| e last few years, digital technology took photography | | | | many labs, both professional and consumer-driven, |
| by storm. Most every lab today processes digital | | | | such as the thousands of convenience and 1-hour labs |
| photographs from CDs, DVDs, flash cards, etc. Only a | | | | at supermakets, and specialized photography stores. A |
| few years back most of us only had one choice of | | | | great example of this is relative difficulty of getting |
| getting prints of our photographs: Negatives, and Slides. | | | | medium format film, or slides developed. Only about 20 |
| Things changed quite a bit today. Most | | | | or so years ago this format was as common as |
| non-professional photographers today shoot digitally, | | | | 35mm is today. |
| because of many advantages digital photography | | | | What to Do With All That Film |
| offers. However, most of us still have a legacy left | | | | Ok, it is clear that we are entering the digital age, and it |
| from the days of film. I am referring to the many | | | | is time to make the move with our old film. What now? |
| thousands of strips or developed negative and slide | | | | This article is meant for a typical consumer, and as |
| film. It is time to get them available digitally. | | | | such it assumes that a typical consumer will not have |
| Whenever I talk to people about this subject, the first | | | | access to a quality, high-end film scanner at home. Not |
| thing I hear is the question: Why? Well, there are | | | | everybody has a scanner at home. Some have digital |
| several reasons. I am going to break down this part of | | | | cameras, and no computer at all. Most typical |
| the article by individual reasons. | | | | consumer scanners today do not produce a quality |
| Advancing Technology | | | | enough scan of 35mm film to be worth it. Most |
| Because technology is getting better we should take | | | | consumers will find that it is most economical, and |
| advantage of it, whenever we can. Photography is a | | | | easiest to obtain services of a dedicated lab, which will |
| good example of improving technology. Some of the | | | | gladly scan all your film for you, and will store it on a |
| higher-end digital cameras today are producing | | | | CD, DVD, or other media. Today, more and more such |
| photographs better in detail, contrast, and sharpness | | | | services are becoming available to address the |
| than does film. The whole world is moving in the | | | | obviously increasing need. I would recommend staying |
| direction of digital because of several advantages, | | | | away from mail order service, which will be much |
| which it has established over film. Remember those | | | | more difficult to deal with, in the case you are not |
| times when you were looking for just one frame of | | | | satisfied with the quality of results. Look for services |
| that special photograph which you wanted to duplicate | | | | which scan in bulk, and offer discounts on large |
| for your relatives and friends, and how difficult it was | | | | amounts of film to be scanned. Inquire ahead of time |
| for you sort through all your not so well organized | | | | about the final size of the digital image. Make sure that |
| strips of developed film? We all do. This must have | | | | each scan is large enough to produce a quality 13x19 |
| been the most frustrating thing to do. No more, if you | | | | print. This is another reason for using a local versus |
| are shooting digitally. Now, we can organize our digital | | | | mail order services. Take your time, and ask all the |
| images by date, name, description, category, and a | | | | important questions. If the answers you are receiving |
| myriad other criteria. We no longer have to spend | | | | are uncertain, and the tech is not willing to take his time |
| hours looking over dozens of strips of film trying to | | | | with you, consider a different service. Most urban |
| figure out which one we actually need. If we could only | | | | areas today have several options for you to consider. |
| do the same with our film. | | | | Always shop around. You may find that a cheaper |
| Long-term Storage | | | | service offers more options, like index prints of |
| Lucky for us, film is amazing in terms of storage. | | | | scanned film, than does a more expensive service. |
| Images captured on film will last a lifetime, or longer. | | | | Consider sorting your film, and ask to have it scanned |
| However, optical technology is giving way to digital, and | | | | in the sorted order, which will allow for more logical |
| who knows, twenty years down the road getting our | | | | organization on digital media. Once you have your film |
| film printed may be much more difficult, and perhaps | | | | digitized, you will be able to transfer and share images |
| more expensive than it is today. Technology changes | | | | with others, as well as get them printed simply by using |
| with people, and with the demand which we as | | | | one of the more popular online services, such as |
| consumers generate. We are certainly adopting digital | | | | SnapFish, Kodak Gallery, Mpix, etc. Make a copy of |
| photography very quickly, and as such film is becoming | | | | the media which you receive from the scanning |
| more restricted to semi-professional and professional | | | | service, and store it away safely. |
| photographers. This trend will no doubt affect the | | | | |