Hi guys… So, I recently ordered this fun little camera called a Lomography Sprocket Rocket and tested out my first few rolls of film. The results where intereresting, but not what I was hoping for. Definitely hoping for better photos in round 2. Here are a few examples…
So first of all, there are no sprocket marks (you can see how the pics are supposed to look with examples here). I got this film processed at CVS, which I've been told is the only place in Springfield that does 1 hour film anymore. When I picked it up the man working the photo center told me that my film looked "old" and that he tried to fix the quality for me. Terror! Uh-oh. So anyway, that might have been part of the problem. I was also told that the film scanned may have cropped off the sprocket marks. The photos are still kinda fun, but I want to try again. Does anyone know of a good place to develop film where you can mail it in? Maybe somewhere where they are used to toy cameras would be good too!
Thanks for letting me share my little photo fail! Hope you are all having a great day… elsie
140 Comments
Oh that’s unfortunate. Obviously the look of the camera is great, but the quality is pretty grainy. Now that they have iPhones that can take editorial quality photographs, then why shouldn’t an actual camera.
try oldschoolphotolab.com or lomography.com also does developing. I’ve heard good things about oldschoolphotolab though. The photos still look good despite the cvs mishap!
What speed are you using? You may want to try 800 speed if you’re not already.
Also, when you take in your film, ask for NO COLOR CORRECTION on the “additional instructions”. I’d also recommend investing in a good film scanner. The Epson Perfection line is pretty good. You can also get different plates for different film (35mm, 120, slides, etc).
There is a Rite Aid where I live where they will do film developing for $1.89 a roll (without prints). I also ask them not to cut the film and I just scan them in myself when I get home.
If you’re worried about the actual quality of the photos (not the missing sprocket marks), then you’re using the wrong camera. Lomo is all about light leaks and crappy, grainy photos. My Holga has intense light leaks, and my Diana Mini takes almost exclusively blurry, dreamlike pictures. I think these look pretty cool, especially the double exposure.
I used to have a scanner that would scan medium format film and that was how I was able to get images with sprocket holes. Did you know that if you put a 35mm film into a Holga, you’d get the same effect? 🙂
girlfriend, Dwayne’s photo in Kansas is the development lab of your dreams!!! the process everything from 35/120/16mm/super8/large format…the list goes on and on!!
Ugh, I had a problem years ago with shots developed from my lomo fisheye camera… every one of the photos was cut wrong… half of two different fisheye photos on each 4×6… it was kinda ridiculous. I always feel weird taking any sort of lomo film to get developed, like they’re not going to understand how to do it, which is unfortunate because as a result I hardly ever take any holga photos.
Also, for processing I would send to lomography (not sure what the price is but they do a really nice job) or http://www.oldschoolphotolab.com/ (they have free shipping both ways).
For the first few rolls with this camera I got the “sprocket scans” but they cost an extra $10 which quickly adds up, so now I just get regular scans and your photos will look like the photo above.
Most drug stores still do 1 hour photo and I’ve always had good luck with them, I would just suggest telling them no color correction, that way they won’t try to “fix” your negatives. Hope the next batch come out better!
Hi! i’m a huge fan of your blog and i actually work at a photo lab in overland park, kansas. its called process one. we have been around for years and do all kinds of film and we get lomo film all the time. i actually have some cameras of theirs and know what kind of look you’re going for and i would love to do your film!! the website for the store is http://www.processonephoto.com you should def check us out!!
Walmart. Takes a few days to a week depending on store size/service. Make sure to write in the special instructions area for unedited photos and cropping. They go through Fuji.
i personally use http://www.oldschoolphotolab.com/ but id also suggest target, my target does one hour photo and are very kind about how particular i am with my film.
If you want to keep it (relatively) local, try Creve Coeur Camera in St. Louis. I send all my Lomo, Holga and Minox film there. Have them process the film only and send you the negatives. Get a negative scanner and do the rest yourself. Once you have the files how you want them, upload them to the printer of your choice. I find Walgreens does a pretty good job of printing without tweaking photos.
hang in there!
i love my sprocket rocket. have had lots of fun times doing double exposures and mixing with the manual exposure function. i’ve always taken my film back to the lomo store for developing though so i guess they know best.
I work at a photo processing lab in a pharmacy in Canada (sounds very similar to the CVS situation) and we are trained to “fix” photos if they look old or the film comes out wonky in any way. Most film after it is developed is hand corrected for colour and lighting, so next time you get it developed, you can ask for the employee to leave the film as is, without correcting it. However, I don’t know if it’s possible to get film developed with the sprocket marks unless you scan it in yourself. The sprockets are meant for allowing the film to be moved inside the machine (which I’m sure you know) and therefore they probably don’t have the option of being scanned.
Also, looking at the photos, since most developer/photo machines are very similar, those dark photos are the fault of the camera and not the person editing the photos. You simply don’t have that much power over how the photos turn out.
I hope this helps/makes sense! The film should be fine to scan in.
This is definitely not what the sprocket rocket photos are supposed to look like. Drugstores don’t have the right scanners to scan sprocket holes (I learned the hard way).
The photos are really cute though! I’m a sucker for lo-fi cameras and pictures, so I love the grain in yours.
Don’t give up on that camera, once you learn the ins and outs of it you’ll love it! I’m excited to see more sprocket rocket photos from you!
Here are some links for some mail out photo labs that I like and are familiar with lomography and will scan them the right way.
If you had CVS scan them, the scanner will not scan the sprocket holes because that’s what it uses to feed the film into the machine. The camera simply allows the exposure to run over the holes, to get the full picture you’ll need to scan them in at home with a film scanner.
my husband always tells people at costco to not autocorrect his film. He gets a lot of film developed with them, so the know him now, but for a long time they always wanted to color correct his film.
I love them! I can see the disappointment in not having the sprocket marks though… I may need to look into getting one of these, because I LOVE to shoot with film!
I used to really want this camera, but after reading into it and discovering that you have to scan the film a certain way to get the sprockets, I realized it wasn’t worth it. I guess there are labs that could do it, but they’re hard to find. :/
Gah! My grandmother (yes, the one who reads your blog every single day) purchased this camera a few months ago. We still have a lot of places who do 1-hour film around Santa Fe, so once she takes some pictures and has them developed, I’ll let you know if it’s just your film guy or a fault with the camera!
Elsie!! Oh my word, please never ever get your film developed at a CVS/ Target/ etc. It’s really worth the extra money to get it in a professional lab that does Lomography -type stuff. I just found Old School Photo Lab who personalizes in sprockets. I had mine developed from Dwayne’s Photo Lab http://www.flickr.com/photos/ourcitylights/sets/72157625626966240/with/5280342157/
What a bummer! I still think the photos are beautiful but the novelty of the sprockets defeats the purpose of the camera. It’s so beautiful, too.
Any drugstore lab will not be able to scan your film with the sprocket holes, you will have to go to a pro lab, or send it off to one (or scan yourself). Also, another thing to note is that drugstores often have old chemicals these days because of the lack of film processing, so the chemicals sit longer then they should which can often cause developing problems.
A few people mentioned Old School Photo Lab, which is great for almost any type of film. They do a great job there, but I’m pretty sure they do not scan the film with the sprocket holes there. Maybe try Richard Photo Lab? They are another top-notch pro lab that you can send your stuff out to.
