A question for those who print from 135 film ...

snusmumriken · Jan 5, 2023

I used to make a contact sheet from every film, and from that enlarge maybe 2 or 3 per film. Keepers average 1 per film, at a guess. I only print full-frame on 16x12 paper with 1/4 inch margins on 3 sides.

Recently I have taken to scanning everything in place of contact sheets.

Buzz-01 · Jan 5, 2023

For me that's usually two to three images of a roll, sometimes a few more if they are really worth it.
Print size is usually 7x9½" or 8x10".
Tricky dodges and burns I usually work out smaller on 5x7" before printing them large.
Occasionally I'll make a 12x16" enlargement but those are rare.

GregY · Jan 5, 2023

I work from reading the negatives and don't make contact sheets.
12"x16" is a beautiful size....too bad it's not more available. I've pretty much run out of my Foma 12"x16" stock

Sirius Glass · Jan 5, 2023

miha said:
While technical properties of a given film, darkroom space, and often our budget dictate the size of the print we produce, it's also obvious that those who shoot various film formats tend to print a higher percentage from large film formats. Am I right?

I do. I like the larger formats 6x6 and 4"x5" because the negatives are much easier to handle and I prefer the image quality of the larger negative.

Alan9940 · Jan 5, 2023

miha said:
While technical properties of a given film, darkroom space, and often our budget dictate the size of the print we produce, it's also obvious that those who shoot various film formats tend to print a higher percentage from large film formats. Am I right?

For me, it's simply that I shoot more MF / LF film vs 35mm.

miha · Jan 5, 2023

Is there a hero among us that shoots a couple of rolls a week / month and prints most of the snaps, producing album size photos, not with an aim of making exhibition prints?

Pieter12 · Jan 5, 2023

I print a few 8x10's from most rolls. When I have a keeper, I try to crop it square to fit in with the majority of my work, printed 10"x10" on 11"x14" paper.

logan2z · Jan 5, 2023

miha said:
While technical properties of a given film, darkroom space, and often our budget dictate the size of the print we produce, it's also obvious that those who shoot various film formats tend to print a higher percentage from large film formats. Am I right?

I print the images I like, regardless if they're from 35mm or 120.

miha · Jan 5, 2023

logan2z said:
I print the images I like, regardless if they're from 35mm or 120.

Do you have more prints out of 135 or 120?

logan2z · Jan 5, 2023

miha said:
Do you have more prints out of 135 or 120?

At this point I have many more from 35mm, but I've also been shooting 120 for less time. The ratio may change over time.

koraks · Jan 5, 2023

miha said:
Is there a hero among us that shoots a couple of rolls a week / month and prints most of the snaps, producing album size photos, not with an aim of making exhibition prints?

I print 85%-95% of the 35mm frames I shoot, currently, but not several rolls/week. In a good month maybe 3 rolls or so, but there are months with 0 or 1 rolls only. Print size around 5x7" or thereabouts. Depends a bit on what kind of paper I like to burn through on an evening.
Obviously quick & dirty prints; mostly eyeballing grade & exposure based on a baseline I establish at the start of the session. Perhaps a little burning if I know it'll (sort of) work out. It's more of an equivalent to contact sheets than anything else. These prints end up on stacks in a corner and are periodically dumped into plastic containers and tucked away into storage.

miha · Jan 5, 2023

koraks said:
These prints end up on stacks in a corner and are periodically dumped into plastic containers and tucked away into storage.

I'd say a perfect place for most of the prints

koraks · Jan 5, 2023

You bet

warden · Jan 5, 2023

logan2z said:
I mostly print 6x9 images on 8x10 paper. Occasionally I'll print 11x14. I'm not a fan of large prints so have no desire to go bigger.

I'm about there too. For 35mm it's 7x9" on an 8x10 paper usually. And for medium format it's 7x7" on 8x10 paper, ironically a little smaller than 35mm. smh

C-130 Nav · Jan 5, 2023

I’m no 135 hero but right now that’s nearly all the film I shoot. I do plan to start 6x9 this year once I get my Medalist’s sticky shutter cleaned. I also have a 6x6 Yashica but I just haven’t clicked with TLR operation as much so it tends to sit. As for shooting, I shoot 10-15 rolls a year - sometimes more. I print about once a month and print about 5 or more of most rolls. I nearly always print 4x6 (you get three prints per 8x10 sheet!) Occasionally, I’ll print larger up to 8x10 and sometimes smaller. I tend to keep the original 2x3 aspect ratio of the 135 frame as I try to capture the image I want in camera rather than compose anything in the darkroom. I do all this as a pastime so I really don’t shoot/print for show or sale. I think I’ve matted/framed one or two 8x10s total.

snusmumriken · Jan 6, 2023

miha said:
Thanks all. What do you do with the snaps that you don't print from, or rather why did you take them in the first place? Do you just bury them into oblivion?

I file all my negatives, but I have no illusions that they will survive after me - why would they? It's just possible that someone might want to keep some of my prints, but really I do photography to have pictures on the wall that relate to me and that I like to look at while I'm still here.

