Sending Off Your Negatives

Several years ago I was in the Walmart photo center making some copies of a few pictures I needed. I overheard an exchange between a clerk and a customer at the counter that captured my attention.

In her hand the customer had a small envelope. It was the kind like you'd use to send in a bill or mail a letter to a friend.

She said to the clerk, "excuse me, I'd like to send off my negatives." That got my attention. I couldn't help being nosy. I looked at the envelope. I looked at the woman. I thought for a moment then thought to myself, "I'd need a MUCH bigger envelope."

This was in the days before digital photography had sent film to its death. This lady's negatives were the kind you used to use to make copies of pictures. Maybe the envelope contained images of a favorite dog or cat. Possibly she wanted to print photos of a relative long since passed away or her first car or a high school friend. It may even have been pictures of a beautiful garden or a sunset. The photos, of course, are really not the point here. It’s the negatives I’m interested in.

Her envelope contained negatives to make prints of photos. Her negatives weren't jealousy or insecurity. Her envelope didn't contain a short temper or sometimes being too critical of other people or even a tendency to often take see the glass as half empty rather than half full. Those belong to me. They are some of my negatives.

I wonder if I could seal my negatives in an envelope and take them to the Walmart photo center. “I’m sending off my negatives,” I could say t the clerk. “I know you can do it because I once saw a woman with an entire envelope full and I watched you send them off for her.” “Just send them off,” I would say. “Don’t worry when you can get them back to me, I can just check back in with you.” That’s what I could tell them.

So do you think they could send them off? Walmart can do a lot of things but I wonder if they can send off my negatives. I’m guessing probably not. It's really not a bad idea and could be worth a try.