Film holder protocol?

[rguinter]

I think this horse is really a cat!

Must have nine lives to endure all this beating....

[Ari]

I forego all that stuff and use only Grafmatics.

[Vaughn]

I have a couple 5x7 wooden film holders that say on the dark slide "Exposed" on one side and not the other. Why couldn't have all film holders always been this way? No argument on that one.

I have several glass plate holders that are the same.

Sirus -- the reason I tell the students not to leave the hinge open is that any pressure against the holder applies a levered force against the tape, and I have no control over how the holders are transported and treated.

We just finished a 4x5 assignment in the intermediate class (24 students). The two Horseman Wood Fields came back with knobs missing and the stud on one side of the front standard that tightens the rise/fall snapped off. We have a Tachahara that the students broke a while back -- used it for replacement knobs and took its stud over to the jewelery dept and ground it to fit the Horseman. So the two Horseman are back in working order again. The Shen Hao has not yet been returned -- keeping my fingers crossed. The three Calumet rail cameras usually fair better. Tough beasts, but still mortal!

I should have the instructor lead the students in a chant:

Righty tighty, lefty loosey!
Righty tighty, lefty loosey!
Righty tighty, lefty loosey!
And if it won't go, turn it no more!

[Steve Barber]

Someone mentioned there were three things you want to know about a film holder, whether it is exposed or unexposed and whether there is film in it. I would add another, what kind of film is in it?

While the mnemonics for “black equal exposed” work for me, the reason I started with the white side showing for unexposed film is because that is where I could pencil a note as to what kind of film the holder was loaded with. That way, when I pick up a film holder, I can see whether it is exposed or not, and, if not, what kind of film it is. Last, as I think about it, IIRC, I was taught to put the aluminum side out when loading a film holder. However, that was a long time ago, when I took industrial photography in high school.

As to whether it has film in it or not; if it is outside the darkroom, it has film in it. If it is in the dark room and has the dark side showing, it does not have film in it. This, of course, only works because I only take film holders to the darkroom to unload them and I do it right away. When loading film; first I turn all of the dark slides so they show the white side out and, if the film is different, pencil in the type and speed. The only times I use baggies for film holders is to use large ones to separate film types and help keep dust and trash away.

[Roger Cole]

Someone mentioned there were three things you want to know about a film holder, whether it is exposed or unexposed and whether there is film in it. I would add another, what kind of film is in it?

Each side of each of my holders is numbered. I keep a shirt pocket sized notebook in the camera bag with a list of what film is in which number, update as I load them. This way I never have to write anything new on the holders.

I also have the Riteways with the number wheels - I know a lot of people don't like 'em but I do so there. Anyway, the numbers are set to match the number written on that side of that holder. If I ever have a light leak, bad focus or other problem I think is associated with a holder I'll know right away, and it will also help me to identify that such problems might be related to the film holder, if they only appear on those with certain numbers.

[engl]

In order to indicate an empty holder, I pull out the darkslide slightly, say 5mm.

So white is unexposed, black and darkslide all the way in (and locked) is exposed, and darkslide unlocked and slightly pulled out is empty. This is just a fall back though, I keep empty holders separately and have no reason to bring them outside my house.

[Steve Barber]

Each side of each of my holders is numbered. I keep a shirt pocket sized notebook in the camera bag with a list of what film is in which number, update as I load them. This way I never have to write anything new on the holders.

I also have the Riteways with the number wheels - I know a lot of people don't like 'em but I do so there. Anyway, the numbers are set to match the number written on that side of that holder. If I ever have a light leak, bad focus or other problem I think is associated with a holder I'll know right away, and it will also help me to identify that such problems might be related to the film holder, if they only appear on those with certain numbers.

I keep notes and number the holders, but I notch the edges of the holder with a code for the the number of each side. For me, it is easier, making notes only when needed for a particular exposure and tossing them when no longer needed, than it would be trying to keep a permanent record of all the notes with all the different kinds of film used in each holder. And, that way, as you say, I can determine which holder was used if there seems to be a problem with it.

[Steve Barber]

In order to indicate an empty holder, I pull out the darkslide slightly, say 5mm.

So white is unexposed, black and darkslide all the way in (and locked) is exposed, and darkslide unlocked and slightly pulled out is empty. This is just a fall back though, I keep empty holders separately and have no reason to bring them outside my house.

I tried that, for a while, just leaving the dark slide out until reloading the holder with another piece of film. I quit because I did not like having the end flaps loose and I think it can allow dust and other trash to accumulate in the holder. For me, the discipline of unloading the film holders when I first take them into the darkroom solves a lot of problems and, if there is any question, it is no problem to turn out the lights and check.to see if they are, indeed, unloaded.

[engl]

I tried that, for a while, just leaving the dark slide out until reloading the holder with another piece of film. I quit because I did not like having the end flaps loose and I think it can allow dust and other trash to accumulate in the holder. For me, the discipline of unloading the film holders when I first take them into the darkroom solves a lot of problems and, if there is any question, it is no problem to turn out the lights and check.to see if they are, indeed, unloaded.

I only pull out the darkslide a few millimeters, so that the flaps are not loose, and no dust can get into the holder.