"Den ändlösa resan..."
It really feel like that, along the long road of scanning film negatives. Mama mia.
There is a lot of work behind, I can tell you that. Especially with all the particles getting caught. I think i spend most time at taking away specks !
While translating the negatives into positives, goes very quickly (via Negative Lab). I am really good at working with the software, quickly and very effective. Most of the contrast correction i do already in Negative Lab software. Here decades of experience, give me an eye how to juggle with contrast in black & white negatives. Also with color negatives i am pretty good at handling those. Scanning negatives with the Fujifilm GFX 50s II camera, and the new VALOI Easy120 device, goes rather quickly.
Dust, baby, Dust !!!
Ultimately, it is the dust - that takes most of my time.
Especially when I publish images here in my Diary, I am very thorough fine-tuning even the finest details, as much as as possible. Even remove the tiniest specks I can find. I even go back several times, fine tuning the image - because the day after, I suddenly realize that something still is off.
It is actually a little bit like trying to make master prints in the darkroom, to get the image ready for a photo competition or exhibition. Sometimes it takes 10 test prints until the images is as you have envisioned to be. Albeit, it didn't take that many every time... Over time your skills sharpen up after all - whether you work in an analog darkroom, or handling negatives in Photoshop.
Nevertheless, it is fun !!!
If you have the drive and passion - it clearly is fun ! Don't even ask me, why I do this. Why this has kept me interested over decades like that. My passion is still pretty much on top. Surely i had periods in which i simply felt "ah no".
But then i am at it again.
Maybe the joy also comes from that today's utilities to deal with analog negatives, give such high quality - that i simply find it worth the effort, to deal with them digitally.
MY drive to TAKE analog images with film is perhaps not as strong. No, it isn't. It is January, the light is dull up here in Scandinavia - I am usually not very engaged into analog photography during winter time.
What about the PIRA film processor ?
Gosh. I still haven't tested and use the PIRA darkroom helper - the device in which the film tank remains settled in the processor during developing time. It is the film wheels that get magnetically shaken back and forth. (it is only when you switch fluids, that you take out the film tank)
I've been into so much as of lately; the new studio setup and all - and then also the VALOI mediumformat negative scanning device... that i totally "forgot" about developing films.
Plus the cold I caught the other day, threw me off from doing studio photography. Scanning however was easier to do; you just sit at the table, so to speak.
Tomorrow I am going back to work again, albeit it is only 1 night. Then i am off 3 days. Perhaps on sunday, I can take a photo session with Sal as a "clown" (like I did with Per-Olof in 1993). Or Matti for that matter.
Still learning
I still have to learn how the film processor works (the digital input, I mean). There are around BW 10 film rolls waiting to be developed. They've been in a box for 3-4 years !
One single Film stripe (all in one)
With the VALOI 120 / 135 scanning device, once i developed the aforementioned film rolls - I'll scan them IN ONE PIECE - before i cut them down. (I've never done that before). It sound a lot more convenient (Albeit i don't really like the curl of a 36 shot 35mm film lying on the table... while collecting dust !) A 35mm film roll is around 1.6 meter long. A mediumformat film around 0.8 meter.
But if the dust isn't sucked in excessively - only time will tell how it turns out - it should be more convenient to scan all negatives avoiding to fiddle around with the Valoi holders for each cut stripes (often 6 stripes from a 35mm roll, and 4 stripes from a 120-film roll).
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