Priceless lab tech moments.

Terrence Brennan · Nov 5, 2008

DT separations

Photo Engineer said:
Terrence;

I'm surprised at that. AFAIK, HC110 was never recommended for use with DT separations.

PE

I can certainly believe you. I don't remember now, almost 30 years later, why we used that combination. I do remember that we were told to use Super-XX (not Plus-X, Tri-X or any other sheet film), and the developer recommended by our lab & studio instructor may well have been DK-50. We might have chosen HC-110 only because we were out of DK-50, and we didn't have the funds or the time to get more.

BTW, I still have all of my old notes, separation negatives, matrices, and in the case of DT prints from transparencies, the highlight masks, and my DT prints as well. I also have the report I generated, complete with the grade I received, a "B."

Photo Engineer · Nov 5, 2008

Terrence;

Super-XX was the recommended film at that time for making separation negatives both in-camera and on-easel. So that part was totally normal to me. I have all of my separation negatives and matrices as well, such as they are. I was never a good DT printer, but I did love doing it.

PE

Terrence Brennan · Nov 5, 2008

Dye Transfer

We also had to do a dye development project in sensitometry class. We made three in-camera separation negatives, and contacted each one onto a sheet of Fine Grain Positive film, which was dye developed the appropriate colour. All of the chemicals were made from "scratch," and I shall never forget when we were mixing the magenta developer; the last step involved mixing two colourless liquids, which gave us a brilliant magenta-coloured dye!

Photo Engineer · Nov 5, 2008

Yes, I have suggested this method here as a way to Kodachrome type results. That is actually what "Kodachrome" is all about.

PE

spotulate · Nov 6, 2008

"Restoration"

Ha..now I think of a time this older lady brought in a print she wanted restored. It was completely black, but had not been so originally. Guess it was a dye deterioration or wash or fix issue. Regardless, she insisted that there was a picture there! We attempted to explain to her that restoration can only occur if there is an image to restore, but she would not have it.

bob100684 · Nov 6, 2008

spotulate said:
Ha..now I think of a time this older lady brought in a print she wanted restored. It was completely black, but had not been so originally. Guess it was a dye deterioration or wash or fix issue. Regardless, she insisted that there was a picture there! We attempted to explain to her that restoration can only occur if there is an image to restore, but she would not have it.

someone came in with BWCN(c-41 black and white). An hour later, she was extremely angry that we "took all the color" out of her prints.

ajuk · Nov 6, 2008

I always used to get green tinted pictures back from XP2 until I went to get a film back from one this one guy who used to work there who said, oh we had to print yours again because they came out all green, I made sure they came out more neutral the second time by doing them B&W, so from that day on I specifically ask for XP2 to be converted to B&W, even though it already is.

This is what I got recently while Handing over a roll of XP2
me "Can you convert it too B&W"
Tech "It already is Black and White"
Me "yeah but convert it anyway"
Tech "you know we can't print a B&W white film and make it colour"
Me "Yes I know that, but you know when someone brings you a colour film and says can I have it in Black and White"
Tech "yeah"
me "well just ignore the fact its already B&W and do that other wise it will come out green and white"

I came back only to get 36 green toned prints, although the guy I spoke too wasn't there, I wanted to shout at him "ARE YOU RETARDED"?

Vaughn said:
prints taken from the fix, quickly rinsed and put on the drying racks (because "they are only test prints"), and that sort of things.

Vaughn

I don't properly fix test strips either, they only end up in the bin anyway, does it make a difference?

MattKing · Nov 6, 2008

ajuk said:
I don't properly fix test strips either, they only end up in the bin anyway, does it make a difference?

The problem is with the "quick" rinse - it leaves fixer on the test strips, which transfers to the drying racks, and eventually to the other prints.

Matt

bdial · Nov 6, 2008

Back in my Air Force photo lab days, most of the prints we did were 5x7's. These were printed 8x10 paper that was cut in half in the darkroom, then after drying the extra inch was cut off on a monster guillotine cutter. One day when we had an unusually high volume, one of the guys cutting prints got the tip of his finger under the blade in the rush.

...

Fortunately, the damage wasn't permanent. I don't remember which finger it was now, there is no scar to remind me, and all my fingers are the right length.

TheFlyingCamera · Nov 7, 2008

New mom. Picks up her fifteen rolls of baby pics, which she has printed triple prints. First, spreads them out over the entire counter at the register. Then, proceeds to sort through them, getting them confused (how could she not?), holds up two copies of the same image (not that it would have made a difference as all the pics are the same anyway), and asks, "Which do you like better? I'm thinking of getting one of them enlarged!".

ajuk · Nov 7, 2008

MattKing said:
The problem is with the "quick" rinse - it leaves fixer on the test strips, which transfers to the drying racks, and eventually to the other prints.