As far as the quality goes, it could be older film, it could be old chemicals, but it looks like (without seeing the whole roll) you were maybe using a lower ISO film and going back and forth between lighting situations… the photos in brighter sunlight look much better than the ones in shadow or darker lighting situations. With any type of a camera that falls into the toy or LOMO category, you typically need to use a lower ISO film and shoot in bright daylight to get the best results with less grain and to keep the colors more saturated. You definitely can’t go back and forth between outside in bright light and inside or in shadow without loosing detail either in the light or dark areas. In this situation, the darker photos were probably much darker and they corrected it in your scans which caused more grain and loss of contrast and saturation.
Oh no! That sort of defeats the purpose of having a Sprocket Rocket if there are no sprocket holes, doesn’t it? Lomography.com has several film development services available for different cameras and different types of film. http://usa.shop.lomography.com/films/film-development-services/135-sprocket-rocket-development
You could also take the roll to a one hour development place and ask them to JUST develop the film, not make any prints (or get a CD of images and a photo index instead of prints, which is what I do). That way you won’t be paying for prints of any photos that you don’t want. If you have a printer at home capable of printing photos, you can scan your own film and DIY it without too much trouble.
Or you can try bringing it to an actual photo lab. Sometimes they can do developments in house at camera shops, and places that actually sell cameras and equipment usually have more understanding of the artfulness that you’re trying to achieve with a plastic camera and can work with you if you want the film cross processed or if you want your prints a certain way. If you do choose to get prints at a one hour photo, you definitely have to tell them that you want everything left just as it is and not to worry about adjusting anything or trying to fix anything. They usually give me sort of a funny look when I explain it to them, but it comes out right. Hope that helps!
Hi Elsie, I use http://www.thedarkroom.com and they’re great!! Super user friendly, great customer service, up-to-date in the coolness department, and lot’s of printing options.
I’m in the Seattle area and they’re in Cali – my photos are uploaded in my personal online library as soon as they receive the film and my prints are back to me within a week, usually.
I have found that you just need to warn them what the photos are “supposed” to look like, otherwise they always think something is wrong. With my golden half camera I have to tell them that the shots are half frames and there is supposed to be a black line down the center of the photos 🙂
I have this camera as well. There is a piece inside that you can keep in or take out and it will either have the sprockets or not. Does yours do the same? Maybe that’s why it didn’t have them, it might have been set so it didn’t have them. I live in Ottawa, Canada and am having lots of trouble finding a place that will even develop them.
I can see where that would be frustrating. I always always use http://www.dwaynesphoto.com/. They’re just in Kansas and they prices are great! Not to mention they have a speedy delivery.
I’ve never had an issue!
I live in Springfield and my boyfriend was a photo tech at the Walgreens on Fremont and Republic Road. I’ve had lots of rolls developed there and you want to ask to have them developed by Marion. Professional photographers like Jeffery Sweet even bring in rolls of film for her to develop because she’s really good at it!
Also, you can always tells photo techs to not edit your prints because they’re trained to edit all batches that are brought in.
To me it looks like you didn’t take your photos at times/places with enough light. There are only two aperture settings and one shutter speed! Did you use 400iso film? Grab some Portra 400 for the next round!
Also, did you remove the little plastic piece that blocks the sprockets? You have to remove that piece from the camera to expose the sprocket holes. Does the film have stuff exposed over the sprockets. Your shots should be a little wider I think–basically the person who scanned them might have cut off some of the shot.
I develop mine at Nichols in Salt Lake City. They are a pro lab and scan well, though it is a bit more expensive than a pharmacy. Though if you are going to buy the film, develop it, and scan it, you might as well get the most out of it you can, right?
the problem is not actually the processing, its the scanning. The color processing at cvs is pretty controlled but the scanning and digital editing is not. I would suggest buying your own 35mm scanner and scanning and editing yourself. Also this shop http://lawrencephotovideo.com/FilmPrinting.html develops 35 and medium format film and would do a better job at it and a way better job scanning.
that is where we send film for the “holga and alternative photo techniques” class i am in! they do a great job with toy cameras. and yes, make sure you get negatives only, prints or scanning your photos makes your bill much higher! and send in a bunch of rolls at once to save on shipping. we just shot expired bnw slide film and had it cross processed as color film and it came back pretty amazing!
i have the same camera and have to admit that i have not played around with it much, BUT i do know that there is a little frame inside that needs to be removed so that the image will expose over the sprocket holes. if you have not removed the frame, you will not get the cool sprocket effect. if you already know about removing the frame, then im afraid i have no advice haha. good luck!
Do you know if you’re able to mail it in to Lomography at all? I’m have a Holga, and I’m super lucky, because I live three blocks away from an actual Lomography store, so getting my film developed is a breeze…but maybe they have somewhere you can send it? Or maybe you could contact them and get some lab ideas. Just some thoughts =] I still think some of those photos turned out super cute, though.
Color Services in Santa Barbara, CA is well worth a perusal of their website. They are passionate about their work. http://www.colorservices.com/home.php
I get the great majority of my photos developed at costco, both film and digital. So, they are a great option if there is one nearby, and they are super helpful if you have specific requests.
If you want sprocket marks, my advice would be to get the film developed and scan them yourself. I have actually scanned film with a regular scanner and then reversed the color in photoshop. It’s obviously not as awesome as a negative scanner, but I usually get pretty good results.
Hey, I have been using mine for a while and love it. heres a few shots http://morganandkim.blogspot.fr/search/label/Sproket%20Rocket. I’ll admit it is tricky to sort out developing. Now i just go to a normal film developing guy and say, “develop it normal and dont cut it!” I then cut and scan it myself. You need a rear lighting scanner which you can find reasonably priced ones on amazing, i’d be happy to recomend some if you dont have any. As for the sprocket holes, you need to scan with the lomography frame. I haven’t bought one yet. Or if you dont want to do anything yourself these guys do it for you scan and all http://www.oldschoolphotolab.com/35mm.html.
I really like the first, second, fourth and last photos. They have a cool effect for accentuating the blues and greens! Also I love good grainy photos! I like it!
I get all my lomo film processed at Looking Glass Photo in Berkeley. They’re totally awesome and have been around forever. I’m sure you could mail yours in and they’d be happy to do it.
Like a lot of other commenters, these are my tips:
– Use 100 or 200 ISO film
– Get a neg scanner and diy the scanning to get the sprocket holes. It’s highly unlikely that a CVS lab will be able to get that into the developed pics for you
– If you really want to get them developed, send them to a pro lab, they’ll be able to do what you want
And, when the CVS dude said your film looked old, it MIGHT be because you were using LOMO-film, which is basically expried film rolls. And when he tried to “fix it” I’m pretty sure he corrected out the color effects = the washed out, grey look in some of the pics. Just my 2c /reb
Haha, that is kind of funny. ‘I thought they looked kind of old so I fixed them’ 😛 Maybe next try you will get exactly what you want. Can’t let them process the negatives again?
I’ve had also had problems with shops trying to “fix” film pictures. I think you’re right about the negatives being scanned and cropped. I love the texture of these photos.
You could get CVS to just expose the rolls and then scan the negatives yourself onto your computer instead of getting prints made. That might be worth a test to see if it works out better.
I would recommend getting the negatives developed but not printed. Ask for the film to be processed, not colour corrected and not cut. Then invest in a good scanner which allows negative scanning (or borrow a friends) – Epson are excellent – and use that to digitise them yourself. It will pick up the sprocket holes. This is what we do with our Lomography Spinner films. Hope it helps!
My friend has this camera and the minute I saw it, I named it “The Mean Submarine” 🙂 I thought it looks exactly like that! Anyway, I do like your photos and the grain in them. Especially the picture of the window and the shades.
