What to do with your negatives.
Now that you processed your back and what film, what do you do next? You have a few options, take them to a traditional photographic darkroom, scan them yourself at home, or send them out to a lab to have scans made.
The first option and I feel the most romantic but it is also the most expensive and requires the most equipment. If you have ever spent any time in a darkroom, you how long it can take to make one print. Once you have that print produced, you will then still need to scan if you want to share it digitally. If you ever have the chance to work in a darkroom, jump on it, it will give you a new appreciation for Photoshop.
An easier way to go is to scan your negatives into digital files at home. The price of a good flatbed scanner will start around $500 up. With a flatbed scanner you will be scanning one frame at a time, this can be a time consuming process. A great tutorial to watch on how to scan negatives on a flatbed scanner is by Nick Carver.
Right now I can’t justify the purchase of a film scanner. I send my negatives out to a professional lab to have them scanned and sent back on a jump drive. Below is a list of labs that I have found that scan film. While most labs will scan black and white film, check with them first as some will only scan color film that they process.
North Coast Photographic Services
Millers Professional Imaging For professional photographers only
If you live in NJ, The Photo Center in Brick NJ does film scanning. If you know of a different lab that you use, please leave a comment and let everyone know.
When you send your film to the lab do not cut it, leave it as a full film strip, this will save you some money. Most labs will charge extra if the negatives are cut as it is a slower process.
After I get my negatives back from scanning, I store them in Archival Storage Pages, this keeps the protected and helps organize them. I then keep the pages in an Archival Binder, you can use a standard 3 ring binder but the archival binder helps to keep dust out.
Film photography is a lot of fun. I find myself slowing down when I am shooting as i keep in mind I am limited to the number of frames I have. It also forces you to hone your photography skills as there is no preview on the back of your camera. Pick up an old film camera and a few rolls of film give it a try.
