Oh what an idiot!

[butterfly]

How many ways are there of messing up a LF picture..?

Drove 50 miles to a stately home in the UK yesterday. Beautiful day. Sat around for hours waiting for the light to be just right, as there was this marvellous 12th century wooden door and stone archway, ideal for LF. Set up the camera..

Got home and processed the Polaroid 55..Blank! I didn't pull the envelope out to take the pic. Oh well I thought, I shot one on Tmax. Processed that and looked perfect on first inspection, until I took it out the tank. A quarter of the pic is blank because presumably I didn't pull the envelope out far enough!!

I've never made either of those mistakes before - a true senior moment.

Grrrrr!

The latest box of Tmax negs are very hard to pull out to expose the film.

In my defence I was constantly disturbed by kids on an egg hunt around the grounds, so sort of lost concentration.

Mad last night, but can see the funny side this morning..it's another beautiful day..

Anyone else done this?

Regards

Steve

[Greg Lockrey]

In my 40 some years in photography this has never happened to me. :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

[Rob_5419]

I've never made either of those mistakes before - a true senior moment.


Grrr.. you mean a truly "junior" moment ;)

Seniors get bad rap from numpty things like this. I might forget to lock the doors or put the handbrake on though....not sure what to call those...can't remember.

[Scott --]

I wouldn't mind seeing the 3/4 picture on TMax. I'm curious what this door worth driving 50 miles for looks like... ;)

[Wilbur Wong]

Grrr.. you mean a truly "junior" moment ;)

Seniors get bad rap

I used to have senior moments, now I refer to them all as middle age moments. . . .

As to the sleeve not being fully withdrawn, I have used ready loads and quick loads (both the silver plate and the black plate holder) for years. Recently I purchased a new quick load holder because on a previous trip I had the problem you described. I thought it was because the holder didn't securely hold the film clip while the envelope sleeve was being withdrawn. I even blew a sheet of film so I could watch the action while the sleeve is being withdrawn.

I've taken the older one apart, and I don't see what is causing the failure with that holder. Maybe someone else here has figured it out.

Wilbur

[Wilbur Wong]

The last time I took the old one apart, I was in the field. I just took it apart again. I don't know if it is the most effective or appropriate measure but I stretched the pressure plate springs (6) slightly so they are about 1/16" longer unloaded. The holder is now catching the film clip reliably every time. My unscientific feel says that even after stretching the (compression) springs on the older holder, my new one still feels like it offers slightly more film plate pressure. If you have another one or could check a new one at a store, maybe that is the source of a potential problem.

Do you know which side of the photograph is missing? If you lost the right side of the image, the clip didn't catch, if the left side than the sleeve wasn't fully pulled (assuming horizontal format and you insert on the right side of the camera.)

Re-read your post, are you using a polaroid holder on each of the pictures?

[John Kasaian]

A few years ago Tioga Pass was open on New Years day, which is very, very rare.
I left the cable release at home :eek:

[Rakesh Malik]

Anyone else done this?



Not yet... but I've done the opposite a number of times, pulling the envelope (I use QuickLoads) before closing the shutter.

One of my friends once packed his gear, snacks, extra batteries, tripod, and monopod, drove two hours to Shenandoah, and started setting up for a sunrise shot... and discovered that he'd left both of his camera bodies at home.

[butterfly]

Ok, answering a few questions. Using Polaroid holder for 55 and Kodak Readyload holder. Will figure out which side of the neg I've lost tonight, and scan it to see what this 'fab' door looks like, and post it, he, he.

I'm going to waste a sheet tonight and check the Kodak holder out.

Thanks for the amusing comments.

Oh when they turn out ok, it's ALL worth it, this LF stuff !

Regards

Steve

[Vaughn]

I just figure that sheets of 8x10 film blown out because I forgot to close the lens down (like I did again in Yosemite last week) are just sacrafices to the Photo Gods...

Vaughn

[butterfly]

Well I've never posted a pic before, so I hope it can be seen. It's obviously compressed etc., but the original has a lovely luminous quality about it and it's tack sharp. Pity about the missing pillars on the left hand side due to my error..

that's what I drove all that way for, well not really, I did take a few others :-)

[David Karp]

A few years ago Tioga Pass was open on New Years day, which is very, very rare.
I left the cable release at home :eek:

I'll see you a forgotten cable release, and raise you with a forgotten tripod! At least it wasn't on my annual trip to Yosemite though.

