Bringing History to life...

[Alex K]

And just to add some colour(Brown) Little Joseph Goebbels

A bit of useless information, the photo was taken at 5 minutes past three, or 15 minutes past one,..I assume in the afternoon unless he suffered from insomnia

Edited October 20, 2013 by Alex K

[LarryT]

Hi Alex,

Just noticed your thread. Good to see your work here.

Cheers,

Larry

[Alex K]

Hi Larry, thanks, been on here for quite a while, you should post some of yours also

regards Alex

[Alex K]

Hi all had my computer hijacked, including all the software used for my colourisations, all gone. I am trying hard to restore what I had previously. I can no longer colourise as I used to do, working hard to try and restore what I had, but it's a difficult process with no guarantee of success. I did have the foresight to save some images on a remote storage device, and In the end present them as a parting gift. If I ever get back to where I was previously then I may resume, until such time I wish GMIC and all members all the best

Regards

Alex K

The first,

Bronislav Kaminski, notorious leader of the Kaminski Brigade, used by the Germans as a counter insurgent force against partisans including Warsaw in 1944, the Kaminski brigade were instrumental in destroying the Polish resistance in the Warsaw Ghetto under General Jurgen Stroop.. Anecdotal evidence seems to indicate Kaminski he was in the end an agent of the Soviet NKVD as were his cohorts, (The Germans had him quickly executed)

The Second

Kaminski Brigade in Warsaw 1944, image shows various members of the Kaminski brigade undergoing operations, The man at the extreme left as viewed is thought to be President Vladimir Putin,s Father by numerous sources, I don't know but the resemblance is uncanny. Putin's father was and became a member of the NKVD and subsequent KGB!! as did Putin junior!!!

Hey Ho!!

[Alex K]

additional items.

Images from an original photo album owned and now resident in the USHMM in New York, Images from camp Kommandant Hoecher Auschwitz. These show the original perpetrators of the final solution, including, Richards Baer, (Camp Commandant) Joseph Mengele (Camp Doctor), Joseph Kramer,(Having a day of from Belsen) Rudolf Hoess, (Just there for the party). many other images exist but unfortunately I was not able to tackle them.

Alex K

[Nick]

Alex

That last set of photos is quite chilling as it humanises them. The most infamous and brutally murderous men of the 20th Century having an informal gathering.

[Alex K]

Hi Nick, you're quite right they are chilling and I thought hard before I colourised them as it makes them look normal, In the end in another world they may have been. As the theme of the thread is "Bringing history back to life", in all probability this is what they looked like, after the get together however going back to "Work" so I felt justified.

Regards

Alex

[Alex K]

Hi all, not posted for a while due to my PC being banjaxed, however after much delving I've managed to restore most of what I lost, (It had all been moved to different parts of the PC). Anyway I'm now in a position to do more work albeit in a slightly different way.

So here's one, needs no introduction

regards

[Alex K]

And another

Wilhelm List

[Alex K]

a few more, ladies of the Reich!

1) Irma Grese SS Helferin at Belsen, was hung after the end of the war.

2) A young Mrs Hitler (Hoffmann portrait)

3) Unknown but I believe that it's a genuine wartime photo, Well she's wearing an SS uniform so I assume it to be of military interest!

Edited April 7, 2014 by Alex K

[Alex K]

Hi all, 2 new images colourised, both were posted by GMIC member Bernhard H Holst and posted with his approval.

W Herold and Oblt Otto Hielscher

regards

Alex K

I can't seem to attach links to the threads

Edited April 27, 2014 by Alex K

[LarryT]

Nicely done Alex.

I also colour photos for a hobby. I have coloured photos for several books but mainly colour for the fun of it.

Here is a photo from my private collection. A MG34 nest somewhere in Russia with one soldier holding a Mosin Nagant rifle in his left hand.

Cheers,

Larry

[Alex K]

Hi Larry, I thought this thread had "died" through lack of interest, however, maybe not, nice work, I've also done the odd bit of colourising requests

Thanks

Alex K

[Chris Boonzaier]

Hi,

definately not because of lack of interest, more because only a tiny fraction of our members have the skills needed to add anything.

My hat off to both of youse and my undying jealousy at your talents!!

