See What Develops at a Quality Lab

The quest for the perfect picture can often be exhausting, expensive and excruciatingly frustrating.

Upgrading your equipment may improve the focus or the exposure, but those by themselves won’t do the trick. They are merely links in the chain toward quality photographs.

If you have just spent hundreds to upgrade your cameras and your lenses and some of your prints are still coming back too light or too dark (or both), don’t assume you are to blame. Take a look at the photo lab.

Are you relying on the neighborhood camera store that sends pictures out to be developed and printed? (Most camera stores do.) Or are you dropping off your film at one of the big discount stores or photo chains that promise 36 prints in 3 days and offer double prints, free replacement film, glossy finish, mat finish, custom work, 1-hour service, 30-minute super-service, 3-by-5 1/2-inch and 4-by-6-inch prints? These labs turn out prints that are usually acceptable for casual shooter, but those who are serious about photography should take the high-quality option--good prints the first time around.

To get them, consider using a custom lab, even though it takes longer to get your photos back. For pictures that you want to keep, the extra 24 hours it takes to get them processed is worth the wait.

The reason for this is that these labs generally spend more time with your photographs. A quality one will check them for correct color balance and exposure and make any necessary reprints before they are delivered. In addition, the employees of a custom lab are usually more knowledgeable and better trained. (As a rule, the owners of custom labs are schooled in the photographic arts, whereas those of the corner 1-hour photo shops tend to be investors looking to make a high return on their dollar.) You will also want to make sure the lab takes the time to put your negatives in archival sleeves. Negatives are valuable.

If you are determined to get your prints in a hurry, be prepared to spend a lot of time finding a good 1-hour or mass-production lab. It will take a lot of research--and that probably means some amount of trial and error. You might ask a friend or a professional for a recommendation.

The photography column, which runs each Saturday in Orange County Life, is intended to help both the serious amateur and the weekend shooter. Questions and ideas are encouraged. Write to: Robert Lachman, Chief Photographer, The Times, 1375 Sunflower Ave., Costa Mesa, Calif. 92626.