I am a little bit confused when it comes to loading 4x5 film. I have been trying to load film by pinching the upper right hand corner of the film edges (not touching the emulsion or the backing face of the film). This relies on using the notch to get sufficient grip of the film, and totally avoids contact on either faces of the film. However this appeared to be somewhat clumsy, and a bit frustrating so I set out to research how other people load film. However, to my surprise, a lot of people appear to touch both surfaces of the film (emulsion and/or the backing surface) when loading. I am quite confused now on whether this is or is not appropriate?

1. What is the correct way to handle a film while loading?

2. Which surfaces are safe to touch?

3. What is your method of loading film?