Palm Laboratory Midlands

Palm have been a bit of a lifesaver. Me and my other half have recently decided to expand our interests photographically into the world of medium format. Eventually I’m planning on creating our own mini darkroom in the basement of our office — but until that day comes, we’ll be happily taking our negs to Palm to be handled with the level of care and reverence that is now extremely rare to find in any high street chains.
The turnaround time is great — and the guys there are friendly and approachable, so you can let them know if you need something done sooner. I’m a skinflint, so tend just to get the film processed and a lo-​res scan done. ideally when we sort out our own mini darkroom, we’ll also invest in a high quality scanner too. But until then, PALM — I LOVE YOU!
(One thing to be wary of — there’s no parking nearby, and the roads which are usually empty are double yellow lines. We tend to pull over, pop the hazards on (naughty, I know!) and one of us will wait in the car ready to move if need be. Which as yet, touch wood, hasn’t happened!)

Film is a dying trade. Prices of not only film but also chemicals are always on the rise and the know how of professional developing is getting harder to find.
I trust Palms with my life (which my negatives pretty much are to me) and they not once have they let me down. They offer close t every service you can think of, from printing to scanning and even bookbinding. I’ve used them personally in almost every service they do and the results have been flawless each time.
Time frame is often a problem in professional photography if you use film, clients have become used to all the benefits the digital age has brought us, including being able to instantly review work back. Palms turn around is amazing and can be as quick as next day if your willing to go down the more expensive express route.
Palms technique and equipment is top end, like sending your film away to a five star hotel; you need to be willing to pay for the luxury of these services. A contact sheet with developed negatives normally costs me around £12.00 and prints start off around £2.00 (5×4).
The prints and mounts they create are on great materials, again the price may seem high but surely you want the best for your work.
I keep mentioning this in all my photography-​based reviews but if we happened to loose this place we’d be done for, check it out and keep shops like this alive!