As for why one takes bad pictures that don't make self-imposed standards ... I guess it's a bit of a hit-or-miss process, try as one may, especially when the subject won't stay still. The advantage of 35mm is that one can afford such wastage.

perkeleellinen · Jan 6, 2023

miha said:
Is there a hero among us that shoots a couple of rolls a week / month and prints most of the snaps, producing album size photos, not with an aim of making exhibition prints?

This was me in my 20s before responsibilities. I shot skateboarding every day with an FM2, fisheye and Neopan 400. I'd process the films in the late evening, dry them over night and then once each week print them always at 5x7. I made little fanzines from the best shots for my friends. I've got loads of boxes full of those prints.

Now I rarely shoot negative films and when I do it's always colour and with a specific project in mind. My print rate is probably around 33%, the rejects often alternate angles - I tend to shoot very specifically. I shot four rolls of colour neg in 2022, I print 5x7 on 10x8 paper. I would use 5x7 paper but it's not available in colour any more.

koraks · Jan 6, 2023

perkeleellinen said:
I would use 5x7 paper but it's not available in colour any more.

5" width is still available in rolls I think for some Fuji papers. Crystal Archive Supreme HD is a decent stock and comes in various sizes. It's not difficult to cut sheets from a roll in a home darkroom setting using a rotary cutter and a makeshift roll holder.
The example you show here is really nice; it'd be a shame if the cut-sheet availability would stop you from making such work.

npl · Jan 6, 2023

I print anywhere from 0 to 5 frames of my 36exp. 35mm roll. Always on foma RC 18x24cm (so a little less than 8x10) paper. Althought I just bought some ilford 13x18cm (5x7) to print some grainier than usual negatives of delta 3200.

I start by doing a quick DSLR scan of the whole roll. The quality is good enough to share somes with friends and family while not taking much time, and to look at the positives on a big computer screen. I tag the keepers, and If there's any pictures I like enough to print, the negatives sleeve goes to the "to print" binder. I guess it's a hybrid hybrid workflow

warden · Jan 6, 2023

perkeleellinen said:
This was me in my 20s before responsibilities. I shot skateboarding every day with an FM2, fisheye and Neopan 400. I'd process the films in the late evening, dry them over night and then once each week print them always at 5x7. I made little fanzines from the best shots for my friends. I've got loads of boxes full of those prints.

Now I rarely shoot negative films and when I do it's always colour and with a specific project in mind. My print rate is probably around 33%, the rejects often alternate angles - I tend to shoot very specifically. I shot four rolls of colour neg in 2022, I print 5x7 on 10x8 paper. I would use 5x7 paper but it's not available in colour any more.

Great print!

miha · Jan 6, 2023

Thanks to all for participating. It show that the trend has changed in the last 20 years; most of us print when we feel we have something worthy to be hung on the wall for all to see. When I started all I had was a basic SLR and a small box of Ilford paper. I had to print every snap to see what's on the film, for which I'm glad... well we have smart phones instead today don't we I think I should go back to where I started.

Alan9940 · Jan 6, 2023

miha said:
Thanks to all for participating. It show that the trend has changed in the last 20 years; most of us print when we feel we have something worthy to be hung on the wall for all to see. When I started all I had was a basic SLR and a small box of Ilford paper. I had to print every snap to see what's on the film, for which I'm glad... well we have smart phones instead today don't we I think I should go back to where I started.

Back in the "ye old days" I would make a contact sheet or contact print (for LF film) for every roll/sheet shot. Then, if I saw something I felt worth printing I'd head into the darkroom. Nowadays, I use a dSLR scanning setup to scan each roll, import those images into LR, flag potentials, then head into the darkroom and/or work the image up via the desktop. For sheet film, I still make "contact" sheets, but it's via a flatbed scanner.

MattKing · Jan 6, 2023

miha said:
It show that the trend has changed in the last 20 years; most of us print when we feel we have something worthy to be hung on the wall for all to see.

Prior to current times, there was no other way to reliably see and share the results of our negative film photography, so of course we printed more.
We now have more choices.

miha · Jan 6, 2023

MattKing said:
Prior to current times, there was no other way to reliably see and share the results of our negative film photography, so of course we printed more.
We now have more choices.

True. Hence my "original post".

MattKing · Jan 6, 2023

MattKing said:
Prior to current times, there was no other way to reliably see and share the results of our negative film photography, so of course we printed more.
We now have more choices.

miha said:
True. Hence my "original post".

The availability of scanning and digital distribution probably changes the amount of film use as well.
If before you would only take photos that you thought were appropriate for printing, now you may be more likely to also take photos that would be great to send to other people on their phone.
So a roll of 36 exposures might be intended for more purposes.
I reference the discussion in another thread about "selfies" and pictures of your lunch.

A question for those who print from 135 film ...

snusmumriken

Buzz-01

GregY

Sirius Glass

Alan9940

miha

Pieter12

logan2z

miha

logan2z

koraks

Moderator

miha

koraks

Moderator

warden

C-130 Nav

snusmumriken

perkeleellinen

koraks

Moderator

npl

warden

miha

Alan9940

MattKing

Moderator

miha

MattKing

Moderator

A question for those who print from 135 film ...

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Moderator

Moderator

Moderator

Moderator

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