Dark Slide Film Workflow

[more photography]

I normally use Quickload, nice and easy to load and send to the lab for devleopment, I normally stick a label of the sleeve which the lab returns to me. Therfore I can match the sleeve with exposure information to the negative.

If I decide to use film in darkslides (color- not BW), which I have never tried to do before, what is your workflow, how you keep records of exposure which later you can match to the negative when it is returned from the lab, this is in case you take few exposures of the same scene .

Also what is your method of removing the film from the holder and how do you package them to ensre they remain flat and in complete darkness, before inserting into an envelope to the lab.

[Jim Cole]

MRF,

I develop my own, but I can help with the tracking problem. Eash of my Toyo film holders has a small white area that can be written on and each is numbered in pencil with the holder number and side number (#1 Side 1, #1 Side 2). I took the time to cut fine notches in the lower flaps of each holder (using a dremel tool) that uses a system to match the film holder and side number. When the film is exposed, the notches appear on the non-picture area of the film sheet and are readily identified. My notes for each shot include the film holder and side used for the shot. Matching is easy.

Hope this helps.

Jim Cole

[C. D. Keth]

See this article:

http://www.jbhphoto.com/articles/filmholder1.htm

Once that is done a notebook does the rest.

[David A. Goldfarb]

I just number all my filmholders and keep notes, and I can tell them apart when I get them back, because I know where I was, since I was there, and then I label the neg envelopes. If I take several shots in the same place with the same exposure info, it often isn't necessary to distinguish each neg precisely, so in that case I might just list, say, #4-9 at X location, with Y exposure/lens/filter.

[kev curry]

There's a discussion about notching film holders here...

http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/showthread.php?t=32091

[more photography]

Thanks

One more thing, once you have exposed you film and back home, what is your methord of taking the film out, and how do pack them to the lab, not processing my own.

[G.A. Landrum]

To unload your holders, put them on a flat table, pull the dark slide out partway, fold the flap down then pull the film out. You need to put the exposed film in a empty 4x5 film box with the box pieces put together correctly to keep the light out. You need to tape the film box shut on all four sides. This is the way commercial photographers have taken film to labs for decades. Do not use an old worn out box, you could suffer light leaks if the box is beat on the edges and/or corners.

G.A.

[Berin Loritsch]

You can see the process of freeing the quickload film from it's packaging here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bloritsch/sets/72157603597801058/

I only unpackage what I am loading immediately.