[Mark Sampson]

"A blank he lived, and a blank he died; he never remembered to pull the slide."
-Beaumont Newhall

[Padu Merloti]

A few years ago Tioga Pass was open on New Years day, which is very, very rare.
I left the cable release at home :eek:



Well, on LF photography I had 2 or 3 cases like that (not pulling the polaroid envelope), out of a dozen total polaroids taken (yeah, I'm really new to LF).

But on a similar note, this weekend I was hired to take a few pictures of a rock band on a concert on Friday and studio recording on Sat. I took some lightning equipment as I know recording studios don't usually have a great light (and no windows).

The way I've had it setup is an AB800 head slave triggered mounted on a softbox, and a flash head mounted on an umbrella.



Long story short, I forgot the piece that stays on top of the lightstand and holds the flash and umbrella...

The solution: get the press kit producer guy to be my lightstand and hold the umbrella and the flash togegher. He never knew I forgot the piece... supposedly there was no room for another lightstand ;)

[Neal Shields]

Seems to me that one of the best reasons for going to large format is that you can only ruin one photo at a time. A whole lot better than all the times I've opened the back of a 35mm camera without rewinding first.

[brad martin]

Ever taken some shots with empty filmholders? I have.

[Brian C. Miller]

I just had a darkroom moment: Loaded the film into the Jobo tank. Now, where's the lid? Managed to find it in the dark, far, far away from where I loaded the film.

[Brian Ellis]

Could have been worse - you could have arrived and discovered you left the camera home as I did years ago after a 30 or so mile drive. Or on second thought maybe that wasn't worse, at least I didn't waste any film. : - )

[Alan Davenport]

I used to have senior moments, now I refer to them all as middle age moments. . . .

Around HERE, those times are now officially known as "intellectual interludes." :confused:

[scrichton]

the worst one of mine was in the western isles of scotland. Snapping a film with 10 shots of ball lightning over the mountains of harris.

Oh and a few of calanish standing stones at sunset.

thankfully I was only 15 so I'll put that down to the young pup side.

LF side of things though.. worst has been last week. going out and realising I forgot to pick up the darkslide from the car after lugging the case and tripod 5 miles into the wood :D

Not quite mature enough there.

[Vaughn]

I just had a darkroom moment: Loaded the film into the Jobo tank. Now, where's the lid? Managed to find it in the dark, far, far away from where I loaded the film.

That's better than my recent adventure -- loaded five 8x10's into the drum, got the film holders away from the edge of the counter (one had hit the floor previously, breaking the darkslide) and turned on the room light.

It took me a second to realize why the drum looked a little wierd -- I forgot to put the top on:( .

Vaughn

[Marko]

I used to have senior moments, now I refer to them all as middle age moments. . . .

It all depends on one's perspective and life expectancy... ;)

But to stay on topic - how would you classify taking your entire LF outfit out and then realizing, after setting everything up and ducking under the darkcloth, that the only thing you forgot to bring were your reading glasses?

I still can't decide whether it is a sign of midlife because I've only started using them recently or if it is a sign of old age because I'm becoming old enough to start forgetting things...

Anyway, on my way back, I stopped by at the drugstore and picked up two generic pairs of reading glasses, a bit stronger than for actual reading, and put them in my LF bag as a permanent part of the kit.

[Maris Rusis]

While loading 8x10 sheet film into holders in the darkroom I thought one sheet (#12) might have touched the darkroom bench and picked up some dust specks. I'm a bit paranoid about dust on sheet film but there is no way I know to clean unexposed sheet film in the dark. What to do?

Since I was going to photograph some desert country I figured that the dusty (?) sheet could be used for rocks, trees, whatever as long as there was no sky in the picture. Dust and bad spotting get lost in highly textured details. So I wrote "#12 dust, no skies" on a piece of paper and enclosed the note with the holder in its zip top plastic bag. And forgot about it.

I knew there was trouble when I looked in the fixer tray during the post-shoot developing session and saw a detailed negative but with a 2"x3" clear rectangle on it. Back in the dev tray was my note "#12 dust, no skies"!

Dry desert air plus static electricity had transferred the note to the plastic darkslide and then to the film inside the camera. Definitely my worst dust spot ever!

[Ed Richards]

> It took me a second to realize why the drum looked a little wierd -- I forgot to put the top on

I finished loading the film into the drum in my changing bag, then realized that the lid was on the counter next to the changing bag.

