This is awesome, thanks for sharing it. As Iv'e told people over the years, there is an infinite number of ways to screw up one's negatives, and after more than 20 years, I'm still finding them. For the film holders, I always put a rubber band around each one after I load it--that is my signal to myself that it is loaded. For your first waterfall image that has gone missing--are you sure that the shutter fired? With the noise of a waterfall, it is often difficult to hear the shutter opening and closing, and I generally have to put my ear right up against the camera to make sure that I hear it.
Suggestions: ~To verify there is film in a sheet film holder (most any size) simply shake the film holder in question. If there is the sound of film rattling inside the film holder, it has film, if no rattle sound film holder is empty. ~Newer style film holder dark slides have a white plastic border with a black inset to note film exposed. The white frame border can easily cause confusion of exposed -vs- not exposed film in the holder. To reduce this possible confusion, use a black Sharpie marker to black out the white border on the film holder dark slide. Older film holder dark slides with wire handles are painted completely black on one side and bare aluminum on the other side. More difficult to confuse than the modern all plastic handle dark slides. ~Pulled dark slide can be used as a lens shade if properly applied. Get into the habit of double checking focus and camera movements applied at lens full aperture and exposure aperture (with a loupe apron 7x on the GG, fresnel lens can become a focusing hindrance due to the lines on any fresnel lens) to assure what is on the GG will be what is recorded on film. Lens image circle coverage can be checked by using the clipped corners of the GG to verify the lens aperture at exposure aperture can be seen at the GG clipped corners (all four corners). Get in to the habit of stopping the lens down and leaving the lens at the exposure aperture then close off the shutter _and_ wind the shutter. Verify shutter time setting then release the shutter twice (wind the shutter after each release) to assure the shutter is working properly. Wind the shutter, put the film holder in then wait as needed with the cable release in hand ready for exposure. ~Once the exposure is made, put the dark slide back into the film holder.. ~Verify~ the dark slide is inserted with the black side (exposed side) facing away from the camera... Before removing the film holder from the camera. ~If another exposure is to be made, Wind the shutter again, fire the shutter to verify function. flip the film holder over, make sure the shutter is wound, exposure aperture set... before removing the dark side for the second exposure.. Once the second exposure is made, make sure the dark slide goes in black exposed film holder handle is facing away from the camera. ~Do not rush any of this as the camera is going no where and there is time to check-verify the dark slide is in the proper position before removing the film holder from the camera. ~Highly recommended to practice this on a 4x5 until the sequence of making an exposure becomes well rehearsed reflex and near automatic.. before moving on to the 8x10 camera.. Plenty of mistakes and learning must happen before proper proficiency is achieved with any view camera. ~Exposure aperture of f11 on 8x10 is large and will be selective focus.. If camera movements are combined with an exposure aperture of f11 excellent focus control can be had.. Question is, what was the image goal when the exposure aperture of f11 was chosen?
Boy have I ruined some shots that exact way... 4x5 aint all that expensive but cumbersome to shoot and develop. I tend to forget the little tips and tricks like the black and white side of a filmholder, or doubting if I used that trick when loading/shooting with it, thus not knowing if I should continue shooting that way because I might have messed up earlier. I am a post-it guy, I write down anything and everything, even if it looks mundane. Shot my 2nd roll of medium format in my bronica etrsi ii a month ago, skipped 2 frames because I forgot to change it to double exposure when I forgot my darkslide and was cocking the camera again, thus advancing without needing to.
Thanks for sharing. I can't think of the number of times I have messed up (loading a roll of 220 film into my Hasselblad backwards... Nothing on the roll, at all. Family pics, vacation... I sometimes wonder what masterpieces I ruined...) Regardless, writing things down does help, as do checklists and doing exactly the same thing every time...
The classic is not shutting the lens after focusing. I’ve also managed to pull the wrong dark slide (exposing the sheet of film facing towards me), had a dark slide catch on another holder in my bag and pull out with it, not shut the back so had 90 degree shadows down one edge and doubtless many more. Checklists and not talking to people while you work is your friend…
Glad I'm not alone. I have definitely done a few of those... You're absolutely right about checklists and not talking to anyone while you're shooting...
