LF mistakes made so far

[Mark Pope]

It's confession time...

During my brief time as a LF camera user, I've made the following mistakes...

- Taken the dark slide out before closing the lens
- Loading film in the lolder the wrong way around. Very frustrating when I'd spent ages preflashing the film and stuff to get the image I wanted
- Placing my shadows on zone VII instead of Zone III
- forgetting to reset the camera's movements
- watching the image jump out of focus because I hadn't locked the front standard when I opened the camera up.

I wonder how many more mistakes are out there just waiting to trip me up...
This doesn't include the unmitigated disaster casued by attempts to use a Paterson Orbital print processor to develop my first set of negs.

[Bruce Watson]

I wonder how many more mistakes are out there just waiting to trip me up...

There are a bunch, just with film holders. My favorite is loading the film in the darkslide guide rails (so you can't push the darkslide back in after the shot). And of course finger printing the film as you load the holder when you are hot, tired, and working with a changing tent on a table that's just too small for it. There's the ever popular turning on the darkroom light after loading holders to see the film box still open. And the reverse - turning on the light after unloading holders with the film box full of your exposed but unprocessed film still open. Then you can always load two sheets into one side of a holder. You only use that holder for the shot where focus accuracy is critical ;-) Then there's forgetting to flip the darkslide when you put it back in after an exposure resulting in those lovely double exposures where you kill two setups for the cost of one sheet of film. And forgetting to shield the darkslide from the sun when you pull it or push it in resulting in lightseal light leaks. And setting a holder down on a surface that you didn't check for cleanliness. And...

I'm sure I'm just scratching the surface here.

[DrPablo]

My favorite is loading the film in the darkslide guide rails (so you can't push the darkslide back in after the shot).

I've been lucky so far in my 1 month old fledgeling LF career, but the above quoted gaff is one I've made a number of times (to my complete horror). I'm still trying to decide whether I prefer to load the film from the top or bottom of the holder.

[Leonard Evens]

Here are some you others you may find yourself doing in the future.

Forgetting to put the film holder in the camera.

Forgetting to take out the darkslide altogether.

Forgetting to replace the darkslide before removing the film holder from the camera. This is hard to do if you hold the darkslide while taking the picture, but sometimes you have to put it down.

Forgetting to put a filter on the lens.

Forgetting to set the ISO setting on your exposure meter to match your film.

Shooting wide open because you forgot to set the lens to the shooting aperture.

Forgetting to set the shutter speed.

Putting film in a film holder so one side rests on top of the groove instead of in the groove. You can avoid this by remembering to check with your fingernail on both sides.

In case you are compulsive like me about keeping records, forgetting to record the focal length, aperture and shutter speed.

In case you have put something in the scene to help in focusing, composition, or determining exposure, forgetting to remove it before taking the picture.

I'm sure there are some other mistakes I've made which don't come to mind right now.

[Ole Tjugen]

Loading film in the holders, complete with the interleaf paper.

Pulling the wrong slide, thus exposing the other film through the ground glass.

Loading 5x7" film in a 13x18cm holder and hearing it fall out of the holder and flop down in the bellows-

Loading 13x18cm film in a 5x7" holder, and realising you can't get the dark slide back in because the film is bowing out from the too narrow film slot.

[Jorge Gasteazoro]

Finishing the shot and getting ready to fold the camera, removing the lens and then remembering you have not put the dark slide on the film holder yet......do this with a 12x20 so it really hurts...

Try to focus with the film holder in place and wondering why you cant see a thing...

Going from a B&W shot to a color shot and forgetting to remove the red filter.....

The possibilities to do something stupid are endless........

[Steve Bell]

Going from a B&W shot to a color shot and forgetting to remove the red filter.....

Just got some film back today and found a very deep red provia shot, must have done as you mentioned, left the 25A red filter on. First time I've done this.

[snuck]

my favorite mistake is with the grafmatics that I use. Namely, forgetting to push the darkslide back in after the spring pushes the next plate up, and exposing -thereby burning all six sheets of film in the grafmatic through the notch in the septums. On really bright days, the first 3 sheets tend to be writeoffs. Then there's the infamous removing the darkslide before closing the shutter. yeesh. These days I've developed the habit of glancing quickly at the front of the lense before removing the darkslide. Has worked wonders.

[Mark Pope]

So many mistakes and so little time...
I had a close call in the darkroom this afternoon. I loaded my combiplan and when I'd switched the light on, I noticed that the lid wasn't quite seated properly. Fortunately, it wasn't bad enough to fog the sheets of film. Phew!

Actually looking at the list so far, there are quite a few on there that I've already done! Its a wonder how any of us actually get anything to print!
This thread has given my wife a good laugh!

[Capocheny]

So many mistakes and so little time...

Hi Mark,

LOL... I suspect there's still a LOT of time to do some of the above gaffers that you've not done yet!

So, your wife will have lots of laughs coming down the turnpike!

My favorite one is forgetting which holders have already been exposed. Been there, done that!

Good luck.

cheers