Old photo restoration
Hand retouching for tears, fading, stains, and missing areas, with full before-and-after review.
Ginza, Tokyo photo lab
Old photographs, brought back with scientific precision.
Canyon Iris digitizes, restores, and analyzes photographs and albums — pairing high-resolution scanning with material radiography so every restoration stays true to the original print.
About the lab
A dedicated studio for photographic memory.
Founded by imaging specialists and conservators, Canyon Iris treats every photograph as a unique object. We combine high-resolution digitization with material analysis to understand exactly how a print was made before we restore it — so the result stays true to the original.
30k+
Photographs digitized
12
Years in operation
4800
Albums preserved
99%
Client satisfaction
What we do
Complete photographic care, under one roof.
Photo digitization
Archival-grade scanning of prints, negatives, and slides at resolutions suited for both viewing and long-term storage.
Old photo restoration
Repair of tears, fading, mold damage, and missing sections with careful color and tone reconstruction.
Material radiography
Non-invasive X-ray and infrared imaging to examine paper, emulsion, and underlying structure before treatment.
Photo album scanning
Full album digitization page by page, preserving layout, captions, and the original sequence of images.
Professional photo printing
Fine art and archival printing of restored images on museum-grade paper and traditional photographic media.
Long-term archiving
Structured digital delivery and backup planning so your collection stays accessible for generations.
Process
How a restoration project moves through our studio.
01
Intake & assessment
We log condition, material, and damage for every item, including radiographic checks where needed.
02
Digitization
High-resolution scanning captures the current state of the photograph before any work begins.
03
Restoration
Specialists repair damage and rebuild lost detail by hand, referencing the original material.
04
Delivery
You receive digital files, and optionally new prints or a rebuilt album, ready for safekeeping.
Services & pricing
Choose the service that fits your collection.
Photo digitization
High-resolution scanning of individual prints and negatives, delivered as archival digital files.
Material radiography
X-ray and infrared imaging to assess structure, prior repairs, and hidden layers before treatment.
Album scanning
Complete album digitization preserving page layout, captions, and original photo sequence.
Professional printing
Archival fine art prints of your restored photographs on museum-grade or traditional photo paper.
Digital archive package
Organized delivery of your full collection with backup copies and a searchable digital index.
Why Canyon Iris
Handled the way an archive would handle it.
- Radiographic material analysis before any physical treatment.
- Every original handled with cotton gloves in a climate-controlled room.
- Full digital record kept before, during, and after restoration.
- Work carried out by trained conservators, not automated filters.
- Transparent pricing with a written estimate before we begin.
Case study
A wedding portrait, lost to water damage, fully recovered.
A client brought us a severely water-stained wedding portrait from 1958. Radiographic imaging revealed the original tonal structure beneath the staining, which our team used to guide a full manual restoration — recovering facial detail, fabric texture, and background that appeared permanently lost.
Read more about our approach
By the numbers
A studio built on careful, repeatable process.
30,000+
Photographs digitized
4,800
Albums preserved
1,200
Radiography scans
99%
Client satisfaction
Client feedback
What families and institutions say about our work.
“They recovered photographs of my grandparents that I thought were unusable. The detail in the final scans was remarkable.”— H. Nakamura, Tokyo
“The radiography step gave us real insight into how the original print was made before any restoration began. Very thorough.”— Local history society, Chuo-ku
“Our entire family album was scanned and organized in weeks. Clear pricing and careful handling throughout.”— S. Yamada, Yokohama
FAQ
Common questions about our process.
How long does a typical restoration take?
Most single-photograph restorations take one to two weeks. Full album projects and radiography-assisted treatments are scheduled individually depending on volume and condition.
Will I get the original photograph back?
Yes. Originals are returned to you along with the digitized and restored files. We never retain physical materials longer than required for the project.
What is material radiography used for?
Radiography lets us see beneath the surface of a print — prior repairs, structural damage, or layering — so restoration decisions are based on evidence rather than guesswork.
Can you scan an entire photo album at once?
Yes, we digitize albums page by page, preserving the original layout and any captions, and can rebuild a matching printed album afterward if requested.
Do you offer printing after restoration?
Yes, we offer archival fine art printing on museum-grade and traditional photographic paper for any restored image.
Trusted by
Institutions and studios we work alongside.
Ginza Archive Society
Tokyo Heritage Studio
Chuo Museum Group
Meiji Print Works
Northbank Conservation
Kanto Family Records
Plans
Simple packages for personal and institutional collections.
Personal
For a handful of treasured prints.
¥4,800 / starting
- Up to 10 photographs
- Digitization + light restoration
- Digital delivery
Family archive
Our most requested package.
¥28,000 / starting
- Full album scanning
- Restoration of damaged prints
- Radiography on request
- Digital archive + printed set
Institutional
For museums, societies, and studios.
Custom
- Large-volume digitization
- Full material radiography
- Dedicated project manager
- Ongoing archive support
From the studio
Notes on preservation and restoration.
12 March 2026
What radiography reveals about pre-war prints
How X-ray imaging helps us understand paper and emulsion layers before treatment begins.
28 February 2026
A guide to scanning your family album at home
Practical steps to take before bringing a fragile album in for professional digitization.
15 January 2026
Choosing paper for archival photo printing
Why paper choice matters as much as the restoration itself for long-term print stability.
Contact
Bring your photographs to Canyon Iris.
Studio address
2-14-6 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104-0061
Phone
+81 3-5422-8194
Studio hours
Tuesday – Sunday, 10:00 – 19:00
Consultations
Free initial assessment for every project