Keeping track of exposed film sheets

[N Dhananjay]

As Andrew suggested, I think the simplest solution is to just put exposed film back in boxes in the order of exposure, with careful field note about development. Back in the darkroom, count up 6 or 8 (or however many sheets you process in one run) from the stack for each run, skipping over the sheets that require different processing. For e.g., I might have the following sheets at the top of my unexposed stack - N, N, N-1, N, N+1, N, N, N, N-1, N-1, N, N... I would just look at my field notebook and pick sheets nos. 1, 2, 4, 6, 6, 6, 11 and 12 for the first processing run using normal development. Hope this helps. Cheers, DJ

[willwilson]

I have tried a few different methods. I think film boxes are the best choice. I don't trust myself with a hole punch and in general I try not to do any extra damage to my film outside of the needed handling.

If you are on a long trip (50+ shots). In order to reduce the number of boxes I have to carry I split my boxes with a card. N on top of the card and N+1 on the bottom, for example. Also, I carry the largest changing tent I can stand. It makes everything about film changing so much easier. I would hate to pass on a shot because I was dreading changing out a holder.

[Phil]

For e.g., I might have the following sheets at the top of my unexposed stack - N, N, N-1, N, N+1, N, N, N, N-1, N-1, N, N... I would just look at my field notebook and pick sheets nos. 1, 2, 4, 6, 6, 6, 11 and 12 for the first processing run using normal development.

To help clarify this one box method:

(The sheets are in your "exposed stack")

Pick sheets 1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 8, 11 and 12 for the Normal processing.

- If your next run is for N-1:

Pick sheets 1, 3 and 4 from the sheets in the stack (remember the N's are gone)

- Now, the first sheet in the stack is an N+1 (but it was the 5th sheet you exposed according to your notebook.)

Take a few minutes to review this and you will see the correlation between the order of your exposed stack and your notebook. You may want to check off the sheets in your notebook as you process to help keep track of what is left in your exposed stack.

[lxdesign]

I do the one box method too -- all black and white are in a single box, and all E6 are in their own box. Speaking of which - I need to get a bunch of stuff to the lab soon. I haven't been shooting the 4x5 the last month. I need to get back to it.

[David A. Goldfarb]

I would just look at my field notebook and pick sheets nos. 1, 2, 4, 6, 6, 6, 11 and 12 for the first processing run using normal development. Hope this helps. Cheers, DJ

Are those the Satanic Exposures in the middle of that stack, DJ?

In any case, I use a divider system. I take sheets of cardboard (usually just the ones that come with the film), and make a series of tabs that I can feel in the dark along the right edge of the stack for -2, -1, N, +1, +2, and one tab along the top edge of the top sheet, so I don't flip the stack in the dark, and I sort my sheets that way. If I run out of space in the box, that means I'm also emptying boxes of fresh film, so I can split the stack into multiple boxes, if I'm shooting a lot over a long trip, where I won't be able to process right away.

[Bruce Barlow]

Habits, habits, habits...

I make all my even-numbered holder sides "N" exposures, and then ALWAYS make another exposure on the odd-numbered side as an N+1 1/2. Then they're easy to unload into their respective boxes - all the evens at once, flip the stack of holders, all the odds. That keeps my options simple.

I have never made an N-minus-Anything, but if I needed to, I'd use a Post-it from the supply in my little pocket bag of goodies, and slide the unglued end into the end of the holder and press the glued part onto the dark slide. It will stay in place if tucked. Were I on the road, I'd carefully unload that negative and tuck it underneath the supply of unexposed film, since I would have no "N-minus-Anything" box handy. At home I have spare boxes.

I have also notched my holders, a la a previous thread here, or as shown on "Camera Repair in the Field with Richard Ritter," which can take me to a specific negative that would correspond to my notes, if I ever took any.

[Ed Pierce]

I also like to make two negatives of everything, but I do identical exposures if possible. I use a separate box for each development plan, and separate the sets within the boxes with cardboard. My exposure record forms stay with the box and the sheets are kept in order. My holders are numbered and filed out so I can identify which negative came from which holder.

I develop one set first and check it, then develop the second "backup" set. This is a safeguard against processing problems, and it gives me the opportunity to tweak the development of individual sheets.