Finally got some exposures..

[village idiot]

Things I’ve learned

1. Never trust the darkslide “lock”

2. If I’m going to shoot predawn, I need to start wearing a watch again.

3. If the darkslide hangs while trying to insert after a shot, just plan on repeating the exposure, because the film is now creased

4. There is a reason Mother Nature made dust, I just have to figure out what it is.

5. Just because the darkslide inserts easily after a shot, doesn’t mean you didn’t manage to originally feed the film into the slide track, you idiot, and now the film is above the slide

6. The difficulty of the composition and focusing is inversely proportional to the window of desirable light.

7. Make room in the bag for a bottle of tequila and a lime.

8. Creating a bellows extension compensation spreadsheet, and loading it into your PDA, means that you will drop the pda onto the only rock around , shattering it just when you are ready to calculate your first compensation

9. I have GAS, and there is nowhere to turn for help, as all the denizens of the LF Forum are a bunch of sick, twisted, bastards who have it worse than I, and only feed the fire

10. Getting one good image can make you forget all the above

Here’s a couple of my first shots. All you purists who disdain cropping/editing can move along now, there’s nothing for you to see here…
For the rest, not much here to brag about, I'm just trying to get the basics down. Pointers/suggestions would be welcomed.

[eric black]

Sounds alot like my first shoot- remember dirt (or substitute your favorite sh&* word happens (thank god for photoshop); Tequila does help and the light will definately follow Murphys Law! Keep at it, it gets more fun!

[Randy H]

Is the second picture representative of the mood you were in after a successful shoot?

Good lookin pics. I like the night shot of the city skyline.
Keep on keepin on.

[Ron Marshall]

You seem to be a fast learner, as you have mastered the essential LF knowledge; one correction though, Scotch not tequila generates a higher percentage of keepers.

[sparq]

Have you photographed your head, yet? ;)

Loading film wrong surface up is another favorite hobby of mine.

[Donald Qualls]

You missed another one, too -- the dark slide nearest the ground glass is always easier to pull out than the correct one, and gets still easier if it's protecting your best shot of the day (and will almost fall out by itself if it's got a lifetime best under it).

Mother nature didn't make dust. It's a no-extra-cost non-optional add-on that's delivered with all film and film holders; it's intended to make you shoot multiple copies of the same scene (i.e. burn more film and need more film holders to get through a day's shooting), in hopes of getting one that *doesn't* have dust in the sky (where it will print as a Zone 0 speck in the smooth Zone VIII-IX gradation). I've found, however, that the cheapest film and oldest film holders have no more of it than the expensive stuff, and cost a lot less, so that's what I use... :D

[Greg Lockrey]

Forgetting to put film in the holder. Not remembering what film is in the holder. Or putting it in face down. :eek:

[Vaughn]

You missed another one, too -- the dark slide nearest the ground glass is always easier to pull out than the correct one, and gets still easier if it's protecting your best shot of the day (and will almost fall out by itself if it's got a lifetime best under it).

And another missed one -- it is much easier to slip the darkslide inbetween the film holder and the camera back than in the slot of the filmholder.

vaughn

PS...great start!

[Marko]

Not to mention inserting the darkslide back in with the white side up.

[Greg Lockrey]

Not to mention inserting the darkslide back in with the white side up.

Or vice versa if your backwards like me. (White is light??):)

[Donald Qualls]

Well, yes, there's always the issue of how you handle light vs. dark sides of the dark slides. I'm in the "black is ready" school -- black to capture light, white/silver to reject it. And if I feel bumps (found only on the white/silver side), they "bump" me off that dark slide.

Easy to get in the habit of flipping the dark slide before reinserting -- harder to keep it oriented in your hand before flipping, especially if you're shooting a Speed hand held and need the same hand to fire the shutter...

[Brian Ellis]

Before leaving on a photo trip carefully check to make sure you've got all the accessories - film in holders, Readyloads and holder, dark cloth, lenses, tripod, meter, filters, cleaning cloth, Allen wrenches, notebook, pencil, etc. - leave the camera at home.

[Alan Davenport]

Have you photographed your head, yet? ;)

http://home.comcast.net/~w7apd/public/shutter_test.jpg

[Greg Lockrey]

Finally! Some real ART. :cool:

[village idiot]

Thanks for the chuckle, actually several chuckles! Sounds like I have lots of screwups to still make. They say you aren't a real cowboy til you've fallen off your horse 100 times. How many blown photos does it take til I'm a real photographer?

P.S. I think Brian takes the prize. It's really hard to botch a shot if you don't have your camera with you... Brian did you realize you were cameraless before you got to your destination?

Alan, from the angle of your head, I'd say that shot was the fault of your bifocals... I feel your pain.

[Capocheny]

Before leaving on a photo trip carefully check to make sure you've got all the accessories - film in holders, Readyloads and holder, dark cloth, lenses, tripod, meter, filters, cleaning cloth, Allen wrenches, notebook, pencil, etc. - leave the camera at home.

Hi Brian,

Not to worry... you can always use your photographic memory! :)

Alan,

I always get a chuckle out of seeing that image... you're now immortalized! :)

Rick,

One more fun mistake... forgetting to lock down your focusing lever and trying to load a filmholder. End result? Darn thing seems ALWAYS to move! :)

But, it's ALL part of the process of learning and being able to laugh at the situation.

Have fun!

Cheers

[Andrew O'Neill]

All mistakes listed so far I've made...except for forgetting the camera. Recently I've noticed that I am getting sloppy when I'm out shooting. I think the problem is that I'm trying to do too much in one day with 3 different types of film and formats. I've got to go back to the way I used to work: 2 8x10 holders and one type of film.

[Donald Qualls]

How many blown photos does it take til I'm a real photographer?

Just one, if it's a momentous enough occasion. Say, photographing the implosion of a building and forgetting to pull the dark slide. No, I haven't done that one, but I'd bet that it *has* happened, if you could only get the photographer to admit to it...