Ah I’ve had the same problem! I told the guy the sprocket marks would show up and not to crop them off but he did. Bummer! I’m in Australia and off to find somewhere more personal that develops and takes care of my film 🙂
i acutally bought my boyfriend the lumo green sprocket rocket and his photos come out amazing! the shop you are developing it by, i think are removing the sprocket holes.you may need to ask them to please not remove them as this also cuts quite a bit off of the photo. also, this is a wide angle lense (which im sure you know) our photos look completely different to yours. im not sure why tho? his come out super wide angle.
Hi! I also love sprocket holes 😀 I think that the best solution for you to buy a scanner, it really pays off in the long run 😀 It also helps if some of your photos are underexposed (like the 2nd one in this post) – you can correct that with the backlight option (make sure that the scanner has that option), I use Epson Perfection V500, it’s great for 35mm and 120mm format, however you will need a frame if you want sprocket holes (doesn’t come with scanner), you can buy Lomography Digitaliza or just use some imagination (like I did)and adjust the frames that come with the scanner. Hope this helped.
Very disappointing you used to have a photography business AND just announced you’re writing a book about photography and do not understand the basics! 35mm film scanners used in labs use the sprocket holes to feed the film into the machine and consequently are out of the scanning area.
I never got one of these as I knew I would need my own scanner to get the best from it – the frames that you get are bigger than usual and also the sprockets need a bigger scanner to scan them rather than a tradional 35mm scanner, you would need a flatbed scanner if you do get one.
Lomography have a list of photolabs that may be worth checking out
You can actually mail your film directly to Lomography and they’ll process it for you. If you go to their website you can find that option. Exposing past the sprocket holes is an unusual style of photography and few labs work with film shot like that.
When developing lomography film I think it’s important to simply say, when dropping it off, no corrections please! Haha. If I didn’t do this I think they would probably not give me any pictures back and say “Sorry, they were all ruined.” ;p
I definitely agree with cinthya…send your film to lomography or a company of the like and then scan it into your computer yourself. That way you have more control over the sprockets and such. Your CVS man definitely messed it up though, we have a sprocket rocket and our pictures always end up with sprockets. Try again, you will love it!
you MUST give it another chance!, maybe the film wasn’t processed with the exact temperature, that happens a lot when the machines are not in good shape.
I’m from Chile, and there are a lot of places that does 1 hour film developing, and the answer the guy gave you doesn’t match with the result.
I had photography lab (b&w and color) and know that these results are from a temperature variation, i hope you can shot another film soon, maybe you can take some more and send them to different places if you can and find them, so you can choose the one that pleases you more, because not only the temperature is important, the result can be different with the processing chemicals. Try to use different brands too, like Ilford, Fuji, Kodak, Agfa.
So As a lot of other people have said I would definitely recommend using a higher film speed for the stuff indoors. As a recommendation NEVER go to CVS, they are illiterate in actual film processing and scanning and often haven’t the slightest idea how to handle anything that isn’t an SD card.
I haven’t used but plan to use http://thedarkroom.com/ for my next batch of processing. Prices look good and was suggested to me on the lomography site. Good luck!
I would be super bummed if my images came out that way and having paid $80 for the camera…reminds me of the throw away cameras that my Memere still uses!
I use a scanner to get the sprocket holes. That way I only have to use CVS for the negatives. I doubt any photo lab like that will ever be able to develop prints with the edge of the film visible. Using a film scanner keeps me from having to send in my film, very worth it!!
you might even consider just leaving a note when you turn film in to CVS or other places. Just tell them that if they look old or wrong, develop them anyways, because that’s what you’re going for?
awww im too lucky to be in san fran wheres theres an actual lomography store! they develop the photos there too. maybe theres a way to send your film out somewhere to a place that specializes in lomography, even though it would take a bit longer to get your photos. this sprocket camera was next on my list to get!
Other than the two grainy ones, and their missing the neat sprocket edges, I would say they were all interesting photos. So not a total fail 😉 I do worry about photo labs wanting to so called ‘please the customer’ by trying to ‘improve’ the photos, or not printing them altogether because they came out ‘wrong’. Some assistants just don’t get ‘arty’ photography, I suppose 😉 I guess you have to be really clear: give me all of them, whatever they look like! LOL! Better luck next time 🙂
Aww, well thats sweet but sad that the guy working tried to fix the photos. Obviously, he just didn’t know. It’s too bad these didn’t have the little marks around the edges, I think those are the best part!
xo Heather http://ahopelessnotebook.blogspot.com/
Walmart and Walgreens still do 1-hr processing in Springfield. Last time i used Walmart, they didn’t crop my photos right and when i went online to see their uploads of my roll, it was totally different, and better, than what they did with my physical prints. I use Walgreens now after that experience and havent had any problems yet. I haven’t tried CVS but i’m with you on that one – i don’t want my photos re-touched!
They are the best!! Enough said. As far as getting them developed at CVS- Don’t do that again as it will only be a waste of money. I got my first 10 rolls of film developed there from my Diana F+ and they completely botched all of my photos. Some they didn’t even develop because “they looked bad” when only, it was the effect! Anyway, they don’t use a dark room, and their machines do all of the work for them so the people don’t come in contact with the pictures at all. Send them into the dark room.com, they are wonderful and will make your photos exactly how they should’ve come out, if not better. 🙂
I use to get prints and process at the same place, but when they couldn’t print the roll of 35mm I shot in my Holga I knew I was going to have to find another solution. I ended up buying a refurbished Epson Perfection v500 for just $99. I have saved so much by not printing the ‘bad’ photos that it’s already paid for it’s self.
You can actually send it into Lomography to be developed. I have a Spinner 360 and you can only get the film developed through them. They have a mial order service, but if you are here in Los Angeles (for the Sucre tour!) you can stop by one of the Lomo stores and get it developed
mmm looks rare the second-third photo, why they did that :S anyway
in my country we have that problem, I need to find a new lab.
in general I like the last one 😀
A few people above mentioned tips which I will reiterate and add my own:
1. Ask that the lab doesn’t cut your film. Often beautiful double exposures may cross over several traditional image spacings and would be lost if cut.
2. Scanning yourself is the way to go, but will still cut off your edges if you use the 35mm holders that come with. In order to get a full-frame scan you can either scan 35mm in the 120mm or larger holder, or try 35mm on the flatbed directly with a piece of glass on it to increase crispness. You’ll want to scan emulsion-side down and flip in PS afterwards. (you can also wet-plate scan with mineral spirits or other liquids, but it’s complicated and I usually only do it for 4×5″ negatives because it’s time-consuming)
3. 800ISO is great but any higher will be grainier.. so you could stick to 400, meter it at 800 or shoot only in bright situations, & when you get developed, ask them to push it a stop or two.
4. Film from lomography is expensive, but totally worth it. Processing, however, is ludicrous. To keep it cheap, go to CVS/Wal-mart etc. and just ask them to not do any sort of correcting or cutting, just process.
(p.s. you can get 120mm film VERY cheaply processed at Wal-mart by checking the ‘send-off’ box or whatever. and you get the cutest tiny square prints .. Wal-mart sucks, but cheap 120 processing = awesome!)
I have this camera at home and I love it! What is very important (maybe I’m stating the obvious here) is that BEFORE you place the film, you remove the little bracket in the back of the camera. Removing this bracket will expose the sprocket holes in your pictures.
Then as most people have already stated it’s important that you bring your film to folks who are used to being around Lomography film so they won’t accidentally muck things up.
I agree with those who scan themselves. It will save you money in the long run if you are really into film. I have an Epson v500 and it’s great for both 35mm and 120.
Like others mentions I take my color film to CVS and ask for no cutting the negatives. I do the same with B & W, but have to take it to another place in town.
