Question about negatives

[Michael B]

I wanted to get a chance to scan a couple of 4x5 acetate negatives before I chimed in. You can purchase a high end photo/negative scanner which would allow you to do the scanning yourself. I use a Microtek ScanMaker i800 for my negatives and slides. It can do 9600x4800 dpi and 48 bit color. They no longer manufacture under that name. B&H photo in New York City is a good source for high end photo scanners and all other supplies. Most of the dedicated scanners of this type can cost from $250-$400. They usually include negative and slide holders for regular slides, 35mm negative strips and 4x5 negatives. All of the good scanners will also come with installable programs like Photoshop and Digital Ice which allow you to remove dust and imperfections during and after scanning. The two attached images are 4x5 negatives from the 1960 Olympic Boxing Trials. I have not worked on identifying them yet, but the first one appears to be Phil Baldwin and the second one appears to be gold medalist Eddie Crook, Jr. The referee in the second one is 2013 Boxing Hall of Famer Mills Lane. These are quick scans that took me about 5 minutes to do. I just did some quick cropping without removing scratches or dust. These came from a group of 36 negatives taken at the trials and include Skeeter McClure and Cassius Clay. I have not identified the Clay one yet.

As for archival storage; there are several good options. You can store each negative in an archival sleeve and then in an archival file box. You can also store the negatives in Print File or Vue All archival pages. These are similar to the pages you would put baseball cards in, but they are inert and used by photographers to store negatives and prints. These can be stored in special three ring archival boxes. These are inert plastic and unlike a normal three ring binder these have four sides and the front cover snaps shut to keep out light, dust and moisture. I like the boxes made by Beseler, though Vue-All and Print File also make storage boxes. I use the archival pages and storage boxes for my own work (30+ years of concert photography, Australian wildlife and flowers) and for my Olympic photography collection of American Olympians (3000+original photos, plus orignal negatives, glass plate negatives and 1000+ slides).

While a good photography store like Adorama or B&H are decent sources for archival storage supplies, I prefer the companies that are dedicated to archival methods and archival supplies and also have expertise in that area. My favorite is Light Impressions as they also have a toll free number to assist you with particular issues - www.lightimpressionsdirect.com. I can also recommend University Products - www.universityproducts.com and Archival Methods - www.archivalmethods.com

I hope this is of some help.

Cheers,

Michael

[Michael B]

I stated in my post that Mills Lane is the referee in the second photo. This is what I get for staying up too late I get easily confused while typing. He competed in the 1960 trials and lost to Phil Baldwin in the semi-finals.

[drc]

As promised, I talked to folks at the art gallery this morning. One digital artist who has very large pieces in art galleries said he could/would print the image but doesn't have a suitable scanner. You'd have to provide him with the image.