There was a time when you would walk
into your neighborhood photo lab and hand them a roll of film. If
they had questions for you, they asked. If you had questions for
them, you asked. Life isn’t as simple these days. Digital
photography and on-line shopping has led to a dramatic decline in the
number of local camera shops and film processors. Most of us who love
shooting film, and don’t have ready access to darkrooms or
processing equipment, have to rely on mail-order film processing.
We (Old School Photo Lab) have been a retail
photo lab for 31 years, but have been running our mail-order service
for the past year, which has been a completely different experience.
Today, I want to offer some suggestions for how you can get the best
from your photo lab.
Exposed/Unprocessed Film
Handling-
35mm
Rewind your film all the way. That’s
it. It’s an easy, fool-proof way to know if your film has been
through your camera...
 |
| Unexposed 35mm film (or leader out) |
 |
| Exposed 35mm film |
120
A lot of you may have Holgas that you
shoot for fun, or you may have moved up to other medium format
cameras for higher quality, but lack a couple of basic bits of
knowledge that helps keep your film safe, and your photo lab happy.
Tip 1: Start your roll off tight and
avoid “fat rolls”. All 120 film has what is referred to as a
“Start Mark” on the backing paper - sometimes it will actually
say “Start”, other times it will just be a double sided arrow.
After you have inserted the leader into
the take-up spool, wind the backing paper around the spool at least
once while keeping tension on the feed side. You can safely unwind
the paper until the “Start Mark” comes around the unexposed roll,
about 8-9 inches. By winding the paper like this, you greatly reduce
the risk of having a loosely wound or “fat” roll, and will reduce
light leaks.
Tip 2: Seal finished roll properly.
Or… Fold, lick, and stick: When your roll is finished, keep
winding until the backing paper is all the way on the take-up side of
your camera. Remove your film and do three things:
1.Fold
2.Lick (or peel)
3.Stick
120 film comes with a little paper band
that is meant to secure your film when the roll is finished.
Sometimes it gets tucked away under the backing paper, but it is OK
to unwind a little to grab it. The band usually has a moisture
activated adhesive on it (like an envelope) that you need to lick
before you secure it around the roll. (Except for Fuji film… they
have a peel and stick band – don’t lick that, it tastes bad.)
That’s it. Don’t put any extra tape on it. Just don’t. Your lab
will thank you.
Film Processing-
If you look at your film’s label it
should be pretty clear what kind of process is required to yield
images. Current films will be one of the following: C-41, E-6, or
Black-and-White. Full service photo labs (like ours) should be able
to handle any kind of film that is currently in production. What you
want to watch out for are outdated chemical processes like: K-14,
C-22, or E-4. There are a couple of small boutique labs that handle
outdated film (like Film Rescue International), but the majority of
photo processors won’t be able to do anything with them. One other
thing to keep an eye out for is “Chromogenic” black-and-white
film, or black-and-white film that is labeled C-41 (e.g. Kodak
BW400CN and Ilford XP2). These films are processed in C-41 chemistry,
not black-and-white chemistry, and can be handled by any lab that
does color negative film.
Cross-processing
(E-6 as C-41) has become incredibly popular over the past couple of
years, but there was a time not long ago that processing E-6 film in
C-41 chemistry was considered a mistake! There are still some labs
that will flat out refuse to process film in the “wrong”
chemistry, and those of us that will cross-process, want to make
sure that you REALLY want it done. That’s one of the reasons why
our order forms have a check box for “Cross-Processing”, so we
know that you know what you’re getting yourself into. If your film
is C-41 (color negative) film you can’t just say, “Cross-Process
this,” and get those crazy colors and high contrast – you need to
start with E-6 (slide) film. Processing C-41 film in E-6 chemistry is
still considered a mistake by most of us, and we rarely do it for any
of our customers. The results from what we call “Reverse
Cross-Processing” are muddy and gross… you wouldn’t like it.
Trust me.
Handling Processed
Film/Re-ordering Prints or Scans-
Two things that should never be
anywhere near your processed film and prints: staples and paperclips.
Staples and paperclips have sharp and pointy parts that cause
scratches. Scratches are bad – very bad.
35mm: Ordering from 35mm
is incredibly easy, just remember a couple of things:
-Don’t mix negatives from multiple
rolls in one envelope (avoids confusion with negative numbers).
-Order from the negative numbers, don’t
write on the sleeve.
-Use the “A” numbers if the frame
numbers don’t fall under the middle of the frame.
Most 35mm films have coding that tell
the machine what frame number is being scanned/printed and some labs
(us included) will give you prints that have the frame number printed
right on the back of the paper. Sometimes it can take a little
investigation to find it, but it will be there… this is what the
back of our prints look like:
120: Ordering from 120
film follows a lot of the same rules as 35mm, but you will almost
never have a frame number printed on the back of your prints. 120
film isn’t coded in the same way as 35mm and won’t give any
information to the lab’s machines.
-Don’t mix negatives from multiple
rolls in one envelope (avoids confusion).
-Choose the number at the edge of the
film that is closest to the middle of your image.
All types of film:
-Never cut your film into single
frames. Single frames are very difficult for any lab to handle. We recommend strips of 3 or more negatives for 35mm and
6x4.5. For 120 film formats like 6x6 and 6x7, 2 frames are OK.
-If you are shipping your film away to
a mail-order lab, sandwich them with thin cardboard and put them in
a sturdy envelope so they don’t get damaged in transit.
Expectations for print color
matching: If you give sample prints from your roll to your
lab, even if it is the same lab, there is no guarantee that your
reprints/enlargements will be an exact match. Think of your original
prints as guides or proofs. Print matching between different labs is
nearly impossible -- different scanners and different printers, even
if manufactured by the same company, can yield very different results
depending on how they are calibrated and what the standards of the
lab are. Any good lab will take some extra care when making
enlargements from your negatives and can often improve the look of
your image. All that having been said, it is helpful to have a guide
when printing… just so that your lab knows what you got the first
time through.
Talk to your lab-
In the end, good relationships come
from good communication. If you let your lab know what you are
looking for, they should be able to provide it. If your lab has
questions, hopefully they will ask you. Before you get going in a new
direction it is good to know what your lab can handle, or find a lab
that can do what you want. Never be afraid to ask a question, I know
we’re always happy to help someone along in the world of film
photography.
Contributor Bio: Jake Bouchard got his start in photography as a teenager and attended
the Hallmark Institute of Photography to pursue a career as a
photographer. While attending school, he realized that working in the
darkroom and making prints was where his talent really lay. After
graduating in 1999, Jake worked as an occasional photographer and photo
assistant, but always went back to lab work. He has been employed at a
number of different photo labs in ME and NH, ranging from professional
commercial labs to small neighborhood photo processors. He finally
settled at
Photosmith in Dover, NH where he brings his photography and
lab experience to the 31 year tradition of quality photo
finishing. Jake's career in the photo industry has coincided with the
decline of film photography and the rise of digital. Film photography is
his passion and through his work with OldSchoolPhotoLab.com and 120processing.com, he hopes to help keep the world of film photography alive.
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