All the “correction” takes place on the scan–so if you do it yourself you are in control.
Most photo labs won’t be able to scan the images to include the sprocket holes. You will need to find somewhere that can scan them for you on a flat bed scanner, when they can scan the whole strip of film rather that the individual frames.
Good luck 🙂
I’ve had good luck with http://thedarkroom.com/. They handle lomography and toy cameras really well, and will even cross process for you!
I’m not sure what the price comparison is with CVS, but when I first started mailing my film in, I did the math and realized I was paying $2-3 more per roll, but getting a much better product.
In my experience, the photos are usually processed, scanned, and uploaded to their website within a couple days and I usually get the CDs and negatives back within a week. (I don’t like getting print sets without seeing how the photos turned out first.) It’s also worth mentioning that if a roll doesn’t come out, they’ll credit your account for a free roll. Since I have yet to master the loading of my Holga, I’m a big fan of this policy! Nothing worse than paying $12 for blank negatives.
I feel like the only one I love is the last one.
All of the other ones are super grainy and dark, and kind of look like bad iphone photos. I feel like you can get the same effects either on your iphone or holga, and they would look 5X better, too. I am not a fan of the camera. thanks for reviewing it though, so I know to buy different holga film instead of this camera! xo
I have a few toy cameras and the photos always look awful when developed at cvs. There are several Lomography stores in NYC where I usually get mine developed and they look SOOO much better than CVS. I bet you could call them and ask for some recommendations in your town.
Walmart. Takes a few days to a week depending on store size/service. Make sure to write in the special instructions area for unedited photos and cropping. They go through Fuji.
Great shots! they look great(:
i go to Unique Photo in Fairfield, New Jersey. I don’t know if they have any other locations, but they’ve been super helpful with getting me used to my Holga.
hey elsie! developing film always makes me really nervous, especially at CVS or wlagreens. i mail mine out to lomolab now, and the do a pretty good job. it’s a little expensive, but worth it. i just got a roll back from my diana mini, and they seemed to have understood what the photos were and how they needed to but cut or edited.
My friends own a couple of MotoPhotos in Louisville, KY – the quality is really good there and you can also be very specific of what you want done. http://www.motophotoky.com
If you want to call, ask for T.K. – he’s the owner.
the developing is probably not the problem, it’s the scans. cvs’ scanning computer automatically crops the sprocket holes out and auto-adjusts to try and get the best quality possible. you just need a way to get a full frame scan. i suggest getting your own scanner if you want control over that because unless you’re going to go to a professional (Pricey!) you’re not going to get the quality you want.
I know that 1hr photo places just scan where a normal photo is on the film, but with the sprocket rocket camera, the photos are exposed onto the whole film strip. So, your photos are there, but past the normal area, so they’re not showing in the prints or scans. I don’t know if you want to send the film away, but Lomography also offers the special film development services. http://usa.shop.lomography.com/film-development-services
The problem isn’t with the film development, it’s with the scanning! If you still have the negatives, this is totally fixable. (PS, always keep the negatives!)
The grain and the colors are due to corrections during scanning. They aren’t actually on the film itself. Second, the sprocket holes are on the film, but you need access to a scanner that will read them.
I suggest going one of two ways:
1. Buy a film scanner (with your love of toy cameras, an Epson is well worth the investment and higher quality you will get by scanning your own negatives). Scan any of your “sprocket” photos using the 120 film mask. This lets you see the edges of the film instead of cutting them off.
2. Send your negatives to be scanned by a lab that knows how to handle lomo photos. For example, Lomography. $10 extra for sprocket scanning is a fair price for awesome photos.
Third (incredibly hard, but also worth considering) option: Learn to print your own photo prints in a darkroom. Scan the prints with any cheap flatbed scanner.
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What exactly do you mean?If you need to deovelp the film, then yes you should send it off somewhere, to a lab that can deovelp that film. Most of these labs do offer the option of scanning the film onto a CD or DVD so that you have them in digital form. You can even choose to not have any prints, just the digital image, you can then later get them in print format. Not sure what you are talking about when you mean scan them with you Canon.
Very nicely done! I’m in luv with skpocret holes too. One question do you use any of the mask provided when shooting with skpocret holes? I find my frames pretty much sticking to each other (with very very very tiny gap) and it’s quite a pain in the butt when scanning. Just finished scanning some shots from a roll of b&w on the BBF cam.
140 Comments
Oh that’s unfortunate. Obviously the look of the camera is great, but the quality is pretty grainy. Now that they have iPhones that can take editorial quality photographs, then why shouldn’t an actual camera.
Sorry pal, that’s a bummer.
xoxo
http://www.natashafatah.blogspot.com
I like them BECAUSE they look old. I like the grainy look and I think they look great, and I’m a photographer! :0)
I actually really like most of them! They look unique. Especially the last one.
Kindness is the best accessory,
Rebecca
i think they came out good, i love the double exposure one!
-K
my mom uses york photo labs, which offers mail-in service to develop her film. the link is here http://www.yorkphoto.com/york/
try oldschoolphotolab.com or lomography.com also does developing. I’ve heard good things about oldschoolphotolab though. The photos still look good despite the cvs mishap!
What speed are you using? You may want to try 800 speed if you’re not already.
Also, when you take in your film, ask for NO COLOR CORRECTION on the “additional instructions”. I’d also recommend investing in a good film scanner. The Epson Perfection line is pretty good. You can also get different plates for different film (35mm, 120, slides, etc).
There is a Rite Aid where I live where they will do film developing for $1.89 a roll (without prints). I also ask them not to cut the film and I just scan them in myself when I get home.
If you’re worried about the actual quality of the photos (not the missing sprocket marks), then you’re using the wrong camera. Lomo is all about light leaks and crappy, grainy photos. My Holga has intense light leaks, and my Diana Mini takes almost exclusively blurry, dreamlike pictures. I think these look pretty cool, especially the double exposure.
I send my film to snap fish and they do a pretty swell job. Best Wishes.
I used to have a scanner that would scan medium format film and that was how I was able to get images with sprocket holes. Did you know that if you put a 35mm film into a Holga, you’d get the same effect? 🙂
Will be interesting to see how the next roll turns out – maybe that guy did mess it up a little trying to save it.
girlfriend, Dwayne’s photo in Kansas is the development lab of your dreams!!! the process everything from 35/120/16mm/super8/large format…the list goes on and on!!
http://www.dwaynesphoto.com/
Ugh, I had a problem years ago with shots developed from my lomo fisheye camera… every one of the photos was cut wrong… half of two different fisheye photos on each 4×6… it was kinda ridiculous. I always feel weird taking any sort of lomo film to get developed, like they’re not going to understand how to do it, which is unfortunate because as a result I hardly ever take any holga photos.
Hi!
I have this camera and love it! I recommend using 800 speed films with this camera, the lomography 800 film works amazing.
Here is an example I took:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sewlovely/6535874579/in/faves-22056640@N07/
Also, for processing I would send to lomography (not sure what the price is but they do a really nice job) or http://www.oldschoolphotolab.com/ (they have free shipping both ways).
For the first few rolls with this camera I got the “sprocket scans” but they cost an extra $10 which quickly adds up, so now I just get regular scans and your photos will look like the photo above.
Good luck and have fun, sprockets are so magical!
Most drug stores still do 1 hour photo and I’ve always had good luck with them, I would just suggest telling them no color correction, that way they won’t try to “fix” your negatives. Hope the next batch come out better!
http://littleladylittlecity.blogspot.com/
I think they’re great,but I love grainy photos like these!
