By Sue Moore
Reconstructing old photographs is a passion for Nadia Steeby, along with her love of photography. She will be showing her work at the Schoolcraft Library through June 10. She opened the exhibit with a meet-and-greet on April 29.
Besides the display at the library, Steeby will be teaching a course on photo restoration at the library as part of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) sponsored by Western Michigan University’s Extended University Programs. There are 30 spots set aside for the class with registration taking place on May 7 for members of OLLI and May 11 for non-members.
Steeby’s retouching expertise is on display in the examples she has chosen to exhibit at the library. “Preserving old photos that may be crinkled, torn, faded, or partially ruined and deteriorating is my passion in life,” Steeby explains. “It takes patience and practice, which I can teach others how to do in this course. We are stewards of this history and I like to pass along my enthusiasm for this bit of Americana to others.”
She doesn’t necessarily need to go far to get her photographs. “Some of my pictures on display were taken right out my backdoor of a beautiful sunrise,” she says. People in the big cities never see a sunrise from their back yard. She also has a sunset picture taken from her front yard that has brilliant lighting.
The name of her company is Picture Perfect, LLC which she runs while parenting two teenagers, and working part-time from home to schedule Borgess Hospital’s medical staff of nurses, LPN’s, CNA’s, and x-ray technicians. Steeby has lived in Schoolcraft for 20 years. Although she’s not a native, her husband Mark is. She appreciates the closeness of the families she has met since coming from Kalamazoo.