Your Methodology

[DanielDuarte]

Good morning everyone,

While I am not new to film I am new to the 35mm/RF world. I was curious what is everyones methodology when dealing with the end result of their film.

Do you send your film off? Do you home process?

If processing color do you have your lab process and print, or just process? I have tended to avoid color in my MF days and found scanning/digital printing a process that voided the entire process of shooting an analog format.

I'm simply curious how everyone treats their final steps.

Dan

 

[rwintle]

I'm in the camp that uses local stores/labs for developing and scanning. For both colour and B&W. I hardly ever get prints as everything goes to the web.

I am now ready to be told ad infinitum how Everything I Do Is Wrong. 😉

 

[Lauffray]

I develop my own BW at home, I would love to have a darkroom to print but I don't have space in my apartment. The rare colour I do goes to a local lab for dev. I scan everything at home, when I want prints lately I've been also using a local lab to print digitally from high res scans. Mixed results

What I'd love to do, and haven't settled on a way yet, is to find a relatively cheap and quick way to contact print a lot of negatives. If you have ideas, I'm listening, well, reading. 🙂

 

[danielsterno]

All developing/scanned images to disc done via mail by thedarkroom.com, standard scan on disc, $10./roll higher res scan/contact sheets extra- they are good- occasionally i see issues with dust/specs on scan- but all in all they are good-

 

[tunalegs]

I mainly shoot slides and have those processed and mounted at a local lab. When I shoot B&W I develop at home, although I don't currently have an enlarger. I dislike the look of scanned film, and sort of ditched that idea after trying it out for a bit. It is ok for showing photos online, but I wouldn't print from scanned film.

 

[DanielDuarte]

I develop my own BW at home, I would love to have a darkroom to print but I don't have space in my apartment. The rare colour I do goes to a local lab for dev. I scan everything at home, when I want prints lately I've been also using a local lab to print digitally from high res scans. Mixed results

What I'd love to do, and haven't settled on a way yet, is to find a relatively cheap and quick way to contact print a lot of negatives. If you have ideas, I'm listening, well, reading. 🙂

I feel you, for the last 5 years we bounced from apartment to apartment that fit our needs but did not have adequate room for any sort of darkroom. We now live in my wifes family business (upstairs) in an apartment that could fit my previous 5 places combined.

I now have an attic sunlight studio and darkroom. From all the digital craze I acquired film, trays, accessories, and an enlarger (with numerous lenses, holders, etc etc etc) all for free. People just moved onto to digital and gave me this stuff. I'm 28 so this all new to me and I'm learning day by day.

The only reason I shoot color is because of the fact that I got 75 rolls of provia for free.

 

[DanielDuarte]

I mainly shoot slides and have those processed and mounted at a local lab. When I shoot B&W I develop at home, although I don't currently have an enlarger. I dislike the look of scanned film, and sort of ditched that idea after trying it out for a bit. It is ok for showing photos online, but I wouldn't print from scanned film.

Yes, that is the reason why I struggle with color. My epson V600 is nothing special, but 120 slides look half way decent scanned.

 

[mfogiel]

I only shoot B&W. I develop myself, scan and print on an Epson printer on Ilford Silk Gold paper. If I had a chance to keep the darkroom, I'd go for it, as I seldom need to print beyond 30x40cm. For your slides - get them developed and then if there is anything you would like to print, order the prints at a lab. You are privileged to have a darkroom, give B&W photography a fair shot.

 

[DanielDuarte]

I only shoot B&W. I develop myself, scan and print on an Epson printer on Ilford Silk Gold paper. If I had a chance to keep the darkroom, I'd go for it, as I seldom need to print beyond 30x40cm. For your slides - get them developed and then if there is anything you would like to print, order the prints at a lab. You are privileged to have a darkroom, give B&W photography a fair shot.

I certainly am, took me a while to get here!

 

[FrankS]

Traditional materials (black and white), tools, and processes. The whole 9 yards.

 

[slidesandthecity]

I develop and wet print in my apartment.

 

[doolittle]

Black and White - develop myself, scan on V700. Print pseudo contact sheet (ie page of thumbnails to store with negative sheet). Print on Epson R2880.
Colour Film - get developed locally (develop and low quality scans on CD), rescan keepers myself.
Slide - send off for processing (unmounted), scan myself.

For the odd really good image I go to a place where you can rent time on a Flextight X5 scanner.

I did consider setting up a darkroom, but find scanning and printing a good substitute, especially for A4 and A3. I am still considering joining a photo club and use the darkroom there.

 

[pete hogan]

I shoot B&W and color negative. Film goes in the mail to Ilford's USA facility for processing and scanning. I edit ruthlessly on screen and don't post-process. I figure it's my job to get the film exposure and focus right, as it has been for 60+ years. The ones I like are printed 4x6 on HP everyday photo paper with an HP Photosmart.

 

[Roger Hicks]

The first work we had done when we bought our current house was to convert the wine cellar to a darkroom. The wine now lives in the stables. (This is nothing like as grand as it sounds as our house is the former servants' quarters of the Big House next door).

Cheers,

R.

 

[alienmeatsack]

I shoot BW and C41 as well as E6 which I cross process, all developed at home. I also scan everything myself. I very rarely will send a roll out to be processed or to get prints, but that is not very common.

 

[Frank Petronio]

The first work we had done when we bought our current house was to convert the wine cellar to a darkroom. The wine now lives in the stables. (This is nothing like as grand as it sounds as our house is the former servants' quarters of the Big House next door).

Cheers,

R.

That's nothing, I have our best boy LeRoy process my film in our specially converted Gulfstream. When I print I take over the bowling alley in basement - makes it easy to handle the 24-foot long prints. I coat naked girls with Dektol and have them wrestle and squirm on the photo paper (in the dark). Thank goodness for night vision goggles or I wouldn't get such even development!

 

[Sejanus.Aelianus]

That's nothing, I have our best boy LeRoy process my film in our specially converted Gulfstream. When I print I take over the bowling alley in basement - makes it easy to handle the 24-foot long prints. I coat naked girls with Dektol and have them wrestle and squirm on the photo paper (in the dark). Thank goodness for night vision goggles or I wouldn't get such even development!

Could you send me three cases of whatever it is you're on?

😉

 

[semi-ambivalent]

I certainly am, took me a while to get here!

Doesn't matter, you're there now. 😀
Rock that darkroom!

 

[lawrence]

Develop b&w film in the kitchen, scan to disk via Epson V750, rescan picks on Canon FS4000US, print on Epson R2880. Still can't make a digital print that is equal to a good darkroom print but shooting film does allow this option given the money or facilities.

 

[michaelwj]

I think I could be in the majority here (which makes sense since I learned everything I do with film here!).

I process and scan b&w a la Chris Crawford (http://chriscrawfordphoto.com/learn-photography.php - excellent resource btw - thanks Chris) using a Plustek 8100, then adjust (contrast/levels/curves/sharpness) with PS6 and LR5, then print with an old Canon iP5200 on Ilford Smooth Pearl up to A4 (generally around 8x10). I'd love a newer printer with a few greys and blacks, but what can you do.

I'm selective with what I scan (usually around 3-5/roll), and try to print most of what I scan, but usually closer to 1-2/roll.

I hang prints, some go in boxes, some get gifted.

Michael