The biggest mistake when taking a photograph is not printing it. What’s the point of putting in effort, going for a long walk, achieving a spectacular landscape taking care of the composition and lighting in detail, editing it in your favorite editing program to leave it just as you imagined if you later let it die on your computer’s hard drive . What a sad ending, don’t you think? That is why today I am here to talk to you about photo development and everything that goes with it, so that your photos, be they landscapes, portraits, street photos or whatever, see the light and have the life they deserve. Whether they are family memories or your most successful photographs, today I intend to help you give them that life.
INSIDE THIS ARTICLE… 📖
What is photo reveal
Let’s start at the beginning, with the basics. Reveal photos is to make the images you have captured with your camera visible on a support outside of it, either on paper or another surface. The normal thing is to send your digital file (or reel if it is analog) to a specialized laboratory, although as we will see in this guide there are other options.
How to reveal analog camera photos
Although analog photography is not as booming as digital photography, it is still there. There are many users who do not want to give it up for many reasons, nostalgia, pleasure, different results, each one has their reasons and they are all equally valid, of course. What is certain is that it is an almost magical process, and the satisfaction of having done it yourself has no comparison.
If you dare to reveal your photos from your analog camera, you need a space where you can stay in the dark and some specific materials, such as chemicals and others that you may already have at home.
The process can vary depending on whether it’s color or black and white or the type of paper, but basically the first thing you need to do is develop the film to get the negatives. For this step you need the developing tank and the chemicals that for the complete process are developer, stop bath, fixative and humectant. In addition to some tools that almost certainly, as I have told you, you already have at home, such as a funnel, thermometer, scissors, bottles for chemicals or tweezers to dry the negatives. In the following video Carlos explains a way to develop a color film.
Once you have the negatives, it is when the printing is done, that is, going from the negative to photosensitive paper or photographic paper. In this part, an enlarger, the red light, the trays for the chemicals and the tweezers are also used.
Now we are going to see an example of how to develop or print photos with an enlarger.
Where to reveal photos online
If all this doesn’t suit you and you’re more into taking photos with your digital camera and having them sent home on paper, well, why not? Not everyone has to like it or have time for it, in the end it is just another hobby.
That’s what professional laboratories are for, they also have the right to work and earn their bread, right? And they do it really well 😉 Here is a list of some of the websites dedicated to developing or printing photos online:
In addition to photos, its offer is very wide, from digital albums to wall supports through puzzles or magnets. Below I will give you more hints of surfaces on which you can print your photos (more creative or more classic options, for all tastes).
How to print photos at home
Do you want to reveal your digital photos at home but don’t know where to start? In this link we tell you what you need to know and do for an easy development at home, from how to prepare the image to what paper to choose.
In this other buying guide we tell you how to choose the best printer for photos and we leave you with our recommendations. Essential if you want to print at home, right?
To print at home you also have portable smartphone printers, which are good for home or anywhere else, I will tell you about them right away.
instant photo cameras
Instant photo cameras have become fashionable again and there is nothing like shooting and immediately having the photo on paper in your hands. See how it is appearing and enjoy that magic on-site priceless, right? It is something similar to analog development but in an automated way. Have you ever tried it?
It is true that the quality and size are very particular, but it is a snapshot and you have to know what times they are for. And it is that these cameras are perfect for parties, family memories, friends gatherings, family or travel notebooks, events in which you want the guests to take a souvenir, etc. Or even for the romantics of Polaroids, for there are still many lovers of retro in general and of this type of photography in particular.
Recommended instant photo cameras
If you are thinking of purchasing one of these cameras, these are some of the instant cameras that I recommend the most.
Fujifilm Instax Wide 300
First of all, I want to show you the Fujifilm Instax Wide 300 Instant, to which I dedicated an article detailing its advantages and disadvantages. But I tell you in advance that if you are looking for photos larger than the “chrome” size of most instant cameras, this is your model.
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Instax Mini 11
This other Fujifilm camera is available in a ton of colors and its photos are the size of a credit card.
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Kodak Mini Shot 3 Retro
In addition to being a camera that prints with or without a white border, it also works as a smartphone printer, a 2 in 1, interesting, right? Also, retro lovers, you’re in luck because the design couldn’t be more so, available in yellow and white. The size of the photos is also square 7.6 x 7.6 cm.
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There is also the Mini Shot 2 Retro whose difference with the previous one is that it prints in card size (5.3 x 8.6 cm).
Polaroid OneStep+
When vintage and technology come together, they give way to this vintage camera that allows you more creative options, since you can connect it to your smartphone and do everything from double exposures to light painting. Photos are the classic square size with blank chassis 8.8 x 10.8 cm (image area: 7.9 x 7.9 cm).
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Smartphone photo printers
There is an alternative to instant cameras, these are the portable printers for Smartphones that we recommend in the link, such as the Instax Share that we reviewed back in the day.
The advantage over instant cameras is that you can take your photo with your mobile, edit it as you want (even with text) and then print it. Plus you can print photos a posteriori.
By contrast, it is not so immediate, for the occasions that I mentioned before such as a party, a trip, etc., it is not the fastest, you need the mobile and the printer and you depend on an application on the mobile. For everything else, the truth is that they are practical.
If mobile photography is your thing, I can’t help but recommend our mega guide with tricks, tips and much more, to achieve the most impressive photos with your smartphone.
Photo albums
Photo albums are a small treasure in most homes. They are also one of the most valued gifts by those who receive them due to the emotional charge they contain. It is not one of the most expensive and, however, both at the moment and over the years, it is one of the most valuable.
In recent years, digital albums are the ones that are seen the most, although there are also many romantics who resort to the albums of a lifetime on paper, either working hard and doing scrapbook-type things or directly pasting the photos printed on paper in the selling albums for it.
If you are from digital Album, I can help you mount yours Step by Step. Moreover, beyond the technical or practical part, we have also thought about the aesthetic part and we have a few for you tips when it comes to achieving a beautiful digital album And don’t go out of style.
In this other article you will find Caro’s opinion about Saal Digital’s digital album. And if you are looking for «THE ALBUM» for a unique occasion, wedding souvenirs, a special anniversary or a similar event, we give you an idea at the link.
Surfaces to print your photos
The most common is to print the photos on paper, in a digital album or even on a canvas. Surely some other surface comes to mind, but… are you really aware of the number of surfaces on which your photographs can be printed depending on the use you want to give them? In this link I leave you a few ideas, but each printing house offers you infinite options, surely…