How do you avoid forgetting things?

[Ralph Barker]

How about a large Post-It note wrapped around the darkslide end of your film holders saying, "Center Filter?"

[Mark Sampson]

I like Harley's idea. I've pulled the slide on many an open shutter.

[paulr]

as far as forgetting to do things, it's just practice. after pulling the darkslide with an open shutter on 50 or so sheets of film, something in the reptillian part of my brain finally clicked and i stopped doing it.

as far as forgetting to bring things, it's all about keeping it simple. i don't have a lot of gear; the camera stuff is in a bag, other things like a meter and dust brush and loupe are in a little hip pack. that means remembering two things. even my wee brain can handle that.

[CXC]

I work as slow as I possibly can. Keep that adrenaline-based rushing under control; only rush when it is productive, to catch a fleeting subject or light condition.

Live with your mistakes; there are plenty of more pictures to be taken, so don't worry about the ones that got away due to screw-ups.

I leave my center filter on the one lens I have that needs it. Then the hard part is remembering to adjust the exposure for it.

Talk to yourself, out loud: "Preview button down? Check. Lens cocked? Check. Slide pulled? Check.", etc. This reminds you that there is a danger of forgetting something, largely minimizing the risk.

[Frank Petronio]

what was the question?

[Eric Leppanen]

I frequently make mistakes when I go out shooting after a long layoff, so for the first day or so of a photographic trip, I give myself the expectation of making lots of mistakes. I therefore go extra slow and double-check each step until I get back into my usual habitual workflow. I also make a habit of test firing the shutter before pulling the darkslide, which has saved me much grief over the years.

Center filters, especially after a long shooting layoff, are a problem since they are an exception to the usual workflow, and all one can do IMO is go extra slow and verify each step (I have a wide angle lens, do I need a CF? etc.) to make sure you capture it. In addition to forgetting the CF entirely, I sometimes put it on, and then forget to make the appropriate exposure compensation. I then have the dubious joy back home of massively pushing film in the hope of salvaging the shot (usually without success).

Ironically the best mnemonic I have found is previously getting burned. Once I have tasted the bitter fruits of a particular error, I am more likely to remember proper procedure the next go-around (the human mind preferentially remembers traumatic memories, possibly as a survival tactic against predators). When I first started LF, I was prone to various mistakes until I had made virtually every mistake known to man; then, the process seemed to become burned into my memory.

So next time you forget the center filter, maybe you should try swearing profusely, jumping up and down, and envisioning in your fevered mind the dark-as-molasses edges of your otherwise beautiful photograph. If you survive that experience, hopefully you'll remember that center filter next time! Another less theatrical approach would be to preemptively take a practice shot with the center filter right before a photo excursion, just to reacquaint you with it.

[Barry Trabitz]

Leonard,

All wonderful suggestions. However, at our age let the mistakes happen ( as they will anyway ) and carry several extra film holders.
Barry.

[clay harmon]

Darn. I forgot what I was going to suggest.

[Tom Jones]

If you really want to be sure you do everything necessary and in the right order, make up a checklist. Then use it every time. Anything else and you're leaving it to chance.

The more complicated the shot, the worse the conditions, the faster you try to work, and the more tired you are, the better the chance you will forget something really important. But then, that's part of the fun!

[Leonard Evens]

Thanks for all the advice. But such things as proceeding in a systematic way, keeping everything in the same place when packing, shooting a lot, releasing the shutter once before loading film, etc., I already do. Usually I don't forget, but let me give you an example of why I forgot some things the last time. I was taking pictures from the roof of a new parking garage. I had to set up my camera close to the wall and get the camera as much over the ledge as possible, and that required an unusual---at least for me---setup for the tripod. I ended up having to hold the tripod to keep it still. When shooting b/w, I used a Lee filter in the snap-on holder which was vibrating in the wind, so I was concentrating on catching it when it was relatively quiet. In addition, my spinal stenosis started acting up, so I wanted to get it done as soon as possible. So I think I can be excused for getting distracted.

I was hoping for some catchy easy to remember menmonic phrase, but none was forthcoming.

I think I will use the menmonic P(C)SoSi

P for preview lever
(C) for center filter, (in parentheses because it is not always needed)
So for slide out, which will imply a film holder
Si for slide in

This is not any easier to remember than the steps it reviews, but if I tape it to something and remember to look at it each time, maybe it will help.