Hi! i’m a huge fan of your blog and i actually work at a photo lab in overland park, kansas. its called process one. we have been around for years and do all kinds of film and we get lomo film all the time. i actually have some cameras of theirs and know what kind of look you’re going for and i would love to do your film!! the website for the store is http://www.processonephoto.com you should def check us out!!
-cortney
Walmart. Takes a few days to a week depending on store size/service. Make sure to write in the special instructions area for unedited photos and cropping. They go through Fuji.
i personally use http://www.oldschoolphotolab.com/ but id also suggest target, my target does one hour photo and are very kind about how particular i am with my film.
If you want to keep it (relatively) local, try Creve Coeur Camera in St. Louis. I send all my Lomo, Holga and Minox film there. Have them process the film only and send you the negatives. Get a negative scanner and do the rest yourself. Once you have the files how you want them, upload them to the printer of your choice. I find Walgreens does a pretty good job of printing without tweaking photos.
hang in there!
i love my sprocket rocket. have had lots of fun times doing double exposures and mixing with the manual exposure function. i’ve always taken my film back to the lomo store for developing though so i guess they know best.
Hi Elsie!
I work at a photo processing lab in a pharmacy in Canada (sounds very similar to the CVS situation) and we are trained to “fix” photos if they look old or the film comes out wonky in any way. Most film after it is developed is hand corrected for colour and lighting, so next time you get it developed, you can ask for the employee to leave the film as is, without correcting it. However, I don’t know if it’s possible to get film developed with the sprocket marks unless you scan it in yourself. The sprockets are meant for allowing the film to be moved inside the machine (which I’m sure you know) and therefore they probably don’t have the option of being scanned.
Also, looking at the photos, since most developer/photo machines are very similar, those dark photos are the fault of the camera and not the person editing the photos. You simply don’t have that much power over how the photos turn out.
I hope this helps/makes sense! The film should be fine to scan in.
This is definitely not what the sprocket rocket photos are supposed to look like. Drugstores don’t have the right scanners to scan sprocket holes (I learned the hard way).
The photos are really cute though! I’m a sucker for lo-fi cameras and pictures, so I love the grain in yours.
Don’t give up on that camera, once you learn the ins and outs of it you’ll love it! I’m excited to see more sprocket rocket photos from you!
Here are some links for some mail out photo labs that I like and are familiar with lomography and will scan them the right way.
http://www.oldschoolphotolab.com/Lab_Home.html
http://www.photoworkssf.com/services-and-rates/mail-us-your-film
And here’s a good resource for photolabs in the US-
http://www.lomography.com/more/photolabs/country/226-united-states?page=1
I hope this helps!
The camera and the photos are so cute!
xx
http://www.thetrendspotter.net
If you had CVS scan them, the scanner will not scan the sprocket holes because that’s what it uses to feed the film into the machine. The camera simply allows the exposure to run over the holes, to get the full picture you’ll need to scan them in at home with a film scanner.
my husband always tells people at costco to not autocorrect his film. He gets a lot of film developed with them, so the know him now, but for a long time they always wanted to color correct his film.
I really like these, especially the last! Can’t wait to see more when you get the sprocket marks and they don’t mess around with the film!
try thedarkroom.com they are good
lawrence photo in town does 1 hour printing, or i hope they still do.
that is the exact opposite of a photo fail! i love them all 🙂
~niki <3
http://youngandimmortal.blogspot.com/
i’d recommend investing in a negative scanner instead of scanning the prints.
i’d also experiment with a few different speeds of film.
personally, i like the way these photos turned out! haha i like the graininess 🙂
http://saramadebeth.wordpress.com
that last photo is really cool! unfortunately i’m only a lomography admirer right now but hopefully that will change!
georgia
http://swonderfulgd.blogspot.com/
I love them! I can see the disappointment in not having the sprocket marks though… I may need to look into getting one of these, because I LOVE to shoot with film!
If you have a ritz camera (or wolf Camera) then they do film!
I used to really want this camera, but after reading into it and discovering that you have to scan the film a certain way to get the sprockets, I realized it wasn’t worth it. I guess there are labs that could do it, but they’re hard to find. :/
We always used to use York photo labs when I was growing up…they did a great job processing film.
http://www.yorkphoto.com/york/helpsendingfilm
Gah! My grandmother (yes, the one who reads your blog every single day) purchased this camera a few months ago. We still have a lot of places who do 1-hour film around Santa Fe, so once she takes some pictures and has them developed, I’ll let you know if it’s just your film guy or a fault with the camera!
I like http://thedarkroom.com/ because they are very accustomed to toy cameras (especially lomography) and they aren’t too expensive.
I use Snapfish! They are awesome!!!!
http://www.loganmakesamess.com
aww I actually like them like this!
Try these guys: http://thedarkroom.com/ They do it all.
I send my Holga film into Dwayne’s in Kansas. I haven’t been able to find anyone good locally (in Chicago!!!) to do it.
Elsie!! Oh my word, please never ever get your film developed at a CVS/ Target/ etc. It’s really worth the extra money to get it in a professional lab that does Lomography -type stuff. I just found Old School Photo Lab who personalizes in sprockets. I had mine developed from Dwayne’s Photo Lab http://www.flickr.com/photos/ourcitylights/sets/72157625626966240/with/5280342157/
What a bummer! I still think the photos are beautiful but the novelty of the sprockets defeats the purpose of the camera. It’s so beautiful, too.
Any drugstore lab will not be able to scan your film with the sprocket holes, you will have to go to a pro lab, or send it off to one (or scan yourself). Also, another thing to note is that drugstores often have old chemicals these days because of the lack of film processing, so the chemicals sit longer then they should which can often cause developing problems.
A few people mentioned Old School Photo Lab, which is great for almost any type of film. They do a great job there, but I’m pretty sure they do not scan the film with the sprocket holes there. Maybe try Richard Photo Lab? They are another top-notch pro lab that you can send your stuff out to.
As far as the quality goes, it could be older film, it could be old chemicals, but it looks like (without seeing the whole roll) you were maybe using a lower ISO film and going back and forth between lighting situations… the photos in brighter sunlight look much better than the ones in shadow or darker lighting situations. With any type of a camera that falls into the toy or LOMO category, you typically need to use a lower ISO film and shoot in bright daylight to get the best results with less grain and to keep the colors more saturated. You definitely can’t go back and forth between outside in bright light and inside or in shadow without loosing detail either in the light or dark areas. In this situation, the darker photos were probably much darker and they corrected it in your scans which caused more grain and loss of contrast and saturation.
Oh no! That sort of defeats the purpose of having a Sprocket Rocket if there are no sprocket holes, doesn’t it? Lomography.com has several film development services available for different cameras and different types of film. http://usa.shop.lomography.com/films/film-development-services/135-sprocket-rocket-development
You could also take the roll to a one hour development place and ask them to JUST develop the film, not make any prints (or get a CD of images and a photo index instead of prints, which is what I do). That way you won’t be paying for prints of any photos that you don’t want. If you have a printer at home capable of printing photos, you can scan your own film and DIY it without too much trouble.
Or you can try bringing it to an actual photo lab. Sometimes they can do developments in house at camera shops, and places that actually sell cameras and equipment usually have more understanding of the artfulness that you’re trying to achieve with a plastic camera and can work with you if you want the film cross processed or if you want your prints a certain way. If you do choose to get prints at a one hour photo, you definitely have to tell them that you want everything left just as it is and not to worry about adjusting anything or trying to fix anything. They usually give me sort of a funny look when I explain it to them, but it comes out right. Hope that helps!
