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Preservation negatives



I am a darkroom worker who does archival printing for museums, fine art
photographers, etc.  I also do copy work on film.  I have noticed a 75%
decrease in my work load lately because of digital.  I predict that
commercial labs will quit film as soon as possible.  So my suggestion is
that people in each city who need this service cultivate a dedicated group
of photography enthusiasts to carry on with traditional and archival work.
I organized one some years ago, called Photo Research Group, there were
about twenty five of us.  We produced a number of exhibitions for local
institutions and groups, using the best materials and a very devoted and
talented group of workers.  We taught ourselves all kinds of alternative
processes to replicate historic printing techniques.  We taught ourselves
how to make first class copy negatives.  The members of the group learned an
enormous amount that was most useful to their own career, and had an
opportunity to produce some truly worthy projects.  We did everything with
no budget, film and paper are still relatively cheap as raw materials.

I would reject the print from the scan if your intention was to get a print
of the copy negative.  Otherwise how can you verify it is any good?  It is
much harder to make a copy than an original photo.  Your choice of film and
development makes the difference between an acceptable negative and a good
one.  If you don't have the information necessary to evaluate your work (a
reference print from the copy negative) then a mediocre result is a distinct
possibility.

thomas Robinson

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