Should/do you keep you negatives

This is a big topic for me at the moment, all be it accidentally. I mentioned in a post on 35mmc that I bin my negs and I think a few of my readers might have had actual genuine heart attacks.

Since then, I published a video talking about it with a mate who’s a darkroom fanatic. He didn’t agree that I was doing the right thing, but I did, I think, get my point across.

For me, the value is in the final image on my computer. I don’t need a neg, and I’m not bothered about the whole archiving thing. I don’t use a darkroom, so I don’t need them.

But to some, the neg is the tangible thing, and one of the big reasons to shoot film in the first place.

What are your thoughts?

Interesting question.

I've found that once I have a good quality scan of a slide or a negative, I no longer worry about the original. Particularly once I have backed up the scan to the cloud.

HamishGill said:

This is a big topic for me at the moment, all be it accidentally. I mentioned in a post on 35mmc that I bin my negs and I think a few of my readers might have had actual genuine heart attacks.

Since then, I published a video talking about it with a mate who’s a darkroom fanatic. He didn’t agree that I was doing the right thing, but I did, I think, get my point across.

For me, the value is in the final image on my computer. I don’t need a neg, and I’m not bothered about the whole archiving thing. I don’t use a darkroom, so I don’t need them.

But to some, the neg is the tangible thing, and one of the big reasons to shoot film in the first place.

What are your thoughts?

Click to expand...

I've kept all my negatives...I've come back and re-scanned some of them as my scanning skills got better, and ended up with improved final images. Also, I still do my own analog darkroom printing - both B&W and color from 35mm through 4x5.

MFL

HamishGill said:

This is a big topic for me at the moment, all be it accidentally. I mentioned in a post on 35mmc that I bin my negs and I think a few of my readers might have had actual genuine heart attacks.

Since then, I published a video talking about it with a mate who’s a darkroom fanatic. He didn’t agree that I was doing the right thing, but I did, I think, get my point across.

For me, the value is in the final image on my computer. I don’t need a neg, and I’m not bothered about the whole archiving thing. I don’t use a darkroom, so I don’t need them.

But to some, the neg is the tangible thing, and one of the big reasons to shoot film in the first place.

What are your thoughts?

Click to expand...

... physical storage space, I do not see any rationale in discarding the negatives. Why would you, really?

I do. I have retained originals for every delivered/ published image, alternates/ coverage.

Although now a hybrid workflow is standard, as technology improved I enjoyed having the option to reinvent images previously only viewed as enlargements through scanning.

Earlier scans were in the 24MP range, later on, as now, at a 55MP level. The original film certainly holds up to the scrutiny and it would be a waste if those film originals had been disposed of before scanning tech had become so effective and convenient. Not to mention the advantages of retouching in PS.

Truth be told those upgrades in the presentation of older work only impact me since their shelf life from a client perspective has passed.

If and when I resume shooting film, most certainly I will be storing my negatives.

HamishGill said:

This is a big topic for me at the moment, all be it accidentally. I mentioned in a post on 35mmc that I bin my negs and I think a few of my readers might have had actual genuine heart attacks.

Since then, I published a video talking about it with a mate who’s a darkroom fanatic. He didn’t agree that I was doing the right thing, but I did, I think, get my point across.

For me, the value is in the final image on my computer. I don’t need a neg, and I’m not bothered about the whole archiving thing. I don’t use a darkroom, so I don’t need them.

But to some, the neg is the tangible thing, and one of the big reasons to shoot film in the first place.

What are your thoughts?

Click to expand...

I got to the point that there is no reason for me to keep all those 35mm negs....but before I dispose them, I wish to have them transferred to digital (good quality)....there is lots of memories and some fantastic moments. I can then replicate them as much as I wish to have copies available.

Having LF negs (5x7)....that's different and I'm not letting that go.

Michael Firstlight said:

HamishGill said:

This is a big topic for me at the moment, all be it accidentally. I mentioned in a post on 35mmc that I bin my negs and I think a few of my readers might have had actual genuine heart attacks.

Since then, I published a video talking about it with a mate who’s a darkroom fanatic. He didn’t agree that I was doing the right thing, but I did, I think, get my point across.

For me, the value is in the final image on my computer. I don’t need a neg, and I’m not bothered about the whole archiving thing. I don’t use a darkroom, so I don’t need them.

But to some, the neg is the tangible thing, and one of the big reasons to shoot film in the first place.

What are your thoughts?

Click to expand...

I've kept all my negatives...I've come back and re-scanned some of them as my scanning skills got better, and ended up with improved final images. Also, I still do my own analog darkroom printing - both B&W and color from 35mm through 4x5.

MFL

Click to expand...

How do you color balance your color prints? Do you use a color analyzer? Do you use filters or use a color head enlarger? What color paper do you use?

They are just a waste byproduct to me. I don’t need them, so why keep them?

