Ahem... Michael... please don't forget the LF photographers with science degrees - physics, chem, etc. And, sir, may I ask what your background is? :-)Originally Posted by Mike H.
p.s. Compusive disorders, like bad taste in clothing and lack of social skills, are non-discriminatory... it's only an illusion that engineers have cornered that market!
Having made every possible LF error there is to make, and a few others too, my own practice is to talk my way through the metering/settings/pulling-slide process every time I make an exposure. Maybe it helps synch up the right and left sides of the brain or something, I don't know, but actually talking through it as if there were someone else there listening, helps me a lot. And yeh, the test-firing of the shutter is a helpful one too.
But then there's the other kind of forgetting. Two week trip to New Orleans to photograph post-Katrina devastation; no dark cloth!!
Me, I carry around a thing in my head called a brain. It's a wonderful device. It has a vast memory and can compute all sorts of complex calculations rapidly if it has been programmed properly. It is also what is called an "expert system" in that it has the ability to make choices based on its previous experience and the prevailing conditions. What is even more amazing is that it's able to make subjective decisions based on a whim at the time of making an exposure. Storing a checklist of things which need to be done prior to and at the point of exposure is a trivial task for this device.
If you are experiencing problems with with the checklist tasks then it is a clear signal that complete system failure is imminent. It's time to get a new one...
Last edited by robc; 16-Jun-2006 at 11:25.
It actually doesn't take me very long to record the information---certainly less than a minute---, and I usually do it after I've taken the shot and removed the film holder, so it isn't a distraction. What takes the longest is recording the spotmeter values. I scan all my negatives, and I find this information very helpful when so doing. When I'm in a hurry, I may just record one or two values or just skip that part.
I remember the filter but forget to compensate for itI solved the problem by putting a sticker written in red sharpie on the lensboard by the cocking lever on all my wideangle lenses that use the CF. It simply says "+ 2 Stops!" I suspect this would serve equally well as a reminder to add the filter in the first place.
Pneumonic that may help you too -- if you are posting here you know what it is: LCD. Lever (close preview lever), Cock (cock shuter), Darkslide (remove the darkslide) -- in that order of course.
Lastly, I tend to forget important hardware on occasion -- like a tripod head or base clamp. So I keep a Rubbermaid bin stored in the car stuffed with junk items like an old Majestic head, clamps, plates, cheap loupe, sweatshirt, etc that serve as back-ups. Even if you don't forget your primary gear, these come in handy if something breaks.
Last edited by Jack Flesher; 18-Jun-2006 at 08:44.
Don't put the Post-it note in the middle of the darkslide, though, or you might forget it and wonder what that rectangular blank spot is at the edge of the negative where the Post-it snags on the light trap as the darkslide is removed.How about a large Post-It note wrapped around the darkslide end of your film holders saying, "Center Filter?"
Not that I've ever done that...
...more than once (11x14"--ouch!).
Personally I work front-to-back; assuming I've got it set up and pointing the right direction, my pre-shooting checks involve finalizing the aperture, checking corresponding exposure, ensuring the shutter's closed, plugging in the cable-release and *then* I go round the back and insert the film-holder. Another walk around (wait 15mins for nice lighting) and re-check exposure, and I'm ready to take the shot.
My problem is remembering which of the holders (normally classified as 1 for velvia and 2 for b&w) is in what state, especially between weekends out. I don't think any "black showing = ready" scheme is going to work for me - more likely sheet of paper saying "velvia: 2 taken" or something.
My most common error is pulling the dark slide with an open shutter,or stop or shutter not set correctly. I solved this problem by using the mnemonic FAST- F-Focused, locked, and composed. A-aperture set S-shutter closed and test fired and cocked. T-for tach, shutter speed set. Only after I have run my FAST check will I pull the slide.
My next most common problem is forgetting to add filter, bellows, or reciprocity factors(FiBeR). I include that now in the "Tach" section, as it is usually what I adjust to compensate for these factors...
If I sidetrack because I find something amiss where I have to recalc the exposure, I run it from the beginning again before I pull the slide. FAST FiBeR. Sounds like a cereal.
Last edited by JBrunner; 2-Jul-2006 at 17:12.
Well - I'll add my two cents starting off by saying that I'm a ridiculously forgetful person (I'll be in a SAD state in 30 years!!!) - but perhaps having made so many mistakes in the past, and having shot I don't know HOW many thousands of sheets of film - it just becomes this very intuitive, zen sort of thing for me. If I were to TRY to do things by mnemonic - I'd slow down my process to a near impossible crawl. But the one thing that DOES tend to work for me, that I'm only beginning to be conscious of, is that I do tend to 'empathize' - that is to say, I imagine what state the lens and film are IN. It's become this near emotional thing for me. As soon as I go to pull the darkslide - I'll scoot around quickly and make sure the lens is closed down. I still can't do it by feel. I have to actually SEE the lens closed. But I just can't bring myself to pull the slide until I've checked. Likewise with pulling a holder. The darkslide has to be in place, flipped black-side-out and locked. And I'll NEVER have a film holder with the white side out unless the holder's been vacuumed and loaded. So that helps.
Other things that DO help probably are making sure you have well-organized cases for your equipment (granted - this is probably more appropriate if you do commercial location shoots than backpacking with LF) and making sure that it all stays in one place. Shooting polaroids makes a big difference in terms of, say, forgetting a center filter, and forgetting to lock focus, etc...! And just remembering the stress of the time I did a job and left my polaroid holder at home is enough motivation to remember all your stuff. So - the upshot is - I'll second what another poster said - and recap - "don't worry - it'll come with experience!".
Re: How do you avoid forgetting things?
Well, I try to make sure I get things right before I leave home.
As for knowing which film is in which holders, I write it down in my notebook after I finish loading my film and before loading the next type/brand/size of film.
I've done the pull the darkslide without closing the aperture blades on more than one occasion. It has this nasty tendency to happen when I'm shooting 8x10 Provia!
Diane
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