Wedding photographers-why use a pro lab over other labs?

Specifically, in regards to Frontier printing with film based work. I

have a local Long's that I bring my own snappy stuff to- one friendly

and seemingly well trained operator there 5 days a week. My pro lab

that also uses a Frontier gets all my wedding work. Although the pro

lab runs about twice the cost per roll, I feel they do a better job.

The prints do look consistently better to me, they do use Fuji Pro

paper, not Crystal Archive( I don't know if that is why it looks

better).

 

So, in my case I have to say that I do see a consistent difference,

I'm willing to lose a little profit margin and continue with the pro

lab. I'll get to my question, if everything is equal, why use the pro

lab? Should paid wedding photographers use "pro" labs?

It's hard to reshoot a wedding.

Pro lab= lab used by professionals.Non pro lab=used by non professionals.The quality control,is better at the pro lab normally.They also use pro materials (papers),as opposed to non pro materials.Most pro labs have employees that do this for a career,not a choice over Burger King.Like the man said,re shoots arent real easily done.

Actually, lots of them are frustrated BFA's or MFA's, with varying degrees of attitude. Oh, you pay for a little Ki** A** too, but hopefully the lab is managed for consistency and reliability before economy.

In the 1970's; I used Meisel photochrome in Atlanta; they provided cropping masks for ones 2 1/4" cameras; so ones pro prints were framed perfectly.......They had package deals; where one could get say 1 11x14; 1 8x10; and 2 5x5's for each exposure........It was a good deal; one could show the 5x5 proofs; then sell the larger ones as extra money.........The color correction was excellent; the package deal way cheaper than getting reprints again.....

The Dallas Meisel Lab in the 1980's even made sometimes a extra 11x14; in the package deals; if they thought the print was great.......This happened several times; it made me feel there was a human in the loop...; checking the quality of their output.....

the word Professional is misused and abused quite a bit in the photography world. One often sees equipment that has the word PRO as part of the name. And there are legions of photographers who call theirselves "professional" or "semi-professional" even though the paths of how they got there are as varied as the people themselves.

 

When you boil it all down, professionalism is a state of mind with regard to the particular activity that you are performing. It is a desire to excel coupled with a commitment in both time and investment, along with a self responsibility to make good on mistakes if possible.

 

Nevertheless, you could certainly print your own color at home and do as well as any lab. You could use the same materials and chemicals. And so can a consumer lab.

 

Bottom line. If the consumer lab can give you the same product as a pro lab, and that is the product you desire to provide to your customer, and if you are calling yourself a professional and feel that you are providing your clients with the best possible product, then there is no reason to spend more to get the same thing.

 

Kevin

Kevin:to suggest that an amateur lab can approach the quality of a custom pro lab,is absurd!Most of the drugstore machine prints cannot begin to match the output put of a real lab,with skilled operators.

Steve: I take my film work to a MotoPhoto (Chain store similar to Ritz). They use a Frontier machine, everyone there knows me and what I expect. Some of the workers have been there for years and take pride in their work. They do my 120 neg film next day. Many 'pro' photographers go there yet the prices are reasonable and snapshooters go there too. So, are they an 'amateur drugstore' lab or are they pro. Or is there anything between your two extreems?

During the 1970s, 80s, film and paper needed more attention to color calibration. There were variences of a greater amount than today. When film became thinner, sharpness of 35mm negative material allowed wedding photographers to use 35mm as an alternative to 2 1/4. Each step of improvement spelled a shift to the use of micro labs. Photographers still need to avoid pitfalls: mixed color casts in their lighting; but generally the smaller labs are competitive to the larger pro labs. Meisel was my choice, too.

Steve

 

In addition to spending a considerable amount of time feeding a kreonite processor with my own prints many years ago, I have used a lot of "pro" labs in my life. Some did fantastic work. Some did terrible work. All called theirselves "pro". Go figure.

 

Kevin

This is one of the few times I might take the side of the amatuer lab.