Obviously, to each his/her own, and if negs are a byproduct to you there's no reason to keep them. I am assuming here that shooting film provides a lot of advantages to you, even though the final product is digital. (If not you'd be shooting digital in the first place)

In my case the result is the negative/print or slide (I love to project slides, particularly medium format) therefore the byproduct is more the scanned version on the computer - which I only use for sharing over the internet. Low res / low quality cheap scans are sufficient to me.

etn said:

Obviously, to each his/her own, and if negs are a byproduct to you there's no reason to keep them. I am assuming here that shooting film provides a lot of advantages to you, even though the final product is digital. (If not you'd be shooting digital in the first place)

Click to expand...

The “advantage” - though that’s not quite the right word, is the experience. I like the cameras more, and also revel in the linear process of choosing a film that I know will look a certain way, and sticking to that. I like to rely on my imagination etc.
I wrote about it here: https://www.35mmc.com/03/02/2020/ow...-get-too-distracted-by-the-mantras-of-others/

... as you’ll read, it was almost the concluding post to a while of feeling crap about my photography and processes. I almost came out of the closet at a neg-disposer

etn said:

In my case the result is the negative/print or slide (I love to project slides, particularly medium format) therefore the byproduct is more the scanned version on the computer - which I only use for sharing over the internet. Low res / low quality cheap scans are sufficient to me.

Click to expand...

As is almost always the case, it’s just different strokes for different folks. This is very much the subject of the above article.

Leswick II said:

HamishGill said:

This is a big topic for me at the moment, all be it accidentally. I mentioned in a post on 35mmc that I bin my negs and I think a few of my readers might have had actual genuine heart attacks.

Since then, I published a video talking about it with a mate who’s a darkroom fanatic. He didn’t agree that I was doing the right thing, but I did, I think, get my point across.

For me, the value is in the final image on my computer. I don’t need a neg, and I’m not bothered about the whole archiving thing. I don’t use a darkroom, so I don’t need them.

But to some, the neg is the tangible thing, and one of the big reasons to shoot film in the first place.

What are your thoughts?

Click to expand...

I got to the point that there is no reason for me to keep all those 35mm negs....but before I dispose them, I wish to have them transferred to digital (good quality)....there is lots of memories and some fantastic moments. I can then replicate them as much as I wish to have copies available.

Click to expand...

a digital camera, lightroom and the Negative Lab Pro plug-in would be a good place to start

Leswick II said:

Having LF negs (5x7)....that's different and I'm not letting that go.

Click to expand...

no, that’s fair enough!

HamishGill said:

This is a big topic for me at the moment, all be it accidentally. I mentioned in a post on 35mmc that I bin my negs and I think a few of my readers might have had actual genuine heart attacks.

Since then, I published a video talking about it with a mate who’s a darkroom fanatic. He didn’t agree that I was doing the right thing, but I did, I think, get my point across.

For me, the value is in the final image on my computer. I don’t need a neg, and I’m not bothered about the whole archiving thing. I don’t use a darkroom, so I don’t need them.

But to some, the neg is the tangible thing, and one of the big reasons to shoot film in the first place.

What are your thoughts?

Click to expand...

For me, film photography is history. But history can be quite interesting.

I started photography as hobby around 1971 and that means that I have hundreds of rolls of B/W films and thousands of slides.

To make them usable, I would need to scan them. Question is to keep them after scanning?

Well, picture I have on my hard drive will be lost, some day. So, I have backup drive and more backup in the digital clouds.

On the other hand, it is also possible that I may do a better scan. For that reason I will probably keep the keepers, although I have digital copies.

Best regards

Erik

I don't have my negatives scanned because the service is expensive for any reasonably high resolution and I haven't bought stand alone scanner. I have been plaing with DSLR capture and I'm still waiting for pixl-latr to really get going

Instead I let all my frames print to 10x15 in the old school way and if something came out really nice I get it enlarged from original negative. I'm not one to throw anything that could have a value so I would keep even wel scanned negatives. Also I have positives that looks much better that any printed photo can due to the transparent vs reflective medium, that would be shame to throw out. If I would care only about image from film then I would never buy limited dynamic range medium and use negatives for everything. But then shooting film only to discard it later and look at everything through computer screen loses the appeal of physical product for me.

mamallama said:

Michael Firstlight said:

HamishGill said:

This is a big topic for me at the moment, all be it accidentally. I mentioned in a post on 35mmc that I bin my negs and I think a few of my readers might have had actual genuine heart attacks.

Since then, I published a video talking about it with a mate who’s a darkroom fanatic. He didn’t agree that I was doing the right thing, but I did, I think, get my point across.

For me, the value is in the final image on my computer. I don’t need a neg, and I’m not bothered about the whole archiving thing. I don’t use a darkroom, so I don’t need them.

But to some, the neg is the tangible thing, and one of the big reasons to shoot film in the first place.

What are your thoughts?

