I have been asked by a customer to scan a heap of 35mm negatives. I have recently purchased a good quality scanner and am keen to give it a go. This wil be the first time that I will be doing a bulk job for someone so I am not sure what to charge. What I would like to know is what other people charge. Do you charge per strip or just hours worked. Scanning isn't something you can set up and leave, you are constanly taking one lot out and the next lot in. My scanner does 2 strips at a time, I dont know how that compares with other scanners but I guess the limit of two strips needs to be factored into it.
Another question, technical this time. I am doing 2 strips at a time. At the moment the ones I am doing have some kind of liquid residue mark on them. It doesn't seem to be showing up on the scans unless it makes it less clear, if so it's only slight. I am using gloves and giving them all one wipe, front and back with a lint free cloth. Is there anything else I should be doing.
Hit google but there are places that will do it. Base some prices on those but they will obviously be faster..... I dunno as I scan a lot more slides then negs; but you can preview & scan a strip at a time (prob 4 frames) but the scan time depends on the scanner you use. The other biggie is what do you want to do with all the scratches on the negs from the "labs" where this stuff is developed - there will be a lot depending on where they had it processed?
Hit google but there are places that will do it. Base some prices on those but they will obviously be faster..... I dunno as I scan a lot more slides then negs; but you can preview & scan a strip at a time (prob 4 frames) but the scan time depends on the scanner you use. The other biggie is what do you want to do with all the scratches on the negs from the "labs" where this stuff is developed - there will be a lot depending on where they had it processed?
The job is just straight scanning. My scanner (Epson Perfection V500 PHOTO) has the ability to account for some dust and scratches so I am using that function. I am guessing that the customer only wants to have them on CD. I will encourage him to bring them back to me if he wants to print any and then I can do a quick touch up on the ones he wants to print.
There are 230 strips with an average of 4 per strip and I can scan 2 strips each scan and it saves into his folder on my laptop. I have done approx 80 strips so far.
As far as rate is concerned ... I would just charge an honest hourly rate taking into consideration that you ARE performing a technical service that not everyone can do and a custom personal service at that. At the very least keep track of your time and consider this multiplied by your hourly rate as a minimum charge for the job IMO.
Regarding the liquid residue problem ... a wipe with a solution of 8 parts warm water to one part glycerin (available cheaply from your local pharmacy) with a very clean flannel cloth can do wonders and even make tiny scratches disappear. Although this works great, it takes a bit of practice. The secret is to hang the neg first and not to be too stingy with the liquid (make your cloth more than damp but not dripping) and wipe the neg slowly and semi firmly with one pinched squeeze (both sides at once), then let dry at room temp (not too quickly or in direct sunlight). Experiment with negs that are not important first and you can decide if this method is or is not for you. When done correctly and confidently, this has saved many negs that have been slightly damaged or improperly rinsed in processing shops for me.
As far as rate is concerned ... I would just charge an honest hourly rate taking into consideration that you ARE performing a technical service that not everyone can do and a custom personal service at that. At the very least keep track of your time and consider this multiplied by your hourly rate as a minimum charge for the job IMO.
Regarding the liquid residue problem ... a wipe with a solution of 8 parts warm water to one part glycerin (available cheaply from your local pharmacy) with a very clean flannel cloth can do wonders and even make tiny scratches disappear. Although this works great, it takes a bit of practice. The secret is to hang the neg first and not to be too stingy with the liquid (make your cloth more than damp but not dripping) and wipe the neg slowly and semi firmly with one pinched squeeze (both sides at once), then let dry at room temp (not too quickly or in direct sunlight). Experiment with negs that are not important first and you can decide if this method is or is not for you. When done correctly and confidently, this has saved many negs that have been slightly damaged or improperly rinced in processing shops for me.
Good luck and enjoy
Thanks for this info. I have been keeping a track of time spent in my photography diary. I may have to keep in mind that I am also serving customers and the like while I am doing this so may reduce the rate a little, but not too much. Glycerine I can get as I get as my business is a pharmaceutical one. I may try this technique on my own negs first. Sounds like it is worth a try.
