MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) — A Woodlawn photographer is doing what she can to help tornado survivors by restoring some of their most treasured, irreplaceable possessions damaged by the tornadoes, and she's doing it at no cost.
Laura Lane, owner of Laura Lane Photography, has been a photographer for more than 20 years. After seeing the devastation caused by the tornadoes in Montgomery County, she knew she wanted to help.
"[I'm] incredibly sad for the people who lost so much in this," Lane said. "I feel like being able to give something back that I know they don't know how to do themselves, and I know there aren't a lot of people who know how to do this. I feel like it's the least I can do because I'm so incredibly grateful to this community that lets me do what I love," Lane continued.
Lane showed News 2 part of the photo restoration process on pictures found in the bottom of a pool after the tornado. While every restoration is different depending on the damage, Lane generally begins by steaming the pictures to flatten them. Then, she takes a photo of the picture and uploads it to her computer where she uses software to correct every flaw. Finally, Lane prints out the restored photo to give to the client.
"They're usually very surprised at how good it turned out, and there's often tears when they see the finished product," Lane said. "It's something that's obviously very important to them and very special."
Lane told News 2 after she restored one family's photo damaged by the tornado, they came in to get new family pictures taken.
"They said after this close call, they really wanted to get a family photo. They had been putting it off. That's another thing I would tell people is stop putting it off because you think you need to lose 20 pounds or whatever it is, because your family loves you for who you are," Lane said. "You don't realize how much photos mean until it's all you have left."
To contact Lane about photo restoration or other services, call 615-388-9464 or email laura@lauralanephotography.com.