Hi Elsie! You can actually do the scan yourselves to have the sprocket bracket! Here’s how you can do it! Hope it helps! 😉 Have a great day!
http://singapore.shop.lomography.com/lomography-digitaliza
I like the results! Especially the second and last photos! I hope the next batch go a little better for you!
Hi Elsie, I use http://www.thedarkroom.com and they’re great!! Super user friendly, great customer service, up-to-date in the coolness department, and lot’s of printing options.
I’m in the Seattle area and they’re in Cali – my photos are uploaded in my personal online library as soon as they receive the film and my prints are back to me within a week, usually.
Try getting the film developed by not getting any prints, then use a scanner at home to get the whole photo (sprockets and all) in the frame!
terror! lol.. imagine the little man fixing all of your pictures.. ahh!!
Check out my blog:
http://amandagrisham.blogspot.com/
Amanda
Try http://thedarkroom.com/
They love lomography! I had 4 rolls of film developed by them, and they all came out great.
I have found that you just need to warn them what the photos are “supposed” to look like, otherwise they always think something is wrong. With my golden half camera I have to tell them that the shots are half frames and there is supposed to be a black line down the center of the photos 🙂
I actually love the quality of the photos! I really want to get a cute little film camera of some sort 🙂
-charlotte <3
Lovin’ the images as is, but I’m excited to see the next batch as well 🙂
I have this camera as well. There is a piece inside that you can keep in or take out and it will either have the sprockets or not. Does yours do the same? Maybe that’s why it didn’t have them, it might have been set so it didn’t have them. I live in Ottawa, Canada and am having lots of trouble finding a place that will even develop them.
you can send your film in at lomography.com!
I love that feeling when you can’t see the photos right away 🙂
I can see where that would be frustrating. I always always use http://www.dwaynesphoto.com/. They’re just in Kansas and they prices are great! Not to mention they have a speedy delivery.
I’ve never had an issue!
Hope this helps.
I live in Springfield and my boyfriend was a photo tech at the Walgreens on Fremont and Republic Road. I’ve had lots of rolls developed there and you want to ask to have them developed by Marion. Professional photographers like Jeffery Sweet even bring in rolls of film for her to develop because she’s really good at it!
Also, you can always tells photo techs to not edit your prints because they’re trained to edit all batches that are brought in.
Is it just me or are these not wide angle shots like the camera advertises? :-/
I love the grainy look personally…makes it feel like you were in another decade 🙂
Nina
http://themakingsofnk.blogspot.com
Snapfish is a wonderful with developing.
My wife told me about your post.
Here are some photos I have taken with mine:
http://www.flickr.com/search/?w=26147241%40N07&q=sprocket&m=text
To me it looks like you didn’t take your photos at times/places with enough light. There are only two aperture settings and one shutter speed! Did you use 400iso film? Grab some Portra 400 for the next round!
Also, did you remove the little plastic piece that blocks the sprockets? You have to remove that piece from the camera to expose the sprocket holes. Does the film have stuff exposed over the sprockets. Your shots should be a little wider I think–basically the person who scanned them might have cut off some of the shot.
I develop mine at Nichols in Salt Lake City. They are a pro lab and scan well, though it is a bit more expensive than a pharmacy. Though if you are going to buy the film, develop it, and scan it, you might as well get the most out of it you can, right?
I hope this helps.
the problem is not actually the processing, its the scanning. The color processing at cvs is pretty controlled but the scanning and digital editing is not. I would suggest buying your own 35mm scanner and scanning and editing yourself. Also this shop http://lawrencephotovideo.com/FilmPrinting.html develops 35 and medium format film and would do a better job at it and a way better job scanning.
good luck
Jax
http://www.e-sixlab.com/
that is where we send film for the “holga and alternative photo techniques” class i am in! they do a great job with toy cameras. and yes, make sure you get negatives only, prints or scanning your photos makes your bill much higher! and send in a bunch of rolls at once to save on shipping. we just shot expired bnw slide film and had it cross processed as color film and it came back pretty amazing!
i have the same camera and have to admit that i have not played around with it much, BUT i do know that there is a little frame inside that needs to be removed so that the image will expose over the sprocket holes. if you have not removed the frame, you will not get the cool sprocket effect. if you already know about removing the frame, then im afraid i have no advice haha. good luck!
Girl….CVS ain’t gonna know nothin’ about analogue photography! Gotta sent it out unfortunately.
Do you know if you’re able to mail it in to Lomography at all? I’m have a Holga, and I’m super lucky, because I live three blocks away from an actual Lomography store, so getting my film developed is a breeze…but maybe they have somewhere you can send it? Or maybe you could contact them and get some lab ideas. Just some thoughts =] I still think some of those photos turned out super cute, though.
http://www.existation.com
Color Services in Santa Barbara, CA is well worth a perusal of their website. They are passionate about their work.
http://www.colorservices.com/home.php
I get the great majority of my photos developed at costco, both film and digital. So, they are a great option if there is one nearby, and they are super helpful if you have specific requests.
If you want sprocket marks, my advice would be to get the film developed and scan them yourself. I have actually scanned film with a regular scanner and then reversed the color in photoshop. It’s obviously not as awesome as a negative scanner, but I usually get pretty good results.
Hey, I have been using mine for a while and love it. heres a few shots http://morganandkim.blogspot.fr/search/label/Sproket%20Rocket. I’ll admit it is tricky to sort out developing. Now i just go to a normal film developing guy and say, “develop it normal and dont cut it!” I then cut and scan it myself. You need a rear lighting scanner which you can find reasonably priced ones on amazing, i’d be happy to recomend some if you dont have any. As for the sprocket holes, you need to scan with the lomography frame. I haven’t bought one yet. Or if you dont want to do anything yourself these guys do it for you scan and all http://www.oldschoolphotolab.com/35mm.html.
I really like the first, second, fourth and last photos. They have a cool effect for accentuating the blues and greens! Also I love good grainy photos! I like it!
Scanning with sprocket is difficult, most labs don’t do it. ..
I get all my lomo film processed at Looking Glass Photo in Berkeley. They’re totally awesome and have been around forever. I’m sure you could mail yours in and they’d be happy to do it.
Like a lot of other commenters, these are my tips:
– Use 100 or 200 ISO film
– Get a neg scanner and diy the scanning to get the sprocket holes. It’s highly unlikely that a CVS lab will be able to get that into the developed pics for you
– If you really want to get them developed, send them to a pro lab, they’ll be able to do what you want
And, when the CVS dude said your film looked old, it MIGHT be because you were using LOMO-film, which is basically expried film rolls. And when he tried to “fix it” I’m pretty sure he corrected out the color effects = the washed out, grey look in some of the pics. Just my 2c /reb
the darkroom.com they specialize in toy cameras* I still need practice with my holga that takes 120 film my first roll was a fail* thank for sharing*
Haha, that is kind of funny. ‘I thought they looked kind of old so I fixed them’ 😛 Maybe next try you will get exactly what you want. Can’t let them process the negatives again?
I’ve had also had problems with shops trying to “fix” film pictures. I think you’re right about the negatives being scanned and cropped. I love the texture of these photos.
You could get CVS to just expose the rolls and then scan the negatives yourself onto your computer instead of getting prints made. That might be worth a test to see if it works out better.
You can try it at the Lomography shop, there are 6 of them in the USA http://www.lomography.nl/about/worldwide
Goodluck 🙂
I would recommend getting the negatives developed but not printed. Ask for the film to be processed, not colour corrected and not cut. Then invest in a good scanner which allows negative scanning (or borrow a friends) – Epson are excellent – and use that to digitise them yourself. It will pick up the sprocket holes. This is what we do with our Lomography Spinner films. Hope it helps!
