In this digital age, where capturing moments has become effortless with smartphones and high-resolution cameras, the charm of shooting on film remains unmatched. Film photography is experiencing a renaissance, with photographers and enthusiasts embracing the nostalgic and authentic qualities it offers.
For those new to film photography and therefore the film developing process, wrapping your head around what can be done with your film rolls is a daunting task. We’re here to help! So here are 3 things that you can do with your rolls of film.
1 Get Your Film Developed
The first step when taking your roll of film and turning it into photos or other works of art is to get it developed to produce your negatives or slides. At The Icon, we develop film in-house, using Professional Refrema Dip-and-Dunk technology with Fuji, and Ilford chemicals.
Film developing refers to the process of producing negatives or slides from your film rolls. The negatives/slides can be digitized to create digital images and eventually prints, or negatives printed directly in our conventional color or black and white darkrooms. At the Icon, you control the entire process, even elect to only have negatives/slides made. We’ll talk about scanning and printing later.
What kind of film can you develop?
- C41 Color Film Process (Color Negatives)
- 35mm
- 120mm
- 4×5 Sheet Film
- 8×10 Sheet Film
- Disposable Camera
- E-6 Chromogenic Photographic Film Process (Color Positives)
- Ektachrome
- Fujichrome
- Other color reversal/slide photographic film
- Black & White Film Process (Black and White Negatives)
- We utilize standardized 21-step density tablets to measure, monitor, and calibrate our chemical baths for each individual film type and size.
2 Get Your Film Scanned
Once you have negatives/chromes from your film rolls, getting digital scans created is a great next step. Once digitized, you can store them on any computer, print them at home, or send them to be printed. You could even send them to special printers to create unique gifts like pillows and keychains. They are great for sharing on social media or using in digital frames too.
When it comes to film scanning, we have the expertise and equipment to handle entire film rolls of different formats, including 35mm, 120mm, and 220mm. Learn more about our film scanning services here.
3 Get Your Film Printed
Film prints can be created from either your developed film or from scanned files. Negatives typically give you the most range when it comes to print quality and customization. Digital files are still excellent, but depending on the resolution of the file, you may be limited in the size of your prints. Typically for a large digital print you will scan on the Imacon or Drum Scanner.
There are seemingly endless ways to artistically print your film. Traditionally, you can get photos printed in a variety of standard sizes which can be used in albums and frames. However, you might not know that there are all sorts of creative ways to enhance your images and create incredible works of art through color, contrast, and paper choice. Learn more about professional and custom printing here.
