I have spent the last few days trying to hunt down a shop which processes slides, and it has turned out to be a confusing and lengthy adventure. I expected as much. On top of that, I am trying to find a projector to actually view them, once I have them ready to view. Neither is very easy.
Why would I even bother with slides? Too 1970s for you? Well, for one, the quality still far surpasses digital cameras. And two (the real reason), I have a lot of slides and I actually want to view them instead of leaving them stored forever, lost to all memory.
Giants like Wal-Mart cannot do it, but the smaller shops like the local Walgreens can. Funny, but true. Wal-Mart does everything themselves, and slide processing is in too small a demand to justify the need for such equipment in stores across the country. Smaller processors, like Walgreens, know how to provide more options for their customers by simply contracting out the work.
I am not exactly in a major metropolis, so those two are basically my only processing options here locally. But, strapped for time because I would like those slides for a presentation in a few days, I will have to find another way. Thankfully, though, that presentation is in a big city, so I think I can solve all my problems there.
I actually already have my slides processed, but thinking it would take up less space to store them, I never mounted them, but just kept them rolled up in the film canisters. Bad choice. I have noticed serious scratching on my photos. Eeeks! So, I have finally decided to mount all my old slides to keep them from further deteriorating. Well, not only that, but unless I have them mounted, I will not be able to view my photos and enjoy images from years gone by.
Problem two was the slide projector itself. Basically, I figure there are hundreds hidden away here and there in dusty boxes and garage corners. So, all I have to do is ask around a little. I found one almost immediately, but I still need to do some looking to make sure I have a backup for the presentation. I do not really feel in the mood to put all my faith in a twenty year old machine. I would much rather put my faith in two twenty year old machines!
