My Set Up for Film Holder Labels

[Steven Ruttenberg]

Here is my set up I have been using to label my film holders with removable labels. I put in the upper right corner the film holder number, ie; 1A, 1B, 2A,2B, etc.

How would you label these if you were using them? I will have Office Depot print them since my printer is doa. They are Avery Labels, #5230. 252 labels per pack, 7 labels per sheet.

[C. D. Keth]

I’d do it pretty much the way you did. I used to make magazine labels for 35mm cinema cameras that way. I’d print the template and then take packs of labels to the copy shop and run the labels through the copier. Copy prices are usually cheaper than print prices.


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[Kiwi7475]

I tried this for a while but it didn’t work for me — too cumbersome to write on the holders and always scared I’m going to accidentally open a slide or something.

So I just have them “permanently” labeled with 1A/1B, 2A/2B etc and then I carry a pocket book where I take notes for every picture (aperture, speed, conditions, anything really i may want to know afterwords). I also take a pic with my iPhone so that I can map the holder to the actual scene. Intrepid sells a nice mini book to record pic notes, which I like. In that book I will also carry corrections for shutter speeds for each lens — they’re not way off but I find it particularly useful when exposing slide film since I don’t want to be off by an extra 1/2 stop if I can correct it.

If I carry different film types loaded I will use different color sleeves for the holders indicating eg which ones are FP4+, provia, and Ektar. Or whatever I’m using.

We all develop an approach to make sense and remember what we did. I’m sure others have other equally valid approaches.

[Oren Grad]

So I just have them “permanently” labeled with 1A/1B, 2A/2B etc and then I carry a pocket book where I take notes for every picture (aperture, speed, conditions, anything really i may want to know afterwords).

That's what I do, too.

I don't use the information to customize development - I almost always use a standard development time, as I do with roll film. Rather, I find the information useful above all for learning, over time, about how my lenses draw - the effect of aperture on focus transitions, OOF rendering and overall image character, under various subject configurations and lighting conditions. That's how you get to really understand your lenses, in depth so to speak. Of course it's also useful to have exposure details in case something goes wrong and you need to do some troubleshooting.

[PatrickMarq]

I have also written on the holders 1A/1B etc, and afterward I take a picture with the lichtmeter App, there I note the exposure, aperture, lens and holder. And other useful information.

After scanning the negative I put this information in a website (I have created) and from there I can do an exif export and merge it with the tiff file.
This works perfect for me, my own ‘Film Asset Management’. The only problem I have is when doing several exposures of the same subject with different exposures/filters and the film comes back from the lab I have mostly no clue what film came out what holder. But this will resolve itself when I’n going to develop the film myself.

[Bob Salomon]

I have also written on the holders 1A/1B etc, and afterward I take a picture with the lichtmeter App, there I note the exposure, aperture, lens and holder. And other useful information.

After scanning the negative I put this information in a website (I have created) and from there I can do an exif export and merge it with the tiff file.
This works perfect for me, my own ‘Film Asset Management’. The only problem I have is when doing several exposures of the same subject with different exposures/filters and the film comes back from the lab I have mostly no clue what film came out what holder. But this will resolve itself when I’n going to develop the film myself.

Without using friskit or notches you still can’t id which sheet came out of which side of a holder. You can only id that the sheets came out of a specific holder.

[Eric Woodbury]

I don't label my film holders at all, except for film type. I've never been good about notes. I make the image, write on the white strip in soft pencil what the development should be and maybe some little detail. Film type is indicated with a color coded Dymo label, the old plastic kind with de-bossed letters. Blue is FP4, Green is HP5, Yellow is Tech Pan, and Red is Ortho. I also color the outside edge of the darkslide with felt pen of matching color so I can easily grab the film holders I need without reading labels. That's it.

[Steven Ruttenberg]

I take good notes, but on one trip, I cycled thru my film holders several times and my notes be am a mess. So I still use labels and take notes. More detailed than I can on the labels. And I can easily match notes to labels, film holders and film.

[6x6TLL]

I label each film holder 1A/1B, 2A/2B, etc and use color coded tape for each set of 8 (I think it's 8 that comes in a Toyo box package), so I have red, yellow, blue, for chrome, negative, and b&w. I too keep a notebook on my smartphone and make note of the date, subject, settings, etc, sometimes snapping a photo with my phone to help remember which frame belongs to which outing.

[esearing]

Its good to have a system especially while learning or changing methods. How do you decide what gets special development? and what if you want to see details six months down the road. I use blue painter tape on the slide and mark the film and number. That corresponds to my 3x5 index card which contains the exposure notes and development notes afterward.