Perfection is over-rated.  And Charles Schwartz’ Light Reclaimed work is proof.  Charles has collected imperfect old ambrotypes and tintypes that show the patina of time and he has scanned and enlarged them to make his Light Reclaimed series.

He writes: “over time I found myself drawn to boxes containing the undesirable – broken, scratched, partially destroyed images where the imperfections rather than ruining the object seemed to impart a greater beauty.”

Some might say he is just scanning, but this work is more than just appropriating images.  The scans and their presentation combined with the connoisseurship and curating makes Charles’ work personal.  He found them, he chose them, he scanned them, he edited them, and these are now HIS pictures and they are spectacular.  Each one tells a story even greater than the story the original photographer intended.