, writer, producer, and creative director. I consider the work shown here as a collaboration between myself and my father, an untrained, albeit highly-talented, amateur photographer.

My late father, Tom Stratton, left me several albums of photography he took in the 40s and 50s. In reviewing these "snapshots," I found a wealth of artistic work that I felt compelled to share. It struck me, however, that the original black & white format gave them a somber mood that was inconsistent with the playful nature of the images. For that reason, I decided to revitalize the best of his images by adding vibrant color.

While I recognize that these images could have been colored much more easily and precisely with photo editing software, I decided to use a process that was available at the time these images were made: Marshall's photo oils.

I believe the handwork of the tinting process, in addition to being both more challenging and satisfying to execute, adds to the charm of these vintage images. I hope you'll agree.

Enjoy!

I have a BA in Film Studies from Purdue University where training in photography was an integral part of my education. My lifelong love of photography was sparked in a high school photography class where I first tried my hand at hand-tinting photos with Marshall's oils.

I welcome the opportunity to display this work in traditional brick-and-mortar galleries. If you are a gallery owner who feels your patrons would be responsive to this work, please get in touch.