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At LightBox Inc. you can count on the kind of consistency you expect from a custom photo lab. We monitor our E6 and C41 hourly and maintain state-of-the-art technology to ensure that our processing meets your high standards. Our approach to printing is truly of a custom nature. We will interact with you extensively to qualify your exact needs so our final interpretation in the print will be in line with your creative vision. Cropping, dodging and burning, sizing, etc. are the essence of a custom print; therefore, no a la carte extra fees are added to print cost. |
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"To
take photographs means... putting one's head, one's eye and one's
heart on the same axis."
"There
were'nt any mountains in Detroit, so a guy had to look close to
the ground."
"I
always fought hard against packaging a story so that all things
seem to come to an end at the end of the story. I always wanted
to leave it so that there is a tomorrow."
"Imagination
is the spirited appreciation of reality."
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Color Film Processing
Both our E6 & C41 Machines are dip & dunk processors which employ microprocessor electronics technology as well as having full battery backup systems to insure that, in the event of a power failure, your film will be processed without compromise. Our in house water-distiller system provides mineral free water to all our final rinse steps ensuring spot-free film in all areas of the lab.
Dip & Dunk Processing
Dip & dunk processing, for those not familiar with the term, not only insures eveness of processing, but also eliminates the chance of your film being scratched by the machine which commonly happens with roller transport machines. In a dip & dunk machine the film is attached to a hanger which dips the film through each of the successive tanks, as opposed to the roller transport method which runs the film across rollers which are in contact with the delicate surface of the film. If those machines are not kept absolutely clean, it is very likely that dirt on the rollers will either scratch or end up on the surface of the film.
"Visual-Replenishment" Technology
The heartbeat of our facility is our E6 machine which, like our C41, is made by Tecnolab. The E6 machine utilizes european "Visual-Replenishment" technology. Lightbox pioneered this technology by being the first lab in the U.S to acquire this capability in our Tecnolab machines. The idea is to eliminate fluctuations in replenishment solution concentrations. It does so by eliminating the drift in pump/blender calibration, commonly found in most machines (both dip & dunk as well as roller transport.)
Our E6 chemistry is meticulously mixed by hand. During processing the machine will sense the demand for replenishment and dispense the appropriate chemistry to an array of glass vials which house electronic sensing rods preset at specified heights. When the solution level reaches the sensing rod it shuts off the distribution of the pump ensuring that, regardless of the output of each pump, it will only deliver the amount determined physically by each sensing rod, thus the exact amount of chemistry is dispensed each and every time.
What this means to you the customer is absolute consistency in the density/color balance of your film.
Color Printing
Our small staff will work closely with you to cultivate a consistent, predictable printing style that is defined by you when working repeatedly with the same technician. never will you have to speak to a sales rep when you place an order. You will be dealing directly with the person doing your project, thus the term "client" rather than customer. Loyalty and highly personalized service are a priority for us—a fact clearly reflected in the work we do.
All our prints are
enlarged by hand using ZBE closed-loop enlargers. All lenses in our color
department are Rodenstock and Schneider APO-Chromatics. As every camera
is only as good as its lens, every negative/transparency/print is only
as good as its enlarger lens. Consequently we use the best so we can justify
the efforts you have made with your optics.