most original screw up

[Bob Fowler]

A couple of times, when loading holders I've missed the "interleaf" sheet and loaded a piece of black paper in front of the film: that sucks.

Fumbled a roll or two (or three) of 120 film before attaching the tape: that sucks.

Got distracted and opened the back of a 35mm camera without rewinding the roll: really sucks.

Bumped the X/M switch on a Mamiya TLR lens to "M" while shooting flash at a wedding. Lucky for me, it was near the end of the roll and I ALWAYS checked the switch after reload: could have sucked a LOT more than it did.

[Mark Sampson]

It's quite a list here. I've done many of the above-mentioned, some many times. The only new one I can add is this: not advancing the roll of 120 to frame 1 when loading the Hasselblad, so the first four frames are on the paper. Not LF, I know, but painful just the same.

[Struan Gray]

I have a recurrent inability to read the right window on my meter's exposure dial, using the incident window when reflective metering and vice versa. Sometimes this helps, for example, the over exposure from reading incident instead of reflective nicely compensates for my habitual forgetting to apply a bellows factor.

In MF I once went through a rapid-fire roll winding on before the still-engaged self-timer had tripped the shutter.

My saddest mistake was getting my 35 mm camera overhauled for spotty exposures before a once in a lifetime climbing trip, only to discover that the problem was in the lens....

[Gary L. Quay]

In 1984 I shot a roll of 35mm film in Madam Traseau's (bad spelling) Wax Museum in London, or, at least, I thought I did. The film was not properly loaded, and did not advance. I ususally check to macke sure, but I had not done it.

I shot a roll of 120 film in some of the most brilliant light I've ever seen here in rainy, cloudy Oregon. When I went to change rolls, my Pentax 6x7 was empty.

I had finished developing a group of 4x5 negs, (last year) and was particularly satisfied with one of them. I Soaked them in Photo-Flo in preparation to hang them to dry when one slipped out of my hand and fell, corner first, into my prize shot, leaving a half-inch divot in the emulsion.

Incidentally, I'm glad that I'm not the only person who forgets film.

[Dan Fromm]

Hmm. Once upon a time I had a Nikkormat FTN. Fine camera, until I broke the x-sync terminal. No problem, I took it to the shop -- Comet Camera Repair in Philadelphia, PA, to this day I hate them -- to have the terminal replaced.

I paid, they gave my camera back, I tested. Hooked a flash up to the x terminal, took a shot, the flash did what it should have. Fired. Goodie!

Went off to Costa Rica, did some closeup work with flash, also took some shots at night, with flash, of course, of a female opossum carrying three babies. I was sure they'd be great. Momma possum snarling at me, baby possums with their little tails wrapped around momma's bigger one. Boy, was I happy to have had the opportunity.

Got the film back from the lab, all of the flash shots were completely unexposed. Checked the camera more thoroughly. Those incompetent !@# at Comet had wired the m contacts to the x terminal, the x contacts to the m terminal.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Walt Calahan]

Oh I've done my share, like bringing 135 mm film for a job that I was shooting on a 6x6 camera.

But recently, I can't break myself of the habit of leaving the rear lens cap on. I open the aperture, the open the shutter, put the dark cloth over my head, and see nothing on the ground glass.

Simple mistake that I repeat way to often - like today!

Silly me.

[John Brownlow]

The amazing thing is not that LF is easy to screw up, but how seldom you screw it up once you get into a groove with the equipment.

Of course, as soon as you change any element of the setup, it turns into the Keystone Kops until you get your groove back.

My most recent smack-myself-upside-the-head moment was cursing a Grafmatic septum onto which I simply could NOT load a sheet of film. I spent a good ten minutes swearing and sweating with my hands inside the changing bag before I realised I was trying to load a septum which was already loaded.

[Terence Spross]

Did you know - Dektol has a "salty-weird-and slippery feel on the roof on your mouth."

{No, it wasn't me - but when I was in college another photography club member was gagging at the drinking fountain nearest the darkroom. }

Never never use a beaker to hold cola in your dark room

{I had E4 chemistry in the darkroom at the time - could have been worse}