A man from Troy says restoring photographs from more than 100 years ago started out as an accident.

John Bulmer is a photo historian and commercial photographer. He travels to antique shops and flea markets, to archive buildings and libraries to find photos from the 1800s and 1900s. He then adds color and light, and tries to restore them to show what the world looked like when they were taken.

“I’ve been a professional photographer for 25 years. I’ve done a lot of photo manipulation and a lot of digital art,” said Bulmer. “I did this to see what it would be like and to see how realistic I could make it with my Photoshop skills.”

He’s done photographs from all over the Capital Region, including his hometown, Troy. He posts them on Facebook, as a public service.

“People have reached out to me and said, ‘Can you restore my photos? I haven’t seen my grandfather in decades’ or ‘This was our family bar or tavern or house. Can you make it look like it used to?’” Bulmer said.

This process has taught him a lot as well, he said.

“I can’t go down a street in Troy without actually visualizing it in a historical setting,” Bulmer said. “I can’t walk down River Street without knowing what it looked like then.”

He said he anticipates the history of Troy being of public interest as the city enters a new era, with major film projects like “The Gilded Age” coming to film in Troy more and more. He also hopes that his photos help bring history alive for people.

“It’s been a real pleasure doing them for social media, and it’s been an even greater pleasure doing them for individuals who are just looking to reclaim some of the memories that they’ve lost,” Bulmer said.