Originally Posted by
Alan Klein
r.e. You certainly have everything covered. The problem is the sun might set before you finish filling it all in.
Just a couple of questions. Is this on your cellphone? Is there a way to copy the data from one sheet to the next easily so you don't have to type in repetitive things like camera, film type, location etc.?
I made this form with Apple's spreadsheet programme, Numbers. One could do the same thing with Excel. Numbers and the form are on my computer, iPad and iPhone. In the field, an iPad mini would be ideal, but the form works fine on my iPhone when the phone is in landscape orientation.
As the screen capture below shows, I've saved the core document (post #22) as a Numbers template. Once loaded, the template can be duplicated at any stage of completion using Numbers > File > Duplicate. If you make more than one duplicate, Numbers adds an identifier so that the copies have different names: copy, copy 2, copy 3, etc. Duplication is instantaneous.
As shown in posts #22 and #23 above, my first step with the template is to delete fields (e.g. Artificial Light and Annex 3) and text within a field (e.g. references to reciprocity failure for HP5ᐩ and Portra) that I don't need for the shoot.
The following fields don't need to be filled out manually. I select from drop-down menus that I've already populated:
Moonlight phase
Camera
Film
Lens
ISO
Aperture
First Filter
Second Filter
Third Filter
Sheet or roll number (actually a counter, not a drop-down menu)
Processing lab (options are two local labs and "Me, tray processing")
Processing instructions
Developer
Drop-down menus are a standard feature of Numbers. Most of the ones that I've made are shown in posts #10 to #16 above. For this new version, I've added Moonlight Phase, Camera, Processing Lab, Processing Instructions and Developer.
You aren't the first person in this thread to question how much time it takes to use this form. I wouldn't bother if it didn't save time. In fact, it's very efficient and collates a lot of information that would otherwise be cumbersome to manage. The ability to duplicate the form at any stage, including in the field, means that in many situations (e.g. when shooting variations) there may be only two or three fields to populate. I have my phone with me anyway, so it doesn't even require additional gear, such as a pen and notebook. If I'm within range of WiFi or a cellular tower, additions to the form are backed up to iCloud contemporaneously. A collection of these records built up over time is fully searchable.*
Numbers Template Screen
See My Templates, Photo Worksheet template highlighted in green.
* A caveat about searches... I haven't confirmed, but suspect, that searches can be done down to specific fields. Deleting fields that aren't needed for a shoot, as distinct from deleting their content, changes the row numbers unless the row numbers can be locked. This might affect the ability to make an accurate field-specific search. If one wanted to include, for example, a keywords field, this issue would require a bit of research.
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