I carefully scanned and enlarged many of the tiny contacts, only 1 3/8 inches wide by 1 inch high, to produce stunning versions of the images.

T e c h n o f i l e
Trashed Vietnam photos restored from tiny prints

Dec. 8, 2006

PhotoZoom Pro 2: The software that made it all possible.

By Al Fasoldt
Copyright © 2006, Al Fasoldt
Copyright © 2006, The Post-Standard

   Photographs the U.S. government destroyed four decades after I took them in Vietnam have come back to life.
   Although authorities ordered the destruction of all the negatives I took as bureau chief for Stars & Stripes, the military daily newspaper, I've restored many of my priceless Vietnam photographs.
   With the negatives gone forever, I dug through my piles of wartime memorabilia and pulled out hundreds of tiny contact prints made from my negatives in 1966 and 1967. Over a period of 18 months, I carefully scanned and enlarged many of the tiny contacts, only 1 3/8 inches wide by 1 inch high, to produce stunning versions of the images, most quite large.
   They were on view all during November along with large prints of my other rescued Vietnam photos -- which I had fortunately taken home as 8 by 10 prints -- in an exhibition at the Onondaga County Central Library in the Galleries of Syracuse.
   For a downloadable poster that provides details of the exhibition, click the poster thumbnail above or click this link. You can purchase any of the photos. Here's an exhibition guide with full information, including the price and caption texts of each photograph.