I love the last image, that one looks amazing. That’s the fun of film cameras 🙂
Zoe
http://gypsiesister.blogspot.co.uk
Cool blog !
I follow it from Belgium ! Love your work !!
http://rosydaquinophotography.blogspot.com/
cute camera!!!
http://bonnieclydemarni.blogspot.com/
My friend has this camera and the minute I saw it, I named it “The Mean Submarine” 🙂 I thought it looks exactly like that! Anyway, I do like your photos and the grain in them. Especially the picture of the window and the shades.
Ah I’ve had the same problem! I told the guy the sprocket marks would show up and not to crop them off but he did. Bummer! I’m in Australia and off to find somewhere more personal that develops and takes care of my film 🙂
I love lomography cameras. I used my first roll when I travelled overseas but it got water damaged! Horror!
Cute pics 🙂
http://the-makingofthings.blogspot.com.au/
Those shoes are so cute! xoxo
Hi there
i acutally bought my boyfriend the lumo green sprocket rocket and his photos come out amazing! the shop you are developing it by, i think are removing the sprocket holes.you may need to ask them to please not remove them as this also cuts quite a bit off of the photo. also, this is a wide angle lense (which im sure you know) our photos look completely different to yours. im not sure why tho? his come out super wide angle.
Actually I love it. I think the pictures are beautiful.
Hi! I also love sprocket holes 😀 I think that the best solution for you to buy a scanner, it really pays off in the long run 😀 It also helps if some of your photos are underexposed (like the 2nd one in this post) – you can correct that with the backlight option (make sure that the scanner has that option), I use Epson Perfection V500, it’s great for 35mm and 120mm format, however you will need a frame if you want sprocket holes (doesn’t come with scanner), you can buy Lomography Digitaliza or just use some imagination (like I did)and adjust the frames that come with the scanner. Hope this helped.
It’s probably from his adjusting it! That’s happened to me before and I just wish they would leave things alone!!!
xoxo, Jjanga
http://www.sayhelloandsmile.blogspot.com
Very disappointing you used to have a photography business AND just announced you’re writing a book about photography and do not understand the basics! 35mm film scanners used in labs use the sprocket holes to feed the film into the machine and consequently are out of the scanning area.
Lawrence photo in Springfield does but they send it out and it takes a week. http://lawrencephotovideo.com/
I never got one of these as I knew I would need my own scanner to get the best from it – the frames that you get are bigger than usual and also the sprockets need a bigger scanner to scan them rather than a tradional 35mm scanner, you would need a flatbed scanner if you do get one.
Lomography have a list of photolabs that may be worth checking out
http://www.lomography.com/more/photolabs/country/226-united-states
I actually really love your results though especially for a first roll, you and Emma suit film grain 🙂
You can actually mail your film directly to Lomography and they’ll process it for you. If you go to their website you can find that option. Exposing past the sprocket holes is an unusual style of photography and few labs work with film shot like that.
– An obsessed Lomographer
When developing lomography film I think it’s important to simply say, when dropping it off, no corrections please! Haha. If I didn’t do this I think they would probably not give me any pictures back and say “Sorry, they were all ruined.” ;p
I definitely agree with cinthya…send your film to lomography or a company of the like and then scan it into your computer yourself. That way you have more control over the sprockets and such. Your CVS man definitely messed it up though, we have a sprocket rocket and our pictures always end up with sprockets. Try again, you will love it!
you MUST give it another chance!, maybe the film wasn’t processed with the exact temperature, that happens a lot when the machines are not in good shape.
I’m from Chile, and there are a lot of places that does 1 hour film developing, and the answer the guy gave you doesn’t match with the result.
I had photography lab (b&w and color) and know that these results are from a temperature variation, i hope you can shot another film soon, maybe you can take some more and send them to different places if you can and find them, so you can choose the one that pleases you more, because not only the temperature is important, the result can be different with the processing chemicals. Try to use different brands too, like Ilford, Fuji, Kodak, Agfa.
Greetings from Chile 😉
Andy
So As a lot of other people have said I would definitely recommend using a higher film speed for the stuff indoors. As a recommendation NEVER go to CVS, they are illiterate in actual film processing and scanning and often haven’t the slightest idea how to handle anything that isn’t an SD card.
Lomography has an online service that gets sent directly to their NY lab where their great experienced techs make great scans and prints of everything.
here is the link:
http://usa.shop.lomography.com/films/film-development-services
I haven’t used but plan to use http://thedarkroom.com/ for my next batch of processing. Prices look good and was suggested to me on the lomography site. Good luck!
I would be super bummed if my images came out that way and having paid $80 for the camera…reminds me of the throw away cameras that my Memere still uses!
I use a scanner to get the sprocket holes. That way I only have to use CVS for the negatives. I doubt any photo lab like that will ever be able to develop prints with the edge of the film visible. Using a film scanner keeps me from having to send in my film, very worth it!!
you might even consider just leaving a note when you turn film in to CVS or other places. Just tell them that if they look old or wrong, develop them anyways, because that’s what you’re going for?
awww im too lucky to be in san fran wheres theres an actual lomography store! they develop the photos there too. maybe theres a way to send your film out somewhere to a place that specializes in lomography, even though it would take a bit longer to get your photos. this sprocket camera was next on my list to get!
Design of camera is cool and fun. And quality photos blurry and grainy. Could be and it is better. ((
From http://www.xeanafashion.com
Other than the two grainy ones, and their missing the neat sprocket edges, I would say they were all interesting photos. So not a total fail 😉 I do worry about photo labs wanting to so called ‘please the customer’ by trying to ‘improve’ the photos, or not printing them altogether because they came out ‘wrong’. Some assistants just don’t get ‘arty’ photography, I suppose 😉 I guess you have to be really clear: give me all of them, whatever they look like! LOL! Better luck next time 🙂
Pass, totally pass!
Aww, well thats sweet but sad that the guy working tried to fix the photos. Obviously, he just didn’t know. It’s too bad these didn’t have the little marks around the edges, I think those are the best part!
xo Heather
http://ahopelessnotebook.blogspot.com/
i always mail my film to richard photo lab – they are absolutely amazing! http://www.richardphotolab.com/
Walmart and Walgreens still do 1-hr processing in Springfield. Last time i used Walmart, they didn’t crop my photos right and when i went online to see their uploads of my roll, it was totally different, and better, than what they did with my physical prints. I use Walgreens now after that experience and havent had any problems yet. I haven’t tried CVS but i’m with you on that one – i don’t want my photos re-touched!
http://thedarkroom.com
They are the best!! Enough said. As far as getting them developed at CVS- Don’t do that again as it will only be a waste of money. I got my first 10 rolls of film developed there from my Diana F+ and they completely botched all of my photos. Some they didn’t even develop because “they looked bad” when only, it was the effect! Anyway, they don’t use a dark room, and their machines do all of the work for them so the people don’t come in contact with the pictures at all. Send them into the dark room.com, they are wonderful and will make your photos exactly how they should’ve come out, if not better. 🙂
I use to get prints and process at the same place, but when they couldn’t print the roll of 35mm I shot in my Holga I knew I was going to have to find another solution. I ended up buying a refurbished Epson Perfection v500 for just $99. I have saved so much by not printing the ‘bad’ photos that it’s already paid for it’s self.
