New to Medium Format, help with film processing...

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I'm new to medium format photography. I'm going to be shooting as a commercial portrait photographer. Can I get by without a darkroom? I know nothing about processing/developing 120 roll film. I have an old enlarger, and that's it. What can I expect to pay for commercial processing of my film? Should I use a mail order company or my local camera shop? How much will it cost for just developing negatives and getting a contact/proof sheet to review, rather than just getting them to print me the roll? Can they do that? Will commercial labs provide me with "artistic" support? like if I need darker, etc...Any suggested reading would be appreciated. Have lots of books, but nothing with specifics in this area.

-- Sergio A. Sobredo, Jr., M.D. (beachboy3@aol.com), March 12, 2001

Answers

If you are going to sell your work as a commerical photographer, the first thing you need to do is find a good professional lab and develop a working relationship with then. Now is definitely NOT the time to start learning darkroom work. There is a long learning curve before you could be able to produce anything like professional results in a home darkroon! I've been at it for 50 years and I still would no want to do the development and printing for commerical work that has real deadlines. It's ok for fine art stuff, that you might want to sell after you work hard to get it right!

-- Gene Crumpler (photocrumpler@att.net), March 13, 2001.

Sergio, Welcome to MF! As far as labs go... if you are really wanting to shine and have tech advice behind you (remember, aside from shooting film, the lab you choose can either make or break you!!!) it is advisable to go with a pro lab. In the New England area, it is typical to pay about $7.00 for a contact sheet, $3.00 for film processing and about $12.00 for processing and proofing with a commercial lab. Work this pricing into your pricing plus an additional for shipping and handling. You can get by without a darkroom. You don't get paid enough to do lab work as a shooter. Your time should be spent marketing, shooting and satisfying Uncle Sams requirements. With a good lab, like the one I use for my stuff, if I want 2 pts warm tone for portraits or 1 pt cool tone (from neutral) that is EXACTLY what I get. Communication with the lab is imperative. How else are they to know what you want. They are pros at what they do (a good lab is) and will even do film tests for you with density testing. This is the difference with a pro lab and Joe Shmoe at your local camera store. Because labs are closing (because of bad decisions on their part), I now have to send to Kentucky or Conneticut for canvas prints. So to answer your question, mail order is not out of the question. If you email me I'll give you a few suggestions. Cheers and Happy shooting, Scott

-- Scott Walton (f64sw@hotmail.com), March 13, 2001.

I agree with the other two posters. And depending on what part of the country you are in there still remain some great regional labs. If you are in the Midwest, I highly suggest checking out Photo's Incorporated here in Minneapolis. They are a great commercial lab that can do just about anything you want.

Kevin

-- Kevin Kolosky (kjkolosky@kjkolosky.com), March 14, 2001.


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