F.LAB

Digital negative printing

Shoot digital? You can still have a real darkroom print. Send me your file, I make a negative from it, and print it by hand on silver gelatin paper.

A finished black and white silver gelatin print of a mountain peak and a cloud above a bank of leaves

What is a digital negative?

A darkroom print is made by shining light through a negative onto photographic paper. If you shoot digital, you don't have a negative, so I make one for you from your file.

That negative is then printed the traditional way: exposed onto silver gelatin paper, then developed, fixed and washed by hand in the darkroom. You get a real photographic print, not an inkjet or a lab print.

It works for any digital photographer, whatever you shoot on. Send me your file and we'll go from there.

The negative

  • Digital negativemade to your chosen print sizeR150

This is a once-off cost. Once your negative is made, you can have as many prints from it as you like.

The print

  • 8x10 resin coatedR250
  • 8x10 fiber basedR350
  • 12x16 fiber basedmatte or glossyR800

The price of the print depends on the size you choose. Resin coated paper is a good everyday choice. Fiber based paper has the classic, traditional look and feel.

How it works

  1. Send your file

    Send an enquiry with the photo you'd like printed and the size you have in mind.

  2. I make the negative

    Your negative is made to the size of the print you want. It's R150, once.

  3. I print it by hand

    Exposed and developed on silver gelatin paper in the darkroom.

  4. Order more any time

    You already have the negative, so extra copies only cost the price of the print.

From file to print

A digital negative on a clear sheet: the tones are reversed, with a dark cloud above a pale mountain and pale leaves
The digital negative
The finished print made from that negative: a bright cloud above a dark mountain peak and a bank of leaves
The finished silver gelatin print
A digital negative of a brass band, with the tones reversed so the instruments and clothing look pale
The digital negative
The finished print made from that negative: a brass band playing, in strong blacks and whites
The finished silver gelatin print

Ready to print your digital photos?

Send an enquiry with your file and the size you'd like, and I'll get back to you directly.

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