When we develop and scan your film, you have the option to pick up your negatives after you receive the scans or to discard them. If you have ever gotten confused about what this means or if you have ever wondered why you should keep them, read on and this should help you out.

First off lets talk about terminology used in analogue photography.

Film is a light sensitive material used to capture images on, usually stored in a metal canister (35mm) or wrapped in paper (120).

Development is when exposed film is processed with chemistry to create a workable image.

The most common film type is a C41 process which creates a Colour Negative. Black and White process creates a Monochrome Negative. E6 process creates a Positive AKA Slide but can also be Cross Processed to create a Colour Negative.

When we refer to Scanning were talking about capturing a digital image.

So, what are Negatives?

A negative is your original capture on film. Negatives essentially are film that is shot and then processed. They are the strips of film that contain your photographs that you shot reversed/inverted and what this looks like is that the colors and brightness are reversed: light areas become dark and dark areas become light. When we scan this negative, the scanner interprets it and flips it back to a positive image, making it look like the original scene.

Why should you keep your negative

The amount of information on a negative is pretty incredible. Think about the science behind light and colour. When using a camera, the light going through your camera is locked into a light sensitive piece of plastic (film). Back in the darkroom days, you were forced to be mates with your negatives and understand the significance of them. Now with how the photographic world works, you don’t really have to know what they are.

Those that have been shooting film for a while will know the benefits of keeping your negatives. If you don’t know it is ok. These are some of the reasons why you want to keep them;

• Negatives are the originals of your scans/prints and are your connection to the photographs you took / archive your photographs.

• If you ever need reproductions/prints of one of the frames.

• Rescanning to have a bigger file size.

• You lose the digital copies of your photographs (this is your back up).

What do we do with your negatives?

When you opt for picking up your 35mm format negatives, our standard is to cut and sleeve these into 6 frames. We do have the option to cut these shorter. You must pick these up within 6 months to ensure we do not move them offsite to then destroy them after 12 months. If you asked to discard your negatives, you have 6 months to change your mind, otherwise they go through the same process, to be destroyed after 12 months.

All negatives that have been left for 12 months will be destroyed.

How do I store them?

Dark, cool, dry container. Dust free if possible and just tuck it away in a safe spot. With proper storage, they can last years/decades and still hold the same information from when it was developed.

It is important to not touch the negatives with your fingers as the oils can damage and leave marks on the negatives, so if you do go to scan them again, your fingerprints will be visible!

A lot of photographers use specific negative sleeve folders and sheets, however the sleeving that we use in-store is archival and will not damage your negatives if properly looked after.

I want my negatives discarded.

That's fine with us! We destroy them for you so you don’t have to worry about it.

I asking for my negatives to be discarded but now I want them!

Email us! We might have them and we will get them organised for you to pick up.

 

If you have any additional questions on negatives feel free to email us.