I sent Mr, Wintermute a very polite e-mail with pictures and asked if he could be of service. He could have simply said no. Instead he ignored my request; a renewed request for a response led to him sending me a very rude lecturing e-mail with a strange claim to have spoken with me on the phone. I had never spoken to him on the phone. After I posted a negative review, Mr. Wintermute sent me a personal e-mail message and wrote a response here on Yelp equating me with others who gave him bad reviews and implying as well that my review is fake! I asked for none of this. The man has no sense of decency. A real professional would have kindly informed me of any errors I made about the type of photo I was seeking help with, advised about how to proceed and perhaps recommended another service. I'd advise anyone who doesn't know where to start, NOT to start with Sebastian Wintermute. read more

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It was a real pleasure to meet and do business with Sebastian. Originally I expected the place to be just another photo lab but instead I walked into a real artist's studio was given a lecture on history and architecture of the Lower East Side illustrated with amazing historic photographs that I've never seen before, offered a glass of wine, had my photo albums inspected and quizzed on the history of my family. Sebastian explained clearly how the restoration process works and what the final results will be, and how much it will cost. He even recommended that I contact two other places to compare prices and services. Needles to say I was sold. It took some time for Sebastian to scan and retouch over three hundred photos, many of which I assumed to be beyond any hope, but he did an amazing job and most of the photos came out as good as they were before our family albums including my parents beautiful wedding album were ruined when out basement got flooded after the storm. My parents and everyone else were overjoyed when after the Thanksgiving dinner we were able to view the photograph on the large screen TV. All of us are grateful to Sebastian for saving the precious pieces of our family history and making them available for many more years. read more

Sebastian Wintermute Studio - One of the proofs we got from Sebastian as he was working on our photos. - Photography Stores & Services Near Me - New York, New York

I contacted the studio to renew 3 pictures from my high school that are more than 60 years old. They did a wonderful and timely job and I would use them again in a heartbeat. Definitely recommend! Louise Duncan read more

I called and some idiot answered the phone. I asked if they restored pictures and he muttered "yes" like I was bothe I then asked what time they closed and he responded that I needed to make an appointment. He said the earliest appointment would have to be next week. I said I never heard of that for picture restoration and he responded that the he was sorry but that he wouldn't be able to help me. Who said he couldn't help me!? He was rude and dismissive. He need to forget about restoring photos and start by restoring his attitude. And no, I'm not some paid troll like he is alleging. If I were a hired troll I would be criticizing his work and not his attitude. read more

Sebastian restored two photos of my grandfather and did an incredible job. One was extremely cracked and the other had white out and black ink marks on it. He was very thoughtful in his approach to the restoration and was able to bring them back to life without making them look over-done. I definitely recommend his services and will use him again for any future photo restoration needs. read more

Excellent customer service! I didn't know what to do with the stack of old photos and family papers that the owner of the copy shop in my neighborhood was even afraid to touch. Sebastian had them all put together, scanned, retouched and helped me to transfer files onto my iPad. read more

I give Sebastian my highest recommendation - entirely trustworthy with a priceless 1946 photo of my mother's prom. He restored the photo better than expected, on time, and with gorgeous prints. Thank you Sebastian! read more

Sebastian has helped me with a number of family wedding photo restoration projects this year and I've been thrilled with the results each time. In one case, I needed a color fix -- an old print had faded and become discolored (my mother-in-law's blond hair had turned bright orange, etc.). Through his magic he was able to bring back the original color, making it look like the photo had been snapped yesterday. In another, he was able to take an old black and white print damaged by water -- ripped and peeling, even across parts of my father in law's face -- and make it look as though nothing had ever happened. On top of his obvious skill as a restorer, he's responsive, professional and kind. I was nervous at first to part with these treasures, but now consider Sebastian my go-to trusted source on anything photo restoration. He takes enormous care and delivers impressive results. read more

I searched all over and read countless reviews before selecting someone to restore a photo that was taken during my grandmother's wedding back in 1948. I cannot express how thrilled I am that I chose Sebastian to do so. From the onset, he was extremely responsive and informative about the process. Before agreeing to take on the job, he had me send over a scan to ensure that he could perform his services to my satisfaction. We then had a phone call to talk through the process and to confirm the scope was correct. Upon receipt of the finished product, I couldn't be happier. The missing pieces of the photo were miraculously repaired as if they were never lost. Sebastian had so much enthusiasm during the whole process, I couldn't recommend him more. read more

Preserve Your Past does excellent work. I have used them for several photo restoration projects, and have been very happy/amazed with the results/quality of work they produce. Their expertise ranges from colorization to restoration (very severe restoration) on photos as well as documents. It is a great boutique shop in NYC. If you need an old photo restored, make this your first and ONLY stop. I highly recommend! read more

