Negatives vs Positives

[freekyjynx]

Is there a difference in the developing or reprinting of positives and negatives?

I have some old positives that were given to me after my godmother died. They're of her, and I'd love to have prints made so I can hang them up, but I don't want someone messing them up. Does anyone know anything about them?

[Ads]

[ann]

yes, two totally different materials and chemicals are used.

You need to find a commerical printer who knows how to use Ilfordchrome products, years ago they were known as Cibachrome.

[Mike_E]

Developing or printing? Two very different things?

If it's developing and they're very old you may have a problem in getting anything to come out, but as far as what you do it's no different for either- you just send them out to a lab.

If it's printing then you first need to go through them and see which ones you want printed (printing them all can be a costly affair). If you have access to a scanner you can scan the ones you think you like best and have them printed online or send the negs or slides to a lab for printing.

[KVRNut]

If you already have the positives then you don't need to have them developed.

A good photo lab will know what to do with your transparencies and how to handle them properly to get the most out of them without messing them up as a good lab takes pride in it's work and reputation. A good lab will also work with you to make sure you get what you want.

I take my positves to a lab and either have them photographicly printed in a dark room or scanned with a high res. scanner that has programmable profiles for the various types of transparency films. You may opt for a wet scan as a wet scan can take care of scratches on the transparency plus I've found that a wet scan can make for a very clear print.

I assume that since you'll be hanging the prints on the wall, the prints will be at least 8x10, so like Mike_E said, be selective as getting a good prints can be a bit costly but then well worth it.

[freekyjynx]

Thanks for all the info!

They've already been developed, there aren't too many that are damaged (they're from the 50's and had been in a box for who knows how long). Even if I could get them one or 2 at a time, and spread them out over a period, it'd be awesome to have them.

If they were taken professionally, would a copyright still be in effect after 50+ years? That's a problem I could see running into. There's no watermark or anything on them, not a clue where I would even begin to look to find out who took them. The pictures that also came with them were more around 11x14, some of them were printed, but the actual pictures are in bad shape, and the positives are much better.

Can anyone recommend a lab? Would Miller's do something like this, even tho I'd hate to send them via mail?

[Mike_E]

If you have the negatives or slides then it's unlikely that a professional took them so you should be good to go there.

I'll leave recommendations to others as I scan my own to be printed.

[King XII]

you need to Contact with Photographer. Yes it is Possible to Print out..

[J.Kendall]

If you have a good scanner, and a really good printer, it wouldn't be too much of a problem for you to be able to do it yourself, or if you have a friend who has the equipment, for them to help you.

[KmH]

In the 50's here in the US, copyright was good for the photographer's life, +55 years.

If the photographer was 35 years old when the photos were made in say 1952, and the photographer died at age 60 in 1977, the copyright could be valid to the photographers heirs until 2032.

Today copyright is good for the photographers life, +70 years.