HOW TO Load Film Holders. A tutorial video for beginners.

[Chauncey Walden]

Nah, if it's white show it light and if it's black keep it in the dark. Besides, the raised dots are on the white side of the darkslide and what you can feel in the dark as you slide it in.

[Michael Kadillak]

Nah, if it's white show it light and if it's black keep it in the dark. Besides, the raised dots are on the white side of the darkslide and what you can feel in the dark as you slide it in.

Completely agree. The universal language spoken in just about every book I have ever read on the topic. That being said as long as whatever system you choose to use to get the job done works for you, then it is immaterial. The key then is to be consistent is it is second nature and you do not have to "think" about it.

[Drew Bedo]

Not rocket science: Just get the notch oriented correctly and be sure that both long edges are under the guides. How big a deal is that?

A few dry runs with the lights on, then into the darkness.

[Alan Klein]

Some of us have more than one thumb on each hand.

[schafphoto]

Not rocket science...

True, but if you're just starting out and can't take a class, it's nice to see the unseen.

[schafphoto]

... Besides, the raised dots are on the white side of the darkslide and what you can feel in the dark as you slide it in.

This is an interesting subject. I have never used the raised dots, because I set up my film loading area in the light room. Does anyone use the raised dots on a regular basis instead of in theory? I guess you would need to do the entire process (unload then reload) in the dark without turning the light on in between. Since I clean my holders after every use, there is a long process in the light where I blow out my holders with compressed air and set them up with the dark slides at half-staff like in the video.

And wouldn't the absence of raised dots be just as useful in the dark if you were going to put the slides in backwards like me? ;-)

[esearing]

I just put thin square of blue tape on the slide and use it to mark what film and whether exposed or not. Peel and replace between sheets. Its also how I know if a holder has film in it or not.

[Doremus Scudder]

I load with the holders sideways, i.e., top of the holder to the left and then film going in from the right.

To combat dust, etc. I have a couple of other things I do. I always have the stack of film emulsion-side-down on the work surface so no dust collects on the emulsion surface while it's sitting there. I then take a sheet, stand it vertically, and tap it a few times on the counter top to remove any particles that might be there. I then turn it emulsion-side-up and load it into the holder.

The tapping step is not superfluous. Kodak films are usually always clean, but a couple of other brands I've used (notably BPF-200) left a little pile of particles on the counter where I tapped after loading. I assume it was debris left from cutting the film (emulsion flakes, pieces of the base, etc.).

I also pull up on the corners to make sure the film is under the guide rails and check that the notches are oriented correctly (at the bottom left of the holder) before closing the darkslide. That takes a split second.

FWIW, I also reverse my black and white slide colors from standard. I'm self-taught and no one let me know that I was backwards till the habit was ingrained. If I were working together with a lot of assistants/colleagues handling holders together, I'd switch. But since it's just me, I'll stick to what I'm used to.

Best,

Doremus

[schafphoto]

...Kodak films are usually always clean, ... Doremus

That reminds me that if you tear Kodak's internal sealed paper film pouch instead of cutting the sealed end with a pair of scissors or razor, then the torn paper edge will create dust particles. The folded black plastic bag in Ilford films does not have this problem because it's not sealed, just folded. In my workflow, I'm so much happier with HP5.

-Schaf