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Thread: why do only the best negs have scratches, developing issues, or dust?

  1. #1

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    why do only the best negs have scratches, developing issues, or dust?

    ARRRGGGGGGHHHHH! WHY ME?!?!? WHAT HAVE I DONE?

    sorry for the yelling!

    i am so frustrated! it seems that only my very best negs all have some issues. they seem to have scratches, dust, developing problems, pinholes, light leaks etc etc! most of it is my fault i am sure. i just want o know how i always seem to ruin the best ones....i mean if i have one out of 10 great negs i ruin that one good one! i have 9 possible less than perfect ones to ruin and i ruin the best....every time! if you tink about it that is a pretty good statistic! 100% of the good negs get ruined and NONE of the rest! can anyone else say that?

    tonight i just souped up about 16 negs of 8x10. 8 at a time in trays. one pile kind of got away from me going from the dev. to the stop. i manages to scratch the best neg out of the batch. i shot 3 sheets of the scene....this one had the best lighting (landscape from the sawtooth mountains) with awesome clouds! the other two were less than ideal! i will post them for fun when they dry.

    thanks for listening and sharing my pain.....i feel better already!

    eddie
    My YouTube Channel has many interesting videos on Soft Focus Lenses and Wood Cameras. Check it out.

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  2. #2

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    Re: why do only the best negs have scratches, developing issues, or dust?

    I never have pinholes, scratches or dust specks on my best negatives.


    Perhaps if I ever got any good negatives......
    Michael W. Graves
    Michael's Pub

    If it ain't broke....don't fix it!

  3. #3
    joseph
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    Re: why do only the best negs have scratches, developing issues, or dust?

    Quote Originally Posted by eddie View Post
    ARRRGGGGGGHHHHH! WHY ME?!?!? WHAT HAVE I DONE?

    8 at a time in trays.
    I wonder if there's a clue in your post?

    I'm not far off exposing and developing my first 8x10's
    (so I have zero experience)
    but I think 8 might be tempting fate...

    j

  4. #4

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    Re: why do only the best negs have scratches, developing issues, or dust?

    Quote Originally Posted by jb7 View Post
    I wonder if there's a clue in your post?

    I'm not far off exposing and developing my first 8x10's
    (so I have zero experience)
    but I think 8 might be tempting fate...

    j
    maybe...but i seem to have similar problems in a jobo tank or my daylight tank for 4x5. even when i do a few at a time you can bet that the good ones get "it" oh! and when i am loading the 120 reels only the best roll rolls on badly......sometimes i scratch the 4x5 taking them out of the holders, sometimes they may get damaged in the box when i transport them.

    if the negs are ho-hum they all come out perfect....no issues at all! a perfe4ct neg that is plagued by bad lighting or a boring sky etc etc.

    keep us posted on how your 8x10 negs go. good luck. it is fun.....most of the time

    eddie
    My YouTube Channel has many interesting videos on Soft Focus Lenses and Wood Cameras. Check it out.

    My YouTube videos
    oldstyleportraits.com
    photo.net gallery

  5. #5
    joseph
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    Re: why do only the best negs have scratches, developing issues, or dust?

    Quote Originally Posted by eddie View Post
    keep us posted on how your 8x10 negs go. good luck. it is fun.....most of the time

    eddie

    Thanks Eddie-
    will do-

    just need to get my bellows sorted-

    Shooting film without them might lead to something worse than scratches...

    j

  6. #6

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    Re: why do only the best negs have scratches, developing issues, or dust?

    I get a lot of problems on my crappy negatives. Sounds like you are not shooting enough bad negatives.

    More realistically, always shoot two of everything. One of could be problem free.

  7. #7
    Paul Cocklin
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    Re: why do only the best negs have scratches, developing issues, or dust?

    Eddie, you're not alone. On a trip up 395 from Lone Pine, I stopped at Mono Lake to use up my last 3 sheets of 8x10. Two of the negs came out perfect. Those were the ones with so-so lighting and composition. The shot with the glorious 'godlight' streaming down out of the dramatic clouds, shining down on the Sierra in the background and tufas reaching up towards the heavens has a 6 inch long, 1/8th inch wide scratch running right through the middle of the neg. Must have been a piece of sand caught in the light trap that got shoved along the neg when replacing the darkslide.

    I cried a little, I admit. So, I feel your pain.

  8. #8

    Re: why do only the best negs have scratches, developing issues, or dust?

    Ansel Adams once said that he takes two identical exposures of each subject to insure against processing problems. That said it was reported that he had a lot of crummy exposures and printings. Sure the one shot Moonrise is there but in all actuality he had a lot of failure. It would seem that an over abundance of work is the only cure for the disasters that happen. It's such a complex process that it's amazing any good work is put out.

  9. #9

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    Talking Re: why do only the best negs have scratches, developing issues, or dust?

    Misery loves company....

    I storm came through San Diego last week and during clearing, some fantastic clouds were flowing over my local canyon. I shot 5 on 4x5 FP4. Developed them last night...
    As the conditions were tricky, I developed my first "OK" negs - looked good. Took the best final special one out of the carrier then dropped it on the garage floor. In the dark obviously...
    Once I found it and blew the crap off it I put it in the pre-soak bath for a min. Flustered, I then went to put it in the developer. Couldn't find it....
    Turned out I put it in my final soak bath instead.....which is above my pre soak bath, with the other 4 developed negatives. Found it after I gave up and turned on my lights.

    "my photography path is strewn with cow pats from the Devil's own satanic herd...".

    Been a pleasure.
    Last edited by splanken; 3-Dec-2008 at 19:39. Reason: spelling as usual...

  10. #10

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    Re: why do only the best negs have scratches, developing issues, or dust?

    Listening to Jeff Curto's history of photography podcasts, he mentioned Weston's Pepper #30, and made a note of the fact that #s 1- 29 nobody has seen. Perseverence, I believe, is what's called for in circumstances like this.

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