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View Full Version : Anyone fairly knowledgable of 35mm film development?



JMS
12-05-2004, 03:16 PM
I'm a little behind the ball on the Christmas cards. I decided to pull out my beloved Canon Rebel to take Holiday pictures of DD b/c my digital has such a long delay that it's hard to get good shots of a non-posing subject.
Well, DH and I had her in hysterics this morning and got some really great pictures. I took 4 rolls of Kodak Max 400 to CVS because I wanted them developed today, and a new CVS literally just opened at the top of my street.
The pictures are mildly grainy but very pale in color. Is this something that is the developer's fault? Or is it a result of poor photography (I'm far from the professional), or bad film, or insufficient lighting (I was in good light and my auto flash was on)??? There is a wonderful mom and pop photography store in my area that I could go to if it's possible to get better prints from the negatives.

Any information would be so greatly appreciated... It's DD's first Christmas and I want great cards!!!
Thanks!

ismommy
12-05-2004, 03:52 PM
It sounds to me as though they were underexposed. If you can scan a picture I might be able to tell more.
Helene
mommy to Isabella
baby x EDD 1/11/05

kijip
12-05-2004, 04:06 PM
Old film is usually culprit for grainy pics IME. The pale color is due to the same or perhaps a flash issue. I had some very old film that I used by mistake (I had rolled it myself and got my plain black rolls mixed up) and got similar results. A flash issue could also be a factor. I really doubt that it is the developer's fault since the possiblity of underexposing on the automatic system they use at a drugstore is slim.

My guess is that the negatives will be quite light. If you take the negatives to a CUSTOM shop and explain the problem they might be able to BY HAND enlarge and salvage by adjusting the times and settings on the enlarger. Since the film is pale, overexposing the enlargement should help.

This could be expensive (I would go the custom route for once in a lifetime, can not duplicate moments like your greatgrandmother at your wedding type things!) so you may want to try to get her in hysterics again and whip out your camera with brand spanking new film---check the carton for the dates.

papal
12-05-2004, 06:25 PM
I don't know if all CVSs are created equal but ours was absolutely horrible! I think something was wrong with their ink caliberation because the pics were yellowish. I would NOT recommend them.