Alamos Archival Photographic Project

Álamos Archival Photographic Project (AAPP)

I’ve launched a Go-Fund-Me for the Álamos Archival Photo Project (AAPP)!  On request of the city of Álamos, Son., Mexico I rephotographed the 65 pictures of previous Álamos "presidentes" (mayors) on display in City Hall, since many of the pictures were more than 100 years old and in a high state of deterioration.  The plan was for me to restore the photos digitally, and the city would then print and frame the pictures for a new 16x20-inch permanent display at City Hall.  Unfortunately, recent events in Álamos have put funding for this project “on hold,” yet I am determined to fulfill the wishes of city hall and the community on my own.  If you have a connection to photography, history, or the beautiful town of Álamos, Sonora, please consider making a donation!  You can click on the link below to read more about the inception of the project, and any additional money raised above project costs will be donated to the Álamos History Association.

 

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My wife and I own a house in Álamos, Son., México, where we support the community through the Álamos History Association (la Associación de historia de Álamos). In April, 2020, I was asked by the Álamos cronista Juan Carlos Holguín Balderrama to scan (re-photograph) the 65-image display of pictures of previous city mayors (presidentes) starting in the 1850s. Once scanned, the exhibit could be reprinted and reframed for a new permanent display in city hall. Some images were nearly 100-years-old, faded and splotched; many of the 16x20-inch frames were in need of repair. Juan Carlos was promised that the city would bear the cost of printing and reframing these images if I could make scans and bring out the original quality in Photoshop.

 

Since I had the equipment and expertise, I agreed to help city hall preserve a portion of the town’s 350-year recorded history. In March of 2020 Juan Carlos and I unframed the pictures and I rephotographed all 65 large images; working in Photoshop, it took from 30-minutes to an hour for each image as I restored, to the best of my ability, the tones and quality of the original picture. It took several months to complete the digital photo restoration.

 

For two year Álamos City Hall tried to fund the printing and framing of pictures for the project, but recently the city Director of Archives, Prof. José Armando Riojas, sadly told me that due to expenses related to a drought-induced spring fire in the mountains near Álamos, there could be no funding in the immediate future. I told him not to “give up,” that l would try to fund this on my own.

 

When I returned to Phoenix this month I decided to “make it happen,” and the estimated costs are listed below:

 

Alamos Archival Photographic Project (AAPP) Costs

*16 x 20-inch custom made wood frames with glass (65), made by an Álamos carpenter - $900

*uncut 16x20-inch white matboard (65) - $151.98

*cutting 12x16-inch windows into the white matboard (65) - $350

*16 x 20-inch backing board (65) - $157.98

*Moab Entrada Rag Bright 300 paper, 13x19-inch sheets (75) - $302.14

*ink for Epson 3880 Stylus Pro printer - $150

 

Estimated Project cost: $2,200 :  Any additional money received will be donated to the Álamos History Association for its many community projects.