We are out at Richard Photo Lab today talking about different scanners and 6 different ways you can get great scans at your local Photo Lab. We have Bill Pines here with us, who is the general manager at Richard Photo Lab.

#1 Scanners

So we are looking the Fujifilm Frontier SP3000 scanner here and it’s been around for what seems like ages. We started transitioning out of transparency film to negative film, this is the first scanner we started using for that purpose. It’s limited in terms of scanning because you can only look at 1 image at a time.

When we scan images one by one, we have a reference portfolio up so we can compare their scans with their existing photos. This is to ensure that the processing is consistent throughout the photos.

The major difference with the Noritsu HS-1800 scanner is that they can preview up to 6 images at the same time. The scan results are much better from scan to scan and roll to roll.

#2 Communication with the Lab

Make sure you are talking to your lab to about exactly what kind of style you are going for. If you like a particular photographer and you want your work to emulate that same mood, it’s a great thing to let them know. Also in terms of color temperature, whether you like your photos warmer or cooler, makes a huge difference. You are also welcome to send sample images to them from another photo shoot or that same photo shoot to reference as they scan. If you aren’t happy with the scan, make sure that you talk to them about it!

#3 Exposure

Making sure that the negatives you take have the right amount of exposure is crucial when developing photos. Light in the shadows is really important to watch out for. That is why a lot of photographers will meter for the shadow and overexpose a stop or two to help it scan well.

#4 Consistency

While you are shooting, consistency is helpful to make sure your scans turn out consistent. As you exposure and meter, don’t change it all the time because you’ll never get a consistent read on which are the best settings for you to shoot.

#5 Film Choice

It’s important to stick with one for a whole shoot. This will help to make sure that all the image scans are consistent with each other. It’s a great idea to test out different film stocks, but within one shoot it’s best to stick with one stock. If you are interested in seeing how different scans react to different exposures and film stocks, Richard Photo Lab has a blog online that discusses those options.

#6 Test, Test, Test

It never hurts to test out different films and exposures to pick out the style that you’d like before going into an important shoot. Shoot some Portra 800 or Portra 400 or Portra 400H! Pick the film that you like the most to work with and then test out different exposures. Try pushing and pulling your film to see what kind of exposure you prefer the most in different lighting situations. Find your sweet spot for shooting film and then shoot it consistently.

Check out Richard Photo Lab for all your processing and scanning needs! They have been processing film for over 40 years. Just ship in your rolls to get them processed and printed all in one place.

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