What Is Most Missed From The Pratice of LF Back In The 1990's

[John Kasaian]

Lets see now....for LF stuff it would have to be Freestyle Arista Pro film(rebadged FP-4+) and APHS Ortho. Photo Warehouse offered rebadged FP-4+ as well (great stuff!) Kodak film which I could actually afford--TXP, TMY, Plus X and of course their B&W papers---Ektalure and AZO, and everything Agfa. I miss Clayton Classic Camera (I bought a lot of used 8x10 film holders from them) Then there were those advertisements for Nagaoka cameras in the back of Popular Science magazines and all those great articles by Roger Hicks and Frances Schultz in Shutterbug. Frozen rolls of surplus aerial film from Mr. Foto and the cheap prices for G Clarons from Mr Cad(UK) when Schneider announced they were going to stop making them. For MF it would have to be Verichrome Pan and Agfapan 25. In 35mm the Pentax K-1000 and of course Kodachome in all it's glorious incarnations. And Durst enlargers.

[cjbecker]

I don't remember any of it as I was just born in 1990.

[Scratched Glass]

I started a career in photo labs in 1997, and I enjoyed some of it. The labs I worked in handled everything from the worst possible consumer printing to 8x10 E-6. The LF professional work that came through was much easier to appreciate after developing a whole roll of film taken of kittens with a disposable camera while the "photographer" had a lit cigarette in his mouth. I really enjoyed printing B+W, and color, but I never became that proficient with it. I don't miss internegatives no matter what the format. I got out of the business in 2002 and returned to my first love, biology. I'm glad I got out photolabs, high stress, and they were already in the tank at that time.

[arca andy]

The London photography scene was great in the 1990s. You spent a lot more time with your clients..who in my case were graphic designers.
The designer was often on the shoot with you to view polaroids, no emailing of set ups in those days. Having him there was great, he could see how hard you worked to create those images and would often get involved in the shoot as well.
Once the shoot had finished you'd get the film biked over to one of the many 24hr Labs, then take the designer out for a drink/meal..but mainly a drink. 2 hours later you would pitch up at your lab to view your trannies...Which the designer, now lubricated with chardonnay and 2 hours of creative type chit chat, would think were the bees knees. You would then pour him into a cab and send him home.
The next day you would phone to make sure all was well then invoice him for your days work, the film and costs (lab, bike and chardonnay)plus 75%. You could easily invoice out £1000 for a days work but that was ok because those photography costs were passed on to the designers clients with their mark up added on to that!
In fact the 75% I added onto my costs paid the rent for my little studio. However the writing was on the wall, one day a new digital photo library opened next to my little studio....and the designers soon realised that it was cheaper to buy a lot of their photos from there!
Nowadays I do my shoot, email my client a quick jpeg and then sit in front of my computer for a couple of hours....boring.
Oh well my liver is a lot happer and my turn over is a lot lower but my profits are higher... but I do miss those 1990s

[geoawelch]

REAL camera stores - in all big cities, in most small towns, staffed by people with experience.

[Ari]

The London photography scene was great in the 1990s. You spent a lot more time with your clients..who in my case were graphic designers.
The designer was often on the shoot with you to view polaroids, no emailing of set ups in those days. Having him there was great, he could see how hard you worked to create those images and would often get involved in the shoot as well.
Once the shoot had finished you'd get the film biked over to one of the many 24hr Labs, then take the designer out for a drink/meal..but mainly a drink. 2 hours later you would pitch up at your lab to view your trannies...Which the designer, now lubricated with chardonnay and 2 hours of creative type chit chat, would think were the bees knees. You would then pour him into a cab and send him home.
The next day you would phone to make sure all was well then invoice him for your days work, the film and costs (lab, bike and chardonnay)plus 75%. You could easily invoice out £1000 for a days work but that was ok because those photography costs were passed on to the designers clients with their mark up added on to that!
In fact the 75% I added onto my costs paid the rent for my little studio. However the writing was on the wall, one day a new digital photo library opened next to my little studio....and the designers soon realised that it was cheaper to buy a lot of their photos from there!
Nowadays I do my shoot, email my client a quick jpeg and then sit in front of my computer for a couple of hours....boring.
Oh well my liver is a lot happer and my turn over is a lot lower but my profits are higher... but I do miss those 1990s

Yeah, them 90s was fun; just the way you describe.
I didn't see the writing on the wall until 2004, so the 90s lasted a little longer for me

[Andrew O'Neill]

$65 for 8x10 film.

[paulr]

Fortezo.

[AFSmithphoto]

I don't miss it because I couldn't participate: cameras and lenses were too expensive for me.

From my perspective the growth of digital was the beginning of a golden age. They've made large format affordable for me.

Mike

I couldn't agree more.

[irwinhh]

Real 8x10 B&W and also Color Poloroid.