Matt

Oh right, Never done that!

bob100684 · Nov 7, 2008

hard to believe, but there is SOME(not much) thought required in printing a b/w film on a minilab. At least on a frontier, if the film is real b/w you must change the imput to b/w negative. If it's xp2 or bwcn, "image corrections"-->monotone correct-->B/W......then setting the "tone adjust" to "all hard" works best. A lot of lab techs just shrug their shoulders at green/blue/any other colored print, and its sad b/c two or 3 mouse clicks and they'd have a happy customer.

ajuk said:
I always used to get green tinted pictures back from XP2 until I went to get a film back from one this one guy who used to work there who said, oh we had to print yours again because they came out all green, I made sure they came out more neutral the second time by doing them B&W, so from that day on I specifically ask for XP2 to be converted to B&W, even though it already is.

This is what I got recently while Handing over a roll of XP2
me "Can you convert it too B&W"
Tech "It already is Black and White"
Me "yeah but convert it anyway"
Tech "you know we can't print a B&W white film and make it colour"
Me "Yes I know that, but you know when someone brings you a colour film and says can I have it in Black and White"
Tech "yeah"
me "well just ignore the fact its already B&W and do that other wise it will come out green and white"

I came back only to get 36 green toned prints, although the guy I spoke too wasn't there, I wanted to shout at him "ARE YOU RETARDED"?

I don't properly fix test strips either, they only end up in the bin anyway, does it make a difference?

CBG · Nov 7, 2008

MattKing said:
The problem is with the "quick" rinse - it leaves fixer on the test strips, which transfers to the drying racks, and eventually to the other prints.
Matt

Hmmmm, Nothing but a fully washed print should ever touch anything other than the tray, my hands which should get washed after, the sink, or the trash can. Poorly washed test strips should be treated as toxic waste - just as if they were just taken out of the fix and utterly unwashed.

C

Vaughn · Nov 7, 2008

ajuk said:
I don't properly fix test strips either, they only end up in the bin anyway, does it make a difference?

Our beginning students keep their test strips to show the teachers.

Keeping the screens dry in a community darkroom can be a challenge. We have a holding tray in the darkroom for prints that have gone thru the process and waiting for the wash. Time in the holding tray does not count towards wash times (since prints are being added to it ).

Outside the darkroom, we have the print washer, and next to that, a viewing board for unwashed prints (white, sloped -- stick your wet unwashed print on it and stand back to view it...it is marked "Unwashed Prints Only!)

A gal came out of the darkroom, put her print on the viewing board, grabbed a squeegee from the print washer and dipped the squeegee into the rain gutter under the viewing board (to catch fix, etc). She then squeegeed her print and grabbed it and headed for the drying screens. Since I was standing right there, I stopped her in time and had to explain in very simple terms why she could not put that filthy mess on the screens.

She was upset that she had to wash her print.

Vaughn

haris · Nov 8, 2008

bob100684 said:
3)(at a consumer lab) "Why can't you print this, It's just negatives?"...disc film.

This one made me think how angry would you be if one day you bring roll of 35mm film in lab and they look you in wonder "when this become obsolete..."

If your lab don't process disc film because noone use it anymore, you make pattern of what to except one day if you come in soeone 's lab with yours 35mm or 120/220 or LF...

That is, just for thinking: Why disc film is and can be obsolete and 35mm/MF/LF can't and shouldn't?

Aurum · Nov 8, 2008

bob100684 said:
hard to believe, but there is SOME(not much) thought required in printing a b/w film on a minilab. At least on a frontier, if the film is real b/w you must change the imput to b/w negative. If it's xp2 or bwcn, "image corrections"-->monotone correct-->B/W......then setting the "tone adjust" to "all hard" works best. A lot of lab techs just shrug their shoulders at green/blue/any other colored print, and its sad b/c two or 3 mouse clicks and they'd have a happy customer.

When I first started putting XP2 through minilabs, always got a sepia effect which I didn't have a problem with. Looks cool.

These days the labs I use must have better cast correction, 'cos I rarely if ever see this these days

nickrapak · Nov 8, 2008

haris said:
That is, just for thinking: Why disc film is and can be obsolete and 35mm/MF/LF can't and shouldn't?

Simple. Disc film can be obsolete because it was different. Almost every film since the introduction of the 135 cassette has been based upon a previously existing film size. 126 was 35mm. 110, 16mm. Disc was too unique to provide for extended use. In fact, even in its heyday, few locations did Disc processing. The advantage to roll and sheet film formats is that if you have an 8x10 sheet film enlarger, one could theoretically enlarge a 110 negative. With Disc, one needs a Disc enlarger.

