PROCESS 01
Develop only
C-41, black-and-white and E-6 processing with sleeved negatives returned uncut or in archival strips.
C-41 · B&W · E-6 · 35 mm · 120 · archival scan · fictional lab
We develop what you actually shot.
Aperture Foundry is an analogue film lab for photographers who want clean chemistry, transparent scan choices and negatives returned in a condition worth keeping.
Enter the darkroom
STATUS
Chemistry checked
TODAY
41 rolls queued
SCAN
Frontier + camera
RETURN
Negatives sleeved
About / house rule
The negative is the original. The scan is an interpretation.
We process for stable density and consistent chemistry, then scan according to how the photographs will be used. A proof scan for editing is not sold as an archive master, and a high-resolution file is not automatically a good scan.
Every order records process, push/pull instruction, scan profile and return preference. If a roll arrives damaged, mislabeled or unusual, the lab contacts the photographer before making an irreversible assumption.
Offerings / choose the output, not a mystery tier
SCAN 02
Working scans
Balanced files for selection, sharing and general print work, delivered with restrained colour and no baked-in gimmicks.
ARCHIVE 03
High-resolution masters
Frame-by-frame capture for exhibition, publication, preservation or important personal archives.
PRINT 04
Darkroom editions
Selected black-and-white negatives enlarged by hand on fibre or resin-coated paper after a proof stage.
Process / roll path
Six decisions before download.
- 01
Log
Film stock, process, push/pull and return instructions enter the job envelope.
- 02
Chemistry
Control strips and temperature checks happen before client rolls enter the processor.
- 03
Dry
Film dries under filtered airflow before any scanner or sleeve touches the emulsion.
- 04
Inspect
Density, scratches, edge marks and obvious processing defects are checked under light.
- 05
Scan
Operator balances frame range and colour using the requested output profile.
- 06
Return
Files upload; negatives are sleeved, labelled and held or shipped as instructed.
Projects / contact sheet
Three photographers, three jobs for film.
The fictional examples below describe workflow rather than claiming real client work.
AF-221
City after rain / 35 mm B&W
Twenty-seven rolls processed to normal contrast, working scans delivered for edit, then twelve selected frames rescanned for a small exhibition sequence.
AF-228 / 120 colour
Family archive / 1987–2004
Existing negatives cleaned, indexed and scanned as neutral archival masters with a separate set of corrected viewing files.
AF-237 / E-6
Landscape transparencies
Push instructions logged per roll, transparencies mounted after inspection and selected frames digitised for a book dummy.
3
active process lines
99.1%
rolls delivered inside quoted window
21 days
standard negative hold after delivery
2 checks
chemistry control per production day
People / lab bench
Operators, not presets.
Each production area has a named operator responsible for judgement, maintenance and handover.
Mira Jacobs
Colour process & Frontier
C-41 control, colour balancing, unusual stock review
Sizwe Ndlovu
Black-and-white & darkroom
Developer testing, push/pull work, hand printing
Hannah Botha
Archive & scan finishing
Negative cleaning, high-resolution capture, file delivery
Insights / margin notes
Airport scanners are not all equal
Modern high-energy CT scanners can damage unprocessed film. When in doubt, ask for hand inspection and keep film accessible rather than buried in checked luggage.
Push processing changes more than speed
A push can increase usable density in underexposed film, but grain, colour balance and contrast move too. Tell the lab why the push is needed.
Keep the negatives
Cloud links expire. Drives fail. Software changes. Properly sleeved film remains a physical source that can be rescanned years later.
Flat scans are intentionally unfinished
A neutral archive file may look less dramatic than a social-media scan because it preserves room for later interpretation instead of locking a look into the master.
FAQ / lab counter
Can I mail film?
Yes. Use a rigid mailer, label rolls clearly and keep order details inside as well as online. Tracking to the lab is strongly recommended.
Do you cut negatives?
Only when requested or required for sleeving. Uncut return is available for photographers who prefer to archive rolls themselves.
Can you fix badly exposed film?
Scanning can recover some information, not create missing exposure. We will optimise within the negative's range and tell you when the limit is photographic rather than digital.
Do you delete scans after delivery?
Working files are retained for a limited recovery window, not as permanent archive storage. Photographers remain responsible for their own backups.
Contact / job envelope
Label the roll. Tell us the intent.
Start with film type, process, push/pull instruction and the scan output you actually need. We confirm the job before it joins the production queue.
ORDERS · hello@aperture-foundry.example
COUNTER · Mon–Fri / 08:00–17:30
RETURN · collect / tracked courier
FORMATS · 35 mm / 120 / sheet by arrangement