The joys of scanning unmounted 35mm slides

Today has been a very interesting day. I have a full time job (aka Monday to Friday) and I run a photographic company on the side (aka Monday to Friday, plus evenings and weekends). It does keep me busy.

As part of my photographic side business, Photo Field Imaging (http://www.photofieldimaging.com/), I not only do photography based work but I am also involved the with scanning of slides, photographs and negatives. 95% of the jobs that I do go very smoothly and everyone is happy. Every so often, like today (aka Sunday) something happens that really tests me.

Yesterday I had an older lady and her daughter deliver to me what she initially stated were about 200 slides to scan. I thought that this would not be a problem. I mean, I have the equipment, Nikon 5000 and 9000 series scanners, plus other flatbed scanners, that allow me to do almost any job. I thought, sure, a couple of hundred slides would not be an issue at all. I was in for a bit of a surprise.

As the lady and her daughter showed up she handed me a book. My initial reaction was, okay, where are the slides? "In the book" she said.

"Where, I do not see them?

"There" she said, pointing to page after page of carefully cut, umounted, 35mm slides.

I closed my eyes and said to myself "Oh no. Oh no. Please no." I then took a deep sigh and opened my eyes. What I thought was something that could be done easily and quickly turned out to me much work than what I initially anticipated. I told her that slides are usually mounted. She informed me that, yes, these are in fact slides (aka "film positives").

I thought to myself, "You know, this is not worth arguing over." I then told her that I would go ahead and do the job at the quoted price. What I did not tell her was that I would be updating my website to clearly state "35mm Mounted Slides" and would be chalking this one up to experience.

Such are the joys of scanning unmounted 35mm slides:)