Historical photography instruction manuals were turned into new image objects through digital processing. The instruction leaflet for films and photo materials, recipe books and technical and aesthetic how-to literature from today’s perspective contain a rich pool of peculiar characters and codes. In their time, they were taken very seriously and were prerequisites for the success of photographs. Using pictograms and diagrams, they gave clear instructions for doing things “the right” way. However, the history of photography shows that even non-observance leads to new results and “the right” images. I follow this track in my own professional past finding new interpretations.