Despite the shock associated with making a transition between my professional and personal climates, I was still functioning with considerable comprehension when I got home from work today. (I think it’s a second wind.) The two weeks before school starts will be gone before I know it, and the weekend is all but here already. I want to accomplish in the time that I have, so I’ve already started a detailed To Do list. With Mary gone at work when I got home, I jumped into jeans and a T-shirt and headed out to address my primary errand of buying film.
You may recall that I’d talked to Nick from Vera’s last weekend about my taking a photography course. As soon as he heard that he advised me to go out, to but some film, and to start taking taking pictures now. He explained that I’m going to have a lot of time on my hands in the lab, and that I’ll be glad about having the extra film to work on. He even recommended types of film to buy. (He also expressed sincere interest in seeing my photos after I get started, so we’ll have to follow up on that in a future entry.)
Nick’s advice has been on my mind a lot lately–ideas recurring in that special way that usually raises me to action. The more I’ve thought about it, the more it’s made perfect sense. I’m about to get access to all kinds of equipment I can’t afford, so why not avail myself of every opportunity to use that equipment. I’m going to need to have film to develop. And when I consider the money I’ll probably be saving on film development alone,.
I made a few local phone calls before leaving the house, just to make sure that CameraTechs had the best local deal on the black and white film I was looking for, which they do. Nick had suggested buying Tri-X 400 or HP5 400, explaining that Kodak’s Tri-X would be a little grainier than the softer HP5. Ballard Camera, true to their established reputation, quoted Tri-X at $5.49 per roll, and regretted not carrying HP5. This paled in comparison to CameraTechs quotes of $3.70 per roll for the Tri-X, and $4.30 per roll for the HP5. (I’m too new to the whole photography thing to understand what the differences in the film would mean, so I’m obviously more interested in the cheaper of the two films for now.)
Now, here’s the thing that really inspired me to write this entry:
When I got to CameraTechs I talked to one of the employees for a few minutes, trying to briefly explain my needs. List in hand, I also asked a few questions about light meters, camera cases, the strings that attach to lenses so you don’t lose them, etc.. He was very polite in answering all of my questions, never once talking to me in a condescending manner.
I was so pleased with the service that I even decided to give them the extra business of developing a roll of film from the weekend (one of those rolls Narelle sent me, which finally I used to shoot new pictures of the Seattle skyline). As he was filling out my order form, he asked if I wanted glossy or matt prints, and I told him that it didn’t matter. He casually offered that matt prints might be better for portraits, and that glossy prints would probably preserve more detail, and then finished filling out his form,.
OK, so here’s the deal: Back in September, I dropped off some film over at Photolab (“Morning Filed Trip” postscript), and wound up a little offended by their customer service. After waiting in line for about fifteen minutes, I finally got to the counter and asked about getting my film developed. Going through the various developing options, the man working the counter asked if I wanted matt or gloss prints. I asked him what the difference was. He replied, “One’s matt, and one’s gloss.”
You can probably tell by what you read about my photographic exploits that I am not an expert, and that I know I’m not an expert. When this guy gently leaned into me I really felt stupid, so I dropped the issue immediately. (Oddly enough, I was also very surprised when he seemed to extend the amount of time my film would take to develop, saying, “We’re awfully busy.”) Considering the professional scale Photolab appears to appeal to, I expected more. I know this is a small thing, but because it’s a small thing, in the end, I felt a bit resentful. I haven’t been back to Photolab since.
Zoom forward six months. You should now understand why the friendly representative from CameraTechs has earned an honorable mention. In the end, I bought five rolls of film, gave them my film for developing, and even bought one of those strings that attach to lenses so you don’t lose them.