Most amateur photographers have no idea that the lab that prints their pictures can make all the difference in the world to the way their photos look. Consequently, they drop their rolls of film off at the local drug store or big discount store drop-off box (FREE double prints??), eagerly waiting to see the fruits of their labor. Unfortunately, most often the pictures that come back from the lab are a disappointment, looking nothing like what was seen in the "mind’s eye."

Photography can be fun and, with more good quality, reasonable priced "goof-proof" cameras available on the market, it can even be fairly easy! But if you are an aspiring amateur you are sure to find more satisfaction in taking your film to a "real" photo lab where the pictures are printed right there in the shop and where you, as a paying customer, have the opportunity to talk with the person who actually prints your pictures. These people are trained professionals and they are usually happy to answer questions and provide free advice. Their suggestions may range from holding the camera steady and using a different type of film better suited for the lighting conditions to composing your photos more artistically and understanding the limitations of your flash.

When choosing a photo lab, consider also that knowledge is power. Once you learn how to discriminate between mistakes you made and mistakes made by the printer, you are better armed to self-righteously march back to the lab and insist that the photo printing be re-done to your specifications. In fact, a good printer can even help compensate if, for example, you accidentally slightly underexposed your pictures.

Because they generally use more sophisticated equipment, a good "in-house" photo lab can also offer options in making enlargements. If, for example, you mistakenly held the camera a bit cockeyed, the lab can "tip" your enlargement (in either direction) for you. If the subject is off-center in the picture, a good lab will center it for you when making your enlargement. And, if your horse was standing with legs akimbo --voila!-- the lab can (if you request it) tightly crop and enlarge the picture to make it into a beautiful head-and-neck study for you!

While it is true that there is no substitute for using the right camera equipment, having an artistic "eye," and taking hundreds (no, thousands!) of "practice" shots, the next best thing to such a serious, premeditated approach is to avail yourself of the processing, printing and (free) consulting services of a good photo lab where the work is done there in the store and where their business is photography.

After all, you wouldn’t trust a photo lab to fill your prescription, so perhaps you should think twice before you entrust the processing and printing of your precious photos to the local drug store. (Besides, who NEEDS "double prints" of twenty-four badly-printed pictures?)