I highly recommend Sebastian for photo restoration work. I brought a picture of my grandparents from 1917 which I had found torn, folded up and overall in bad shape. He restored it meticulously into a priceless treasure! I really appreciated how transparent the process was; he sent various interim proofs and encouraged feedback before delivering the final product (which consists of a print on high quality paper and a digital version). I have since brought other photos to him and I have been equally satisfied with the results. Sebastian is now my go-to person for restoration work. read more

Sebastian Wintermute Studio - Before and after photos speak for themselves! - Photography Stores & Services Near Me - New York, New York

Sebastian restored an original black and white 80+ year old photograph of my grandparents at their wedding. Because of the glue deposit used to secure the photograph in a frame, there were white stripes across the entire photo - I thought it was hopeless! But Sebastian restored the photograph and now it looks brand new! He is professional, efficient, and extremely courteous. He was very realistic about the expected results, but the photograph turned out better than I could have even hoped for. In addition to the perfect print (actually, 2) he gave me, he also gave me a C.D. with the digital print so I could print out several other copies for other family members. I highly recommend Sebastian for photo restoration. read more

I have brought several old, falling apart photos to Sebastian, and he has worked digital magic on them, restoring them to a beautiful, high quality digital and physical prints, making it possible to share the past with people in the present. The price is not cheap, but it's well worth the quality. Sebastian works diligently, sends proofs partway through his work to request your feedback, and always follows up to make sure you are happy with the final product. He is extremely talented at his work, and I would recommend him without hesitation. read more

Restoration by Sebastian Wintermute was amazing! I contacted them a few days before Christmas with a small picture of my mother as a baby--the only baby picture of her that exists--hoping they'd be able to restore in time for Christmas. Not only did they come through in time, the restoration was incredible. I highly recommend! read more

Sebastian did an amazing job restoring a hundred year old photograph that my great grandmother brought from Italy. It came out so nice that in addition to the print that we had framed and gave as a present to my grandparents we used the picture as our holiday card. read more

Sebastian restored a wrinkled and ripped 100 year old photo of my grandfather in WWI uniform for me. It is beautiful, and printed on a paper that is like the original. Sebastian is very affable, takes the time to explain his process and walk through the proofs, and provides timely updates. It's his personal touch that sold me. I highly recommend Sebastian for your restorations. read more

Sebastian restored a ripped, faded 95 year old print of my grandfather that was precious to my mother. He had to literally recreate the bottom half of the photo and he did a masterful job. He came in on time and was reasonably priced. I'd highly recommend him to anyone looking for restoration work! This was my third job with him and they have all been handled beautifully. read more

Super fast, professional, and a joy to work with. Sebastian helped us with a key photo for our documentary. He worked during the holidays to meet our deadline, and he did an excellent job salvaging a damaged photo. read more

Unfortunately, there are very few people left in the city who can still do this type of work at such a high level of quality. I was grateful to find Sebastian and have my, now deceased, parents' wedding photo restored. He is worth every penny! read more

I brought two very old, damaged photos of my great-grandparents to Sebastian. He restored them with the utmost care and I now have had these family treasures returned to me and to the generations who will follow. Sebastian is meticulous, an old school craftsman who clearly takes pride in a job well done. He is a little more expensive than average, I think, but if the photos in question are worth preserving, then it is worth the cost. At the end of the process you will receive several sets of restored photos plus a disk from which you can make additional copies, or forward to others for that purpose. read more

I had an old photograph of my mother from around 1930. It suffered water damage during Hurricane Sandy -- it was warped, the color was distorted and the face of the print was flaking off. Very bad shape. Sebastian worked his magic and created a beautiful restoration. He is creative, thorough and meticulous is all aspects of his restoration work. In addition he manages his business very professionally - he is polite, responded quickly to inquiries, sent email proofs as promised during the process and completed the job in a timely manner. read more

Mr. Wintermute brought back to life a terribly faded and marked 1954 Kodachrome, the only photo we had of our young family of five. As the process unfolded, Mr. Wintermute sent online proofs to us for comment and suggestions.The restored photos will be a heartwarming Christmas surprise for my mother and sisters. This gifted and polite man performs miracles. read more

Sebastian did an amazing job restoring a 40 year-old Japanese garden picture with hundreds of small discolored spots. The picture even had peeled areas, but I cannot tell where they were! He gave me a digital file so I can order a print on 30x20 canvas. The garden was my late father's pround creation (he was a landscaper/gardener) and it meant so much to me to bring it back to life. Thanks to Sebastian, now I can place it where everyone can see and remember how my dad touched other people's lives. read more

Sebastian did a superb job restoring photos of my husband's family, so I went to him when I wanted photos of my family restored. He was patient, explained things, completed the job in a timely manner and got the photos to us when he said he would. For both my husband and me, it was clear at the outset what we were getting and what the cost would be. We plan to return to him for our next project. read more