[Rob_5419]

I used to have senior moments, now I refer to them all as middle age moments. . . .

Nope.....definitely junior moments for me.

I had those moments such a long time ago that I can't remember. So it must have been when I was a junior.

[walter23]

I have this bad habit of pulling the darkslide while the preview on the lens is still open, but only with expensive slide films! I did it just last night with a sheet of velvia, and I've lost at least one sheet out of every box I've shot (so far only three, but that's still three for three).

I've never done it - not once - with B&W, and I've shot at least a hundred negatives.

[Padu Merloti]

I've never done it - not once - with B&W, and I've shot at least a hundred negatives.



Very selective indeed!

[Andrew O'Neill]

Once when I was out with my 4x5, I pulled the darkslide out and made the exposure. As I was counting the exposure time, I noticed a sheet of film laying on the ground a few feet away from the camera. I thought to myself, gee, some twit dropped a sheet of film on the ground...
the bloody sheet came out as I pulled the slide out. I was the twit. Man, did I ever have a good laugh.

[al olson]

Yesterday I was shooting some tabletop with Polaroid 55 using the 545i holder. I was using film 4 years out of date and having a problem getting an even spread of the chemicals as I pulled it through the rollers.

To try to even out the pressure I was pressing the holder down on a kitchen counter top as I attempted to pull the film out evenly. I forgot to move the lever over to the P position and as I pulled the envelope out ...

#2 pulled the envelop out with the lens open

#3 forgot to stop down the lens after composing on the ground glass

#4 forgot to pull the envelop out while making the exposure

I think I have covered most of the ways to screw up with Polaroid. Of course #3 could happen with other film holders as well.

[Vaughn]

Making something idiot proof is just a challenge to Mother Nature to make a better idiot...

Vaughn

[scrichton]

easist way I have found is proces your pics in a Jobo drum... then they all stick together, as you are un-used to putting film into a reel that really doesn't want it in there.

No matter how careful you are not messing up the pic your negs will be shot anyway :D

[William Barnett-Lewis]

I keep a printout of this list: http://www.largeformatphotography.info/mistakes.html and I find that most of my outings allow me to check off something. Now we won't mention just which error collects the most check marks... aw, what the heck, it's forgetting to pull the darkslide on a shot. My daybook has many a cussing out of myself for that error...

William

[Thilo Schmid]

I'll see you a forgotten cable release, and raise you with a forgotten tripod! At least it wasn't on my annual trip to Yosemite though.And I will top this with a forgotten Pelicase on a holiday trip. It contained the lenses, while I took everything else with me :rolleyes:
I´ve also forgotten the cable release sometime. But at least with Copal Shutters, this is not the worst. You can trigger the latch with your fingers, even in a recessed board.

[John Alexander Dow]

Carefully packed everything - Camera, Tripod, cable release, darkslides with film, special glasses so I could see the screen. Drove 50 miles - light just right - unexpected bonus of rowers practising on the calm clear river - What did I forget? The little quick release hexagon to attach camera to tripod.

[Joe Forks]

My last outing was a disaster! I shot a lot of film and made several mistakes including:

1) forgetting to pull the slide (caught myself at least once)
2) Metering errors - wrong ISO on meter
3) caught and ruined sheet film replacing dark slide
4) focusing errors

one or two really nice shots keep me coming back for more. I always enjoy the ride, sometimes even more than the destination.

[Shen45]

Just the other day -- A very nice old interior in a deserted house with an excellent still life of plates bottles etc.

Took a meter reading calculated the exposure, pulled the slide and tripped the shutter. Carefully left the area for the 13 minute 45 second exposure. At 12 minutes came back to notice a Minolta light meter sitting right in the middle of the shot. At least the reciprocity calculations are spot on :)

Steve

[fstop]

Last spring in the color darkroom it took me a while to get used to the lack of safelight. We had individual rooms that we could turn the light on to load a new neg or what have you. Once I went to put a piece of paper in the easel and remember noticing that the paper is blue...then I realized that I shouldn't be seeing the paper. Too late, a whole box wasted.

[Eric James]

I usually go to Yosemite to climb, but a few years ago I made the trip just to take photos. I arrived in The Valley late in the day but full of energy. I set up camp and then hiked by moonlight to the meadows that provide a great spot for viewing the Upper and Lower falls. I shot for a couple hours and then walked the three miles back to camp.

