Printing Options Evaluated
If you're just looking for standard prints, sending your shots to local mini-processing labs or online labs is always an option. However, if you're very concerned and particular about the quality of your prints, you may opt either to send them out to a custom lab or explore the option of printing them yourself. The custom labs cost more and are not as convenient as using the minilab inside your local drug store or big-box retailer. Additionally, they will often take a little longer to get your film and prints back, but they might be well worth it.
There are plenty of fast-photo processors and photo minilabs that do a great job with lots and lots of film. Some will do custom work; however, unless they're really set up for it and are serious about maintaining the quality control necessary to deliver it, the chances are pretty good that you won't always be thrilled with the results. Because they're geared more for processing and printing snapshots taken with a variety of cameras and under a variety of conditions, they're rarely completely capable of handling the demands that serious photographers make of their processing labs. Some are, and they're definitely worth seeking out and using.
Quality film developing very much depends on how well lab personnel maintain their processing chemistry and machines. If a lab has good machinery and good personnel, then it's worth the time to develop a relationship with them. Together, you and the lab can produce the quality images you want. First, however, you have to find that lab.
Here are some ways to do it:
Check the Yellow Pages listings in your local directory under “photo processing.” Labs that specialize in working with professional photographers or offer custom services will say so in their ads.
Ask other photographers in your area about the labs they use. This can be the best way to find a good lab; most photographers won't stay with a lab that's not up to snuff.
Talk to someone in a framing shop or two to see if they can recommend a good local lab.
Once you've found a processing lab or two that look like good possibilities, pay them a visit. Ask how often they check the chemicals in their processing equipment. The answer should be once a day — more often is even better. Ask how often they run a test strip of film and measure the results. Without close attention to these details, a lab will produce color negatives that might be harder to print because the color isn't perfect.
Ask what kinds of film they can process. If you're shooting slide film, you want a lab that can handle it. Most slide film is processed using C-41 chemistry; however, chrome film (with the exception of Kodachrome) requires E-6 chemistry, which takes longer and requires more tests per day to make sure it hasn't drifted out of balance. Some shops can handle both; others send their E-6 processing out.
There are two different types of black-and-white film, and they don't go through the same chemicals. If you're shooting true black-and-white, you need a lab that specializes in processing and printing it. Chromogenic black-and-white film goes through the same chemistry and machinery as color film.
Look for obvious problems in film processing. When possible, watch the lab personnel as they work to see how they handle the film. Do they use gloves and hang up the film carefully or do they carelessly drag it across the floor? You definitely don't want scratches and fingerprints on your negatives.
If lab personnel cut the film into strips, make sure they cut carefully between the frames, instead of into the image area of the film. The negatives should be put into transparent or translucent sleeves, one strip (four to six images) per sleeve, so you can see each negative clearly.
Many custom processing labs offer both machine prints (automated) and custom prints, which are printed by hand so that a human operator actually looks at your negative and determines the best way to print them. If your negatives are good, a machine print will be just about as good as a custom print.
The machine operators should inspect every print and remake those that meet their standards. If the inspection or standards aren't good enough, you can't get consistently good color. Look at some sample prints — a good shop will have them on hand. Don't be fooled by sample prints of colorful hot air balloons and beautiful bouquets — it's easy to produce dazzling colors. What you want to see are clean neutral tones, whites that are white with no loss of detail, blacks that are black and not milky or off-color, flesh tones that are believable, and no overall colorcast.
The big advantage of working with a local lab is that you can talk face to face with the people who handle your film, adjust the machines, and make and inspect your prints. If you're not pleased with a print, you can show them the problem print as well as one you like. You can discuss what went wrong with your print. Was there a problem at the time the picture was taken, or was there a lab error when your film was processed or printed? If the problem is with your camera, lighting, or light meter, ask them what you can do to produce a better negative.
However, not everyone is fortunate enough to have a custom lab nearby. If you don't, you're not necessarily totally out of luck. Plenty of processing labs do custom work for people like you. Do an Internet search and you'll come up with a number of websites for companies that offer custom processing services. There are also websites that index the companies that offer these services.
Many photographers do their own processing and printing. The good news is that doing so gives them complete control over how their images turn out. The bad news is they have no one to blame but themselves if something goes wrong in the process!
Black-and-white film is relatively simple to process, and the setup for it isn't terribly complex or expensive. You don't even need a darkroom; just a sink with hot and cold running water will suit you fine. Unlike the more finicky color film, processing black-and-white film is a snap. It can handle using many different developers, a wide range of temperatures, and between six and fifteen minutes for the first chemical bath. These variables, in fact, are what change such aspects as contrast, graininess, flesh tones, tonal gradations, dynamic range, and density in the negatives, which means the film processing itself can change the look of a picture before you even see a print.
Don't expect a low-cost lab to have the time and personnel to satisfy you. No matter what a lab charges, if you aren't happy with the prints and you can't work with them, it's no bargain and you'll have to find a new one.
