Minilab horror story

[CuS]

I just processed a roll of Acros I shot over the weekend out at a friends farm of some ruins of an old farm house. I shot at ISO 64 and developed in Rodinal 1:50 for 10 min - man did I baby that roll!

The negatives looked sweet and I really couldn't decide between any of the shots (they all looked good). Well, I rolled the strip nice and gently and brought them over to a minilab to be printed to 4x6 for later picking to 8x10s if warranted.

I walked up to the minilab and spied a fellow who looked as if he had processed a few rolls in his time and asked if he thought the neg densities looked okay for enlarging.

He then proceeded to open the canister and shove his knarly finger into the canister to remove the strip. He struggled to pull it out. 😱

I started to get really nervous and asked, with wavering voice, "Shouldn't you wear cotton gloves to do that?"

He responded "Why?"

"So you don't get prints on the emulsion?", I offered.

"Well", he said "I can't get those out of there - you do it."

Needless to say, I high-tailed it out of there.

Eee-gads! I really need to get an enlarger - sheesh!

 

[RayPA]

I just processed a roll of Acros I shot over the weekend out at a friends farm of some ruins of an old farm house. I shot at ISO 64 and developed in Rodinal 1:50 for 10 min - man did I baby that roll!

The negatives looked sweet and I really couldn't decide between any of the shots (they all looked good). Well, I rolled the strip nice and gently and brought them over to a minilab to be printed to 4x6 for later picking to 8x10s if warranted.

I walked up to the minilab and spied a fellow who looked as if he had processed a few rolls in his time and asked if he thought the neg densities looked okay for enlarging.

He then proceeded to open the canister and shove his knarly finger into the canister to remove the strip. He struggled to pull it out. 😱

I started to get really nervous and asked, with wavering voice, "Shouldn't you wear cotton gloves to do that?"

He responded "Why?"

"So you don't get prints on the emulsion?", I offered.

"Well", he said "I can't get those out of there - you do it."

Needless to say, I high-tailed it out of there.

Eee-gads! I really need to get an enlarger - sheesh!

Don't you just love that happens! 🙂 You probably should get some clear negative sleeves and cut the negs. It's a much better way to view the negatives.



🙂

 

[CuS]

Ironically

Ironically

Ironically, that's what I generally do.

I would be interested to hear any other minilab horror stories - misery loves company, no? 😀

 

[SolaresLarrave]

I left a roll of experimental film in a minilab at my home grocery store. In the past, their results had been satisfactory. This particular time, however, the prints looked horrid, like off center, with some small white margins on the side... then I looked at the negatives.

They had not been cut, but slashed. Some parts had a frightening slanted cut that went into the frame.

The girl operating the machine was very nice and charming... but I made a vow to never, ever, ever, ever, ever, see her again for the rest of my life.

 

[sf6864]

I had a run of good luck at my local Target, but one weekend each of the 6 rolls I brought were printed with a dark line down the side. The lines were on the prints, not hte negatives, probably a dirty roller, so I went back to ask for reprints. Well, I saw the way the girl at the photo counter handled the negatives - Using her NAILS to get them out of the sleeve - and asked her if it wouldn't be better to wear gloves, and she said it's hard to get them out like that so she pulls them out with her nails, plops them on the table and then puts gloves on. I also found out that the machine they use doesn't really make enlargements - it makes a scan of your negative and prints the scan. I don't know if this is old news and I just found out, but I'm not too happy with that. I decided to abandon XP2 and go back to HP5 and a weekly mess in the bathroom. I'd rather develop and scan my own B/W negatives, then rent a darkroom and print my picks.

 

[feenej]

A long time ago when I could even get b&w negs developed here, I'd get the prints back from the minilab with all kinds of spots from dirt on the negs. One time I brought them back for reprinting three times, each time telling them to CLEAN the negatives. They just got dirtier each time! I would not dream of bringing my b&w to a minilab now days. Tho our Xmas card two years ago was from a b&w negative. Since I could not print the card, we brought them to a minilab. They came back incredibly green. They're always green from the minilab, matter of fact, now that they do a scan of your negs and print from that, at least around here.

 

[Ronald M]

Thats why there are pro labs and why everyone is going digital. Morons run these machines.

It is simply a case of if you are smart enough to do the job, you are not in the business.

I am on my 5th darkroom. Maybe more if you count 2 , no make that 3, in various colleges. No I was not a photo student.

 

[oftheherd]

I once left some film at a local Target. It was not treated kindly. When I tried to explain to the pimply young lad there how I felt, and what I thought the solution might be, he immediately began telling me it was my camera. You see, a lot of people have cameras that cause problems. Well, neither of us were happy after that. He tried a couple of other tacks after that didn't work.

Poor kid. He was only repeating what he had been told to say and didn't expect to cross anyone who knew better and could show him why. It isn't to my credit how I treated him either, I guess. But I didn't like being treated like a stupid rube by a kid who knew nothing of photography.