Hi William,
>We do it too piss you, the photographer, off. We do it because
>we are heartless assholes who can get away with with ruining
>your life. We enjoy making people suffer.
>Work in the lab business for a while and you too will develop an
>attitude that anything you can do to fix the photographer's
>wagon is a good thing.
I knew it, I knew it, I knew it!
>Well let me tell you, Mr Photographer from Texas, nothing gives
>us greater pleasure than doing just enough damage to your film
>to ruin both it and your day, then fall back on the claim stub
>disclaimer, which basically says that you can take a flying f#%k
>at the moon if you think you are going to recieve any sort of
>compensation for our cruel and deliberate behaviour.
>Boy, do I feel better now...
Would it help if I pointed out I'm not really a photographer? I'm really
just a shmuck who bought a camera last fall and has been trying to figure
out what to do with it ever since. And, (keep this under your hat) although
I have fun playing a Texan, I'm originally from Alaska, so I'm not a
genuine Texan or even a real Yankee.
>Actually, Dan, as an honourable and respected member of the
>photofinishing profession, I would be interested to find out
>just what went wrong in this instance. Most labs do take pride
>in their work, but there are some issues within the industry
>which, sadly, are not being addressed.
>My major beef with my industry is the ongoing presumption that
>photo lab work is more or less an entry level job that anyone
>can do. This idea has for many years been propogated by the
>machine suppliers (Noritsu actually had an advertisment in the
>trade circulars that said, more or less, "Just plug it in and
>let it print money for you").
>I suspect from the tone of your post that you have come to a
>different conclusion. Photofinishing is a pretty highly skilled
>job to do right. Unfortunately, because of low ball pricing
>within the industry by companies that see in house labs as a way
>to keep you shopping for other junk for an hour, it has become a
>rather unprofitable business to be in. This begets low wages,
>which begets high staff turnover, poor morale and a sad lack of
>training, which means that the level of expertise in the average
>lab is at best, lower than is desirable, and at worst, totally
>unacceptable.
>William Robb
What set me off this time was scratches on the negatives I'd just gotten
back. Long straight ones, curvy ones and some that make me picture
sandpaper (and all of them make me wish I'd sprung for a scanner with
Digital ICE instead of this one). I'd resigned myself to not expecting
decent prints, I just wish that I could find a lab that wouldn't mess my
stuff up as I'm perfectly capable of doing that when needed all by myself.
I understand what you are saying. The problems of the photo finishing
industry are the same problems faced by most industries that rely on the
attention and care of poorly paid and poorly trained workers.
Grumble, moan, piss, bitch, & whine... Ok. I'm better now. :-)
Dan Scott
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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