 

If this were a conventional lab and not a digital one I'd certainly take sides with the pro line. First, *no* portrait photographer, professional or otherwise, has their work printed on amatuer paper for the same reason professional wedding photographers don't use Kodak MAX 400. Nothing is more absurd and un-professional than seeing a so called "professional" wedding photographer charge $1,000 for their services only for me to flip the back of the prints over and see Kodak Edge paper. The quality difference between professional labs using professional papers and amatuer labs using amatuer paper (I've never seen an amatuer lab using professional paper)is staggering in terms of portrait work. I don't care how good the oeprator is or how long they've been running their mini-lab lap. No conventional analog lab using amatuer paper can match Kodak Portra NC printed on Portra paper, etc., for typical wedding/portrait work.

 

The Frontier however changes this equation. An amatuer lab running a Frontier is going to likely yield similiar results to a pro lab running a Frontier because both are likely to be running the same paper and software. This is a big reason for the existence of the Frontier in the first place, which is to reduce the lead that pro labs have over amatuer ones. The rest in merely operator attitude and difference in C-41 processing, which may/may not make a difference. If your film is processed with care and the Frontier operator isn't an idiot, the differences might be not be that great.

 

One other advantage that pro lab does have is they likely see a much greater volume of professional material, and have better frame of reference of when to make corrections with your images. A lab that gets 500 weddings a week is going to know what a correct alter group shot should look like in terms of density and color vs an amatuer shop that gets one wedding a month.

Either your neighbrohood Longs offers retouching, or you are fortunate that all

your clients have unblemished skin and don't wear eyeglasses. Your lighting

also must be good enough that your prints never need dodging and burning.

Printing is one thing, but professional services go far beyond that. The

newbie at the lab we use has been there nine years, and their equipment is

top-notch and the chemicals are fresh.

The answer is simple: Qualtiy control and experience.

 

The lab I use and have used for the past 21 years has automatic replenishers and makes a quality control strip every hour or more often when they are really busy.

 

I want consistency and a pro lab will give me consistency where as a walmart or corner lab that caters to all kinds of films and clients does not have the expertise I am looking for.

 

Can you imagine telling your wedding couple "Oh I'm sorry, but the film processor at the supermarket broke down when your film was being processed.

Hi Scott,

 

Very good answers here, but for review;

 

"Although the pro lab runs about twice the cost per roll, I feel they do a better job. The prints do look consistently better to me, they do use Fuji Pro paper, not Crystal Archive"

>>>>sounds like you answered your own question quite well here.

 

"So, in my case I have to say that I do see a consistent difference, I'm willing to lose a little profit margin and continue with the pro lab"

>>>>> raise your fee to offset the profit loss and stick to your pro lab

 

"It's hard to reshoot a wedding."

>>>>>>.the ultimate and best answer.

 

"Oh I'm sorry, but the film processor at the supermarket broke down when your film was being processed."

>>>>>>>. really would be difficult to explain this one

 

Or better yet remember that to most of us including the potential client, perception and impressions mean a lot, even to people that you think may not know who you are or what you do. It would be a long shot, but you never know when you may run into someone who may know the bride whose picture you had processed at Longs. That could be a problem.

 

Stick with your pro lab for your pro work.

"raise your fee to offset the profit loss and stick to your pro lab"

 

That's the issue, because I like the results from the pro lab, and feel somewhat more at ease bringing the work there.

 

Although there's one little thing with the Frontier in general, why no custom backprinting option? Maybe that's best left for a new post.

 

Thanks all for the huge response.

Well one "pro" lab consistently scratched my negatives and tried to blame it on the film manufacturer.

 

Another does terrific work, but if I raised my prices to pay for the difference, I wouldn't have half of my clients.

 

My local WalMart does a great job with both negatives and digital files. (And they actually do know what to do if the processor breaks down.)

Last year I asked people here to recommend a good lab in my area. The answer that tipped the balance was the former employee telling me that a place he had worked ran more control strips than he had seen before. They did a terrific job for me and offer pushing and other services that need attention to detail. I've had great work done by folks in a drugstore with an older machine, but it was family owned, long established, and they paid attention. Buy the quality you need.

This might generate some flames, but just for sake of arguement I've never seen a chain owned lab that was also a pro lab. All the true professional labs I've worked with/for were privately owned. They might have a couple of shops in a geographic vacinity by the same owner, but that's it in my experience.

 

This isn't saying you can't get good results from your local Walmart, especially if they are running a Frontier. Still, chain based, or 'aisle 13' based labs do constitute the biggest risk to quality and consistency being they tend to have the greatest downward force on costs and highest personal turnover.