Silicon Gallery... Scanning Pros

I recently sold a print of the image below to someone looking for a view out of a window. I took this from inside the Aperture Gallery in Chelsea, NYC a couple years ago. The only copy of the file I had was from a scan I made at home directly from a 4 X 6 print I made in the darkroom. I have an Epson 4490 Photo scanner with a non functioning film scanning head so I have to scan everything from the flat bed. I've been putting off buying a new film scanner because I just don't shoot enough film to make the investment. When I sent the file down to Silicon Gallery Fine Art Prints so they could make the print for the buyer, they told me the file wasn't quite big enough to make a decent 16" X 20" print. They also didn't like the bluish cast of my file.

Aperture Gallery (Home Scanned)
Click to enlarge

I told Colleen at Silicon about my scanner woes, and she informed me that they could drum scan my negative. Of course I know that drum scanning is a great way to digitize analogue film, but I had never had any of my work professionally scanned before, so I jumped at the chance to finally do it. Within a couple hours of dropping off my negative this morning I had an email with my hi-res scanned file for me to clean up in photoshop (dust, etc).

What an improvement! Detail and tones are so much better. No more color cast from my crappy home scanning. And now I have a file that will print out even larger than 16 X 20 if I ever want to. Makes me re-think the  possibilities of shooting more film.

Aperture Gallery (Drum Scanned)
Click to enlarge

Silicon Gallery Fine Art Prints
139 North Third Street
Philadelphia, Pa. 19106
215.238.6062