The next morning I discovered that the Arca-Swiss clamp on my ballhead had fallen apart somewhere between the meadows and the backpackers camp below the the Washington Column! I had no way to support my camera!

I decided to make lemonaid, as the saying goes - I decided to ship my tent and tripods back home and go very light and handheld for the rest of the trip. Later that evening, after I had posted the package, I was walking along the leaf-covered trail past Housekeeping Camp when I saw a black anodized knob sticking out from under a leaf - it was my knob. I figured if I walked a few more steps the long washer, then the spring, then the clamp itself might be found. I was right, but I wasn't too happy to have found them:mad:

[Frank R]

I finished loading some filmholders in a dark room and then turned on the lights, only to find I had forgotten to close the foil pack and return the unexposed film to its light-tight box. Wasted nearly half a box of film.

Anyone else do this?

[Jack Fisher]

Having experienced a number of the above goofs, I discovered that there are two important symptoms of advancing age:

1) a distinct memory loss, and

2) uhhh... I can't seem to remember the other one.

Jack :confused:

[ronald moravec]

With digital you know before you go home. Ain`t as much fun though.

I got a lot of stares the other morning, 4x5 Zone VI, 300mm, large wood tripod and a new Nikon D200.

One time lady even asked if that thing actually worked!

[Brian C. Miller]

Yes, Frank, I've blown off 20 odd sheets that way myself. Ouch.

[artedetimo]

The best feeling is when you pull the slide and get ready to hit the trigger and then realize that you're staring at a piece of film through the glass instead of the back side of your film holder.

The tripod at home by the door is never a good one either. And the bag with film and meter on the kitchen table takes the cake.

[eddie]

wrong ISO on my meter!
turned the light on before i closed the box of unexposed film!
forgot my hex plate!
shot on empty film holders/double exposed the film cause i thought they were unexposed! (forgoty to turn my darkslides around!).
read the E on my 135 nikon to be 3. shot 15-20 shots and noticed i still had shot only 3 EEERRR i mean it was empty (E)!
there are more.

eddie

[Diane Maher]

My last outing was a disaster! I shot a lot of film and made several mistakes including:

1) forgetting to pull the slide (caught myself at least once)
2) Metering errors - wrong ISO on meter
3) caught and ruined sheet film replacing dark slide
4) focusing errors

one or two really nice shots keep me coming back for more. I always enjoy the ride, sometimes even more than the destination.

For #3, have you tried turning the whole camera upwards with the film holder still inside it, thus allowing the film to fall back down and you might be able to salvage the shot? I did this once while photographing a Spider-Man like appendage on a tree halfway up a mountain in Washington state. I got the shots. I'll never allow someone else to load film for me again. :mad:

[Diane Maher]

My last outing was a disaster! I shot a lot of film and made several mistakes including:

1) forgetting to pull the slide (caught myself at least once)
2) Metering errors - wrong ISO on meter
3) caught and ruined sheet film replacing dark slide
4) focusing errors

one or two really nice shots keep me coming back for more. I always enjoy the ride, sometimes even more than the destination.

I did #1 a couple of weeks ago it seems. If I start talking to people, I lose track of what I've done. In this case, it looks like I took the picture without pulling the darkslide. :mad: :mad:

For #3, have you tried turning the whole camera upwards with the film holder still inside it, thus allowing the film to fall back down and you might be able to salvage the shot? I did this once while photographing a Spider-Man like appendage on a tree halfway up a mountain in Washington state. I got the shots. I'll never allow someone else to load film for me again. :mad:

[Joe Forks]

I did #1 a couple of weeks ago it seems. If I start talking to people, I lose track of what I've done. In this case, it looks like I took the picture without pulling the darkslide. :mad: :mad:

For #3, have you tried turning the whole camera upwards with the film holder still inside it, thus allowing the film to fall back down and you might be able to salvage the shot? I did this once while photographing a Spider-Man like appendage on a tree halfway up a mountain in Washington state. I got the shots. I'll never allow someone else to load film for me again. :mad:

I suspect that the darkslide is warped, just enough to catch the leading edge of the film and push it down creasing and folding the film as it was replaced. I know exactly which holder it is, one of only four 5x7's. That was a new one on me! LOL

[Michael Graves]

Ever taken some shots with empty filmholders? I have.

Yep. Went out on a 2-day road trip with 24 empy holders. Didn't say a single bad word when I discovered my error.


Said about a million of 'em.