I edit my photos in photoshop and then I can decide how I want them fixed.
http://www.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/jsp/Product.do?BV_UseBVCookie=yes&sku=B11B189011
Here are some of my scans.
http://zangwow.blogspot.com/2012/04/photos-second-roll-35mm-in-adapted.html
This was from a roll dropped in light by accident.
http://zangwow.blogspot.com/2012/02/photos-from-film-set-1.html
You can actually send it into Lomography to be developed. I have a Spinner 360 and you can only get the film developed through them. They have a mial order service, but if you are here in Los Angeles (for the Sucre tour!) you can stop by one of the Lomo stores and get it developed
mmm looks rare the second-third photo, why they did that :S anyway
in my country we have that problem, I need to find a new lab.
in general I like the last one 😀
A few people above mentioned tips which I will reiterate and add my own:
1. Ask that the lab doesn’t cut your film. Often beautiful double exposures may cross over several traditional image spacings and would be lost if cut.
2. Scanning yourself is the way to go, but will still cut off your edges if you use the 35mm holders that come with. In order to get a full-frame scan you can either scan 35mm in the 120mm or larger holder, or try 35mm on the flatbed directly with a piece of glass on it to increase crispness. You’ll want to scan emulsion-side down and flip in PS afterwards. (you can also wet-plate scan with mineral spirits or other liquids, but it’s complicated and I usually only do it for 4×5″ negatives because it’s time-consuming)
3. 800ISO is great but any higher will be grainier.. so you could stick to 400, meter it at 800 or shoot only in bright situations, & when you get developed, ask them to push it a stop or two.
4. Film from lomography is expensive, but totally worth it. Processing, however, is ludicrous. To keep it cheap, go to CVS/Wal-mart etc. and just ask them to not do any sort of correcting or cutting, just process.
(p.s. you can get 120mm film VERY cheaply processed at Wal-mart by checking the ‘send-off’ box or whatever. and you get the cutest tiny square prints .. Wal-mart sucks, but cheap 120 processing = awesome!)
I have this camera at home and I love it! What is very important (maybe I’m stating the obvious here) is that BEFORE you place the film, you remove the little bracket in the back of the camera. Removing this bracket will expose the sprocket holes in your pictures.
Then as most people have already stated it’s important that you bring your film to folks who are used to being around Lomography film so they won’t accidentally muck things up.
I uploaded one of my own favorite Sprocket Rocket photos to my blog, you can see it here: http://exploreeveryday.wordpress.com/sprocket-rocket/
Good luck and have fun! It really is a pretty awesome camera! 😀
I agree with those who scan themselves. It will save you money in the long run if you are really into film. I have an Epson v500 and it’s great for both 35mm and 120.
Like others mentions I take my color film to CVS and ask for no cutting the negatives. I do the same with B & W, but have to take it to another place in town.
All the “correction” takes place on the scan–so if you do it yourself you are in control.
In South Dakota we use HAROLDS PHOTO.
http://haroldsphoto.com/
You can leave message for the person developing the film, like “please don’t fix any images!”
They are super quick, and will be mailed to you within the week.
-Kelly
Most photo labs won’t be able to scan the images to include the sprocket holes. You will need to find somewhere that can scan them for you on a flat bed scanner, when they can scan the whole strip of film rather that the individual frames.
Good luck 🙂
i love your polka dot rug ! so many cool things here im really into making and upcycling right now !
I’ve had good luck with http://thedarkroom.com/. They handle lomography and toy cameras really well, and will even cross process for you!
I’m not sure what the price comparison is with CVS, but when I first started mailing my film in, I did the math and realized I was paying $2-3 more per roll, but getting a much better product.
In my experience, the photos are usually processed, scanned, and uploaded to their website within a couple days and I usually get the CDs and negatives back within a week. (I don’t like getting print sets without seeing how the photos turned out first.) It’s also worth mentioning that if a roll doesn’t come out, they’ll credit your account for a free roll. Since I have yet to master the loading of my Holga, I’m a big fan of this policy! Nothing worse than paying $12 for blank negatives.
Hope this helps!
Ack, good intentions gone wrong!
I feel like the only one I love is the last one.
All of the other ones are super grainy and dark, and kind of look like bad iphone photos. I feel like you can get the same effects either on your iphone or holga, and they would look 5X better, too. I am not a fan of the camera. thanks for reviewing it though, so I know to buy different holga film instead of this camera! xo
I love playing with old film! You should totally buy an old super 8 camera, to shoot film on! Rhey are awesome and so retro!
I have a few toy cameras and the photos always look awful when developed at cvs. There are several Lomography stores in NYC where I usually get mine developed and they look SOOO much better than CVS. I bet you could call them and ask for some recommendations in your town.
Walmart. Takes a few days to a week depending on store size/service. Make sure to write in the special instructions area for unedited photos and cropping. They go through Fuji.
think they came out good, i love the double exposure one!
upload them to the printer of your choice. I find Walgreens does a pretty good job of printing without
Great shots! they look great(:
i go to Unique Photo in Fairfield, New Jersey. I don’t know if they have any other locations, but they’ve been super helpful with getting me used to my Holga.
hey elsie! developing film always makes me really nervous, especially at CVS or wlagreens. i mail mine out to lomolab now, and the do a pretty good job. it’s a little expensive, but worth it. i just got a roll back from my diana mini, and they seemed to have understood what the photos were and how they needed to but cut or edited.
My friends own a couple of MotoPhotos in Louisville, KY – the quality is really good there and you can also be very specific of what you want done. http://www.motophotoky.com
If you want to call, ask for T.K. – he’s the owner.
Good luck!
wow that last double exposure pic is incredible! i’m sure that was a great unexpected surprise! i love seeing your film photography adventures 🙂
the developing is probably not the problem, it’s the scans. cvs’ scanning computer automatically crops the sprocket holes out and auto-adjusts to try and get the best quality possible. you just need a way to get a full frame scan. i suggest getting your own scanner if you want control over that because unless you’re going to go to a professional (Pricey!) you’re not going to get the quality you want.
-photography student in philly
I know that 1hr photo places just scan where a normal photo is on the film, but with the sprocket rocket camera, the photos are exposed onto the whole film strip. So, your photos are there, but past the normal area, so they’re not showing in the prints or scans. I don’t know if you want to send the film away, but Lomography also offers the special film development services. http://usa.shop.lomography.com/film-development-services
The problem isn’t with the film development, it’s with the scanning! If you still have the negatives, this is totally fixable. (PS, always keep the negatives!)
The grain and the colors are due to corrections during scanning. They aren’t actually on the film itself. Second, the sprocket holes are on the film, but you need access to a scanner that will read them.
I suggest going one of two ways:
1. Buy a film scanner (with your love of toy cameras, an Epson is well worth the investment and higher quality you will get by scanning your own negatives). Scan any of your “sprocket” photos using the 120 film mask. This lets you see the edges of the film instead of cutting them off.
2. Send your negatives to be scanned by a lab that knows how to handle lomo photos. For example, Lomography. $10 extra for sprocket scanning is a fair price for awesome photos.
Third (incredibly hard, but also worth considering) option: Learn to print your own photo prints in a darkroom. Scan the prints with any cheap flatbed scanner.
Good luck!
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What exactly do you mean?If you need to deovelp the film, then yes you should send it off somewhere, to a lab that can deovelp that film. Most of these labs do offer the option of scanning the film onto a CD or DVD so that you have them in digital form. You can even choose to not have any prints, just the digital image, you can then later get them in print format. Not sure what you are talking about when you mean scan them with you Canon.
Very nicely done! I’m in luv with skpocret holes too. One question do you use any of the mask provided when shooting with skpocret holes? I find my frames pretty much sticking to each other (with very very very tiny gap) and it’s quite a pain in the butt when scanning. Just finished scanning some shots from a roll of b&w on the BBF cam.