And now for a story of my own: Overheard at my local lab...
Customer (investigating her pictures): Oooh! I like how you put the negatives in these little plastic sleeves!
Lab Tech: Ma'am, those aren't...
C: Hey! Where are my pictures?
LT: Ma'am, I am trying to tell you, those are your pictures.
C: No, these are my negatives, where are my pictures!!!
LT: Ma'am, what you used was slide film. Those are your pictures. Hold one up to the light and...
C: NO! I DID NOT USE NO G*DD**N SLIDE FILM! NOW WHERE THE F**K ARE MY PICTURES!
LT: If you want prints, I can make them. HOwever, they can be a little expensive, so I reccomend you tell me...
C: I DON'T GIVE A SHIT! GIVE ME MY MOTHERF****NG PICTURES!
LT: Very well, if that's what you want. They should be ready in about two days.

Poohblah · Nov 9, 2008

she seems a little too belligerent to be true...!

bob100684 · Nov 9, 2008

what do you mean my 8x10 from my digital camera is cropped? What about film, y cant you just squish it like you did film? my film shots were never cropped"

nickrapak said:
Simple. Disc film can be obsolete because it was different. Almost every film since the introduction of the 135 cassette has been based upon a previously existing film size. 126 was 35mm. 110, 16mm. Disc was too unique to provide for extended use. In fact, even in its heyday, few locations did Disc processing. The advantage to roll and sheet film formats is that if you have an 8x10 sheet film enlarger, one could theoretically enlarge a 110 negative. With Disc, one needs a Disc enlarger.

And now for a story of my own: Overheard at my local lab...
Customer (investigating her pictures): Oooh! I like how you put the negatives in these little plastic sleeves!
Lab Tech: Ma'am, those aren't...
C: Hey! Where are my pictures?
LT: Ma'am, I am trying to tell you, those are your pictures.
C: No, these are my negatives, where are my pictures!!!
LT: Ma'am, what you used was slide film. Those are your pictures. Hold one up to the light and...
C: NO! I DID NOT USE NO G*DD**N SLIDE FILM! NOW WHERE THE F**K ARE MY PICTURES!
LT: If you want prints, I can make them. HOwever, they can be a little expensive, so I reccomend you tell me...
C: I DON'T GIVE A SHIT! GIVE ME MY MOTHERF****NG PICTURES!
LT: Very well, if that's what you want. They should be ready in about two days.

ajuk · Nov 9, 2008

I want to get a job in a lab so I can make 2 huge enlargements one from my digi compact and one from my film compact (well a Canonet QL17 GIII) next to a sign that says enlargements from film and digital!

glbeas · Nov 9, 2008

nickrapak said:
Simple. Disc film can be obsolete because it was different. Almost every film since the introduction of the 135 cassette has been based upon a previously existing film size. 126 was 35mm. 110, 16mm. Disc was too unique to provide for extended use. In fact, even in its heyday, few locations did Disc processing. The advantage to roll and sheet film formats is that if you have an 8x10 sheet film enlarger, one could theoretically enlarge a 110 negative. With Disc, one needs a Disc enlarger.

Actually Beseler made a neg carrier for disc film. I had one once and cut it up for an odd format film. It had a round hole for the hub of the disc next to the aperture for the image. I suppose you just rotate the disc to the desired image and print. I saw an article once showing how to process the disc film stuck on a pencil eraser and chucked into a drill. You would dip it in cupfuls of chems and spin it up slow for agitation then after washing a high speed spin to dry.

nickrapak · Nov 9, 2008

Poohblah said:
she seems a little too belligerent to be true...!

Oh, if only you knew... She was a duty monitor in my high school, but she "resigned" after a rumor circulated that she hit a kid. That rumor was never proven, but she did leave after the allegations started getting worse.

Removed Account · Nov 9, 2008

Poohblah said:
she seems a little too belligerent to be true...!

You wouldn't think that if you'd worked in a 1 hour lab...

bob100684 · Nov 11, 2008

Justin Silber said:
You wouldn't think that if you'd worked in a 1 hour lab...

ugh....one hour labs SUCK to work at.........well no....they're awesome to work at, but holy crap some customers can ruin your day in a hurry.

Aurum · Nov 13, 2008

"The Customer is never wrong"

True

But they can be beligerant, mis-informed, and a PITA!

Priceless lab tech moments.

Terrence Brennan

Photo Engineer

Terrence Brennan

Photo Engineer

spotulate

bob100684

ajuk

MattKing

Moderator

bdial

TheFlyingCamera

Membership Council

ajuk

bob100684

CBG

Vaughn

haris

Aurum

nickrapak

Poohblah

bob100684

ajuk

glbeas

nickrapak

Removed Account

bob100684

Aurum

Priceless lab tech moments.

Moderator

Membership Council

haris

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