Recently I got to explore the process of scanning negatives into the computer for the first time. As far as photo processes would go, it isn’t exactly the sort of thing that requires a lot of training or guidance, but it was something that I more or less hadn’t had the need to pursue just yet. With that being said, digitally scanning film definitely allows a different level of appreciation to take place with photography.

Personally preferring film, even though it practically goes without saying that its days as the industry standard are in the past, but being somewhat limited by its physical nature, digitizing not only allows me to repair an image on an otherwise unheard of level of precision but also gives the opportunity to feature work in an online arena such as this one. The attached images represent three different formats (although the triple exposure shot with a Holga isn’t exactly an ideal example of 120 film) and the sharpness that 4×5 negatives inherently have due to their size translates impressively. This is perhaps most adequately shown in the first attached photo. Included more or less as a cautionary example is a lone 35mm example, second from the bottom. Coming from, if my memory serves me, was the first roll of film I shot for basic photography, this particular negative certainly demonstrates the need not only to keep film in a safe place, but also the need to clean film before scanning oftentimes. It’s nothing that couldn’t be saved with Photoshop, but it would certainly be better avoided in the first place.