Digital BW, The Print

Two issues John. Labs are just like any other business; there are good ones
and bad ones with degrees of each.  For far too many of their customers the
most important aspect is turnaround time NOT quality. Even when the larger
labs wish to make a quality product, too much of that time pressure will not
allow for it. If you want a cheap service many times quality will suffer
because despite the best "automatic" there is, the human eye will be the
best tool to use and a well trained calibrated eye takes years and doesn't
come cheap. 

 

12/hr in the early 80's wasn't a bad wage for a low responsibility position.
The 80's in the SF Bay Area certainly saw a big jump in wages like many
other large metro areas. Custom cost money.

 

I do offer custom printing services but I don't consider myself a lab
although looking in my darkroom one might be hard pressed to say exactly
what science projects are taking place there ( read_ it sure looks like a
lab). I took your first comment to be not to expect good to great results
out of "labs" one might find in the corner drug store or even in some well
known camera stores. Your second set on this to Mark, directs one to think
about the higher end labs. Some professional photographers are clueless as
to what labs actually do, some are quite aware of what we can and cannot do.

 

A good lab has some one running the show that understand how to take average
scenes and make them look as good as they can with the least amount of
effort. Great labs offer some one on staff to actually make a average shot
into something great but it comes at a price. To me, this is where you start
crossing the line between ownership of the image. Work for hire in a sense.
(Photogs name and labs image skills) 

 

How ever back to topic. Scanning is obviously just like taking the original
capture to film when it comes to exposure. Automatic exposure might work,
but for serious work most will choose to go with manual control and precise
development. 

 

Eric 

 

 

Eric Neilsen Photography

4101 Commerce Street

Suite 9

Dallas, TX 75226

http://e.neilsen.home.att.net

http://ericneilsenphotography.com

Skype ejprinter

  _____  

From: DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com
[mailto:DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of djon43
Sent: Monday, December 24, 2007 4:51 PM
To: DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [Digital BW] Re: B&W Scanning Quality

 

If you want good work, especially from small and medium format, avoid
labs at all costs. Get a scanner. Do it yourself. 

Ask your lab tech how much s/he's paid.

They were paid $12/hr BOTTOM in good labs in San Francisco in the 80's

.

.

 
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