[Alex K]

Hi Chris, I wasn't trying to be negative, but as you most probably know, threads do run their natural cause either because there's nothing more to say on them or occasionally insufficient interest.

I have posted numerous times over the length of the thread (I actually started it) and enjoy doing so, I personally, greatly enjoy looking at other peoples work and would encourage any that do colourise and want to show, to post, the more the merrier, skill levels are not important as that comes with practice (I've seen examples which make me say I wish I'd done that), I look at some of my early work and think oooh! could do better. In the end, it's not a competition, but something to do because you enjoy doing it as Larry says

regards

Alex

[TacHel]

Hi,

definately not because of lack of interest, more because only a tiny fraction of our members have the skills needed to add anything.

My hat off to both of youse and my undying jealousy at your talents!!

I second what Chris said, every word of it.

We just stop by to admire your great work.

[Alex K]

:Hi all, two for interest

SS Otto Dietrich, Propaganda

and some Battle of Britain "Chappies"

Alex"

Edited June 19, 2014 by Alex K

[LarryT]

Believe it or not I have had a few negative comments about colouring photos. I have been told they should be left B&W.

I think colourising photos brings life to them, gives a sense of how things really looked in those days.

Here is a Flak soldier and wife from my wedding portrait collection.

Cheers,

Larry

[Alex K]

Hi Larry very realistic, well done.

I've come across similar comments also, however everyone is entitled to their own opinion. Comments centre around "Somehow altering history", I would counter that by saying history wasn't lived in black and white, people, and events were witnessed in colour by those that lived through them, If colour film was as readily available and cheap then as it is today, I bet there would be a lot fewer B/W images. Someone viewing a black and white image may do so for a second and then move on to the next one and miss details in the image, there are only so many shades of grey to you observe, however, my experience has been a colour-(ised) image sympathetically and accurately done is viewed for longer as the viewer takes in both the colour and details otherwise missed. Rommel for instance didn't roam across North Africa in glorious hues of grey, It's why many historical events were captured in colour.

Talking of Rommel, leads me nicely into the attached, I colourised an image of him a while back, several weeks later I came across a genuine colour image of him, my colourisation was without reference to the real image but from knowledge about uniforms etc, attached are both images, why is one acceptable and the other not?

regards

Alex

Edited June 19, 2014 by Alex K

[Alex K]

Otto Ernst Remer, colourised this, but got side-tracked for some reason and decided it might be nice to add his entire military awards as, sometimes it's not clear what they got. so they are a combination from my own collection and "Stock images" (They should hopefully be in scale with each other)

regards

Alex

Edited June 23, 2014 by Alex K

[Alex K]

Another two, these are shots taken in the Fuhrerbunker by "Life" cameraman and are two of a series, the hat may have been posted before. The second are three GI's examining Hitler's "Suicide Settee", They are viewing in darkness with a candle and mini torches, the camera flash has obviously illuminated more clearly, There appears to be a pistol lying on the settee and what appears to be bloodstains on the armrest. The GI at the back looks like he's smoking a cigar but is in fact illuminating the armrest with a mini torch

regards

Alex K

Description modified

Edited June 27, 2014 by Alex K

[Alex K]

Hi all, I posted this on another thread but thought I'd post it here as it's clearly a colourisation, Kapitaenleutenant Vallentiner. It is fortunately quite a high resolution image (From Wikipedia) so I was able to get in close to do the finer details

regards

Alex K

[Alex K]

I attach some of my colourisations, these are what I consider my "best work", unfortunately due to personal circumstances and events, I may no longer be in a position to actively contribute anymore, I will therefore post some of what I have (I have over 1000 of these things) so that they may hopefully be enjoyed by others as much as I have enjoyed doing them., this is the first series and I will post others as and when time will allow.

I take this chance of thanking all GMIC members, a forum I consider the best and whilst also a member of other forums, I keep coming back to.

Best regards

Alex K

[Alex K]

2

[Alex K]

3

Jurgen Stroop was arrested after the war , convicted and executed In Poland. Joseph Blosche, a notorious perpetrator of excesses carried out during this action, escaped the war and was living in the then East Germany. He was eventually identified by a former Holocaust victim in the 1960's brought to trial and subsequently executed with a bullet through the back of the neck, ironically his own prefered method of dispatching his victims

Edited August 2, 2014 by Alex K