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About the lab
Colorcraft Lab + Scan is Wilmington's only analog film developing and scanning laboratory. I am Wilmington, NC, born and raised, and worked in the photo lab industry right here. As the photography industry began to migrate to digital imaging around 2008, analog film services began to disappear. The analog photography had a resurgence in 2016 with new film stocks coming on the market and a new generation of photographer wanting to explore film photography. I have been a film shooter for over 30 years. I started my photography journey with film in 1990 and continue to marvel in the magic of film. Having worked in the photofinishing industry from 1993 to 2007, I bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to the lab industry. Dismayed by the lackluster quality and often mediocre color I see from most labs, I decided it's time to grow and open a small lab of my own. Much of the equipment used in the photo lab has not been updated in the last 25 years, therefore I am taking a different approach. I have always been a fan of both Noritsu and Fuji equipment, however, the scarcity of parts, aging circuitry and lack of repair and maintenance technicians makes investing in this equipment a tremendous risk. Alternatively I develop all of my film by hand in small batches to ensure consistent error free processing. I bring 30 years of C-41 and B+W film developing experience to my lab. I have an array of scanning equipment that yields incredible results on par with the lab standards Noritsu 1800 and Fuji Frontier SP-3000. Color correction is my specialty and I offer 25 years of color printing and scanning experience to the industry. I look forward to growing my lab, adding more equipment and staff while offering the best film developing and scanning- Period!
A background look at Chris
My interest in photography started when I was 16. I took a photography class in high school, right here at Hoggard High School, and was immediately hooked. It was the one science I really understood. Photography is one part art and another part science. After 30 years it's still amazes me to think about the magic of exposing film to light and then converting that latent silver halide to silver metal and color dye couplers during the developing process.
A defining moment came shortly after I started shooting 35mm with a Pentax K1000. My parents saw my burgeoning interest and surprised me with a Kodak Hobby Pac film developing kit. It was a home process Ektachrome chemical kit for E-6. Before I would commandeer a small corner of the backyard tool shed for my darkroom, I was developing film in the kitchen sink. I used the stove top burners to heat the E-6 chemicals. I had never processed film before and while most start with B&W, my first attempt was color. What was I thinking? I will never forget opening the tank at the end and pulling out beautiful 35mm color positive images; and I instantly knew - "I'll be doing this for the rest of my life."
I was accepted to Randolph Community College's Associates Degree in Photography program, located in Asheboro, NC, in 1991, but ultimately decided to stay in Wilmington to get my basic college courses so I could focus solely on photography at RCC. I was fortunate to secure a job at my local camera store and photo lab, Coastal Foto, located right here in Wilmington. I was 20 years old and not only worked the retail counter with some incredibly knowledgeable and talented people, I eventually worked my way into the lab. Turns out I had a penchant for color printing and fell in love with C-41 and RA-4 optical printing. I learned to print color without a computer monitor, analyzing the color negatives by eye and was mentored by some extraordinary lab technicians. I felt the lab was my calling and ended up staying in Wilmington. 1993 was an analog world. It was an amazing time to be a part of the digital revolution that was on the horizon and most fortunate to incorporate a digital workflow 10 years later.
I began working with Image Finishers in 2000. The lab added a Noritsu 2901 and 3201 digital minilabs around 2003. I was able to spend a week at "Noritsu School" in New Jersey learning to operate and customize the printer to grow the lab with specialty print products and high resolution scanning. I did have an opportunity to use a Fuji Frontier minilab. I can say without a doubt, I am still a Noritsu fanboy.
I started scanning at home with an Epson V550 flatbed around 2013, upgrading to the V600 and finally the V850. Using Silverfast Studio AI 9 I can get lab quality scans from the flatbed. The color negative conversion in Silverfast is first rate and I can get extraordinarily accurate color. I have a Plustek 8300i that makes incredible scans. I 3-D printed carriers for 110 and APS film to use in the Plustek. I can scan nearly any size negative.
I built a DSLR scanning station to add to my home lab in 2024. I took a different approach, building my own copy stand and using a Canon Speedlite in a modified dental x-ray lightbox as the light source. I use the Essential Film Holder and Negative Supply masks to shoot tethered to Nikon capture software in RAW format, taking the scans into Negative Lab Pro and Negmaster for conversion. Utilizing a Nikon D800, I can get 36MP scans from 35mm, APS and 20-24MP from 120 film formats.
I continue to shoot film for all of my personal projects and family photos. I currently shoot with a Canon EOS 1NHS, Canon F1N, Nikon F3HP and a Mamiya 645E. Most of my time is now spent scanning film from my personal and family archive. My dream camera is a Fujifilm GX680, 120 film camera, 6x8 format with front movements. One day!
Please visit my personal page to see examples of my work and other photo projects www.christisinger.art
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