Click to expand...

I've kept all my negatives...I've come back and re-scanned some of them as my scanning skills got better, and ended up with improved final images. Also, I still do my own analog darkroom printing - both B&W and color from 35mm through 4x5.

MFL

Click to expand...

How do you color balance your color prints? Do you use a color analyzer? Do you use filters or use a color head enlarger? What color paper do you use?

Click to expand...

My darkroom starts with an LPL 4550 XLG enlarger with both variable constant contrast exposure (VCCE) and color heads (modular/interchangeable in seconds). The LPL 4550 XLG serves as my primary enlarger for 4x5 and 6x7. I also use an LPL 7700 for anything up to 6x7 along with a collection some very sharp Schneider Componon enlarging lenses (although I am still in the market for two rare Rodagon-G's for 6x7 and 4x5). For color analysis I use a Colorstar 3000 color analyzer calibrated using an extremely rare Mitchell Colorbrator (single shot precise calibration). Of course, I also keep a set of traditional hand-held color viewing filters close at hand. I print color on Fuji Crystal Archive paper. For B&W analysis I use an RH Designs Analyzer Pro which is a B&W zone-like analyzer with a built-in densitometer. I typically print B&W on Ilford multigrade fiber-based paper. I often proof my negatives using an Epson Pro V800 scanner and print digitally on a 24" wide Epson 7880 printer.

For film processing I use a Phototherm Super Sidekick 8 wich is a small footprint fully automated and fully programmable film processor and is self-cleaning. For paper processing I use a Fujimoto CP-32 transport processor (dry-to-dry) for up to 11x14" prints with an automatic replenisher. Anything larger up to 20x24 prints goes through my Jobo CPP-2. I can print up to 30x40 using trays before getting into exotic set-ups and also use vacuum easels for up to 30x40. I often print 16x20 and my typical large prints are 20x24.

I can also do manual tank and tray processing when not doing volume work. Though I don't need much sink area nor manual temp control given the automatic film and print processors, I do also have a Haas digital Intellifaucet K375 temp controller I plan to install in the new darkroom that I'm actively in the process of building as part of a new house that is currently under construction in the mountains - a custom 12 x 13 foot fully finished and dedicated darkroom - light tight with an obscene number of outlets, recessed lighting, exhaust/ventilation, and custom cabinets. The new house/darkroom will be finished later this Spring (the home is currently in the drywall stage), so I'm painfully packing everything up for the big move. I can post pics of the new darkroom when it's finished. It will be quite a luxury as I've been using makeshift darkrooms for the past 50 years.

Michael

Dutch Newchurch said:

Interesting question.

I've found that once I have a good quality scan of a slide or a negative, I no longer worry about the original. Particularly once I have backed up the scan to the cloud.

Click to expand...

I'm working through decades of negs, and agree. Once you have a good quality scan, why keep the negs? They only degrade over time, anyway.

dmanthree said:

1. dmanthree wrote:

Dutch Newchurch said:

Interesting question.

I've found that once I have a good quality scan of a slide or a negative, I no longer worry about the original. Particularly once I have backed up the scan to the cloud.

Click to expand...

I'm working through decades of negs, and agree. Once you have a good quality scan, why keep the negs? They only degrade over time, anyway.

Click to expand...

They do not. They degrade if they were not properly fixed and washed. Mine are 40 yrs old, no changes in them.

dmanthree said:

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---enjoys shooting with inferior gear---

Click to expand...

HamishGill said:

They are just a waste byproduct to me. I don’t need them, so why keep them?

Click to expand...

I treat them the same as my RAW files. I keep them because I want to keep unaltered originals.

I guess we are different in that sense. That's all.

dmanthree said:

Dutch Newchurch said:

Interesting question.

I've found that once I have a good quality scan of a slide or a negative, I no longer worry about the original. Particularly once I have backed up the scan to the cloud.

Click to expand...

I'm working through decades of negs, and agree. Once you have a good quality scan, why keep the negs? They only degrade over time, anyway.

Click to expand...

I don't think B&W negs degrade unless you were careless and didn't wash the fixer out fully. My negs from the 1960s seem to be just as good (or bad) as they ever were.

In principle, colour negs should have a shorter life. I shot very few colour negs, but the ones I do have seem to be surviving well.

This is from 1968.



The advantage of keeping negs is that it's always possible to get a better scan.

Marek M said:

Member said:

1. dmanthree wrote:

Dutch Newchurch said:

Interesting question.

I've found that once I have a good quality scan of a slide or a negative, I no longer worry about the original. Particularly once I have backed up the scan to the cloud.

Click to expand...

I'm working through decades of negs, and agree. Once you have a good quality scan, why keep the negs? They only degrade over time, anyway.

Click to expand...

They do not. They degrade if they were not properly fixed and washed. Mine are 40 yrs old, no changes in them.

Click to expand...

B&W, no. Color, well...