I think I double exposed once (or maybe twice, can't remember). But even more embarrassing - I once put out the back slide (but in this case it was an unexposed sheet, so I didn't ruin a prior shot). Most people (me included) use the "white side" for unexposed, dark side for exposed, but some do it the other way round (I guess the white side was originally meant for notes and would this way show that it's exposed, and not just empty).
![GH4 + Speedbooster + Sigma 18-35 [The ultimate combination]?](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/jPDbzBsNg7Y/mqdefault.jpg)
This is awesome, thanks for sharing it. As Iv'e told people over the years, there is an infinite number of ways to screw up one's negatives, and after more than 20 years, I'm still finding them. For the film holders, I always put a rubber band around each one after I load it--that is my signal to myself that it is loaded. For your first waterfall image that has gone missing--are you sure that the shutter fired? With the noise of a waterfall, it is often difficult to hear the shutter opening and closing, and I generally have to put my ear right up against the camera to make sure that I hear it.
Suggestions:
~To verify there is film in a sheet film holder (most any size) simply shake the film holder in question. If there is the sound of film rattling inside the film holder, it has film, if no rattle sound film holder is empty.
~Newer style film holder dark slides have a white plastic border with a black inset to note film exposed. The white frame border can easily cause confusion of exposed -vs- not exposed film in the holder. To reduce this possible confusion, use a black Sharpie marker to black out the white border on the film holder dark slide. Older film holder dark slides with wire handles are painted completely black on one side and bare aluminum on the other side. More difficult to confuse than the modern all plastic handle dark slides.
~Pulled dark slide can be used as a lens shade if properly applied.
Get into the habit of double checking focus and camera movements applied at lens full aperture and exposure aperture (with a loupe apron 7x on the GG, fresnel lens can become a focusing hindrance due to the lines on any fresnel lens) to assure what is on the GG will be what is recorded on film. Lens image circle coverage can be checked by using the clipped corners of the GG to verify the lens aperture at exposure aperture can be seen at the GG clipped corners (all four corners).
Get in to the habit of stopping the lens down and leaving the lens at the exposure aperture then close off the shutter _and_ wind the shutter. Verify shutter time setting then release the shutter twice (wind the shutter after each release) to assure the shutter is working properly. Wind the shutter, put the film holder in then wait as needed with the cable release in hand ready for exposure.
~Once the exposure is made, put the dark slide back into the film holder.. ~Verify~ the dark slide is inserted with the black side (exposed side) facing away from the camera... Before removing the film holder from the camera.
~If another exposure is to be made, Wind the shutter again, fire the shutter to verify function. flip the film holder over, make sure the shutter is wound, exposure aperture set... before removing the dark side for the second exposure.. Once the second exposure is made, make sure the dark slide goes in black exposed film holder handle is facing away from the camera.
~Do not rush any of this as the camera is going no where and there is time to check-verify the dark slide is in the proper position before removing the film holder from the camera.
~Highly recommended to practice this on a 4x5 until the sequence of making an exposure becomes well rehearsed reflex and near automatic.. before moving on to the 8x10 camera.. Plenty of mistakes and learning must happen before proper proficiency is achieved with any view camera.
~Exposure aperture of f11 on 8x10 is large and will be selective focus.. If camera movements are combined with an exposure aperture of f11 excellent focus control can be had.. Question is, what was the image goal when the exposure aperture of f11 was chosen?
Boy have I ruined some shots that exact way... 4x5 aint all that expensive but cumbersome to shoot and develop. I tend to forget the little tips and tricks like the black and white side of a filmholder, or doubting if I used that trick when loading/shooting with it, thus not knowing if I should continue shooting that way because I might have messed up earlier.
I am a post-it guy, I write down anything and everything, even if it looks mundane.
Shot my 2nd roll of medium format in my bronica etrsi ii a month ago, skipped 2 frames because I forgot to change it to double exposure when I forgot my darkslide and was cocking the camera again, thus advancing without needing to.
Thanks for sharing. I can't think of the number of times I have messed up (loading a roll of 220 film into my Hasselblad backwards... Nothing on the roll, at all. Family pics, vacation... I sometimes wonder what masterpieces I ruined...) Regardless, writing things down does help, as do checklists and doing exactly the same thing every time...
The classic is not shutting the lens after focusing. I’ve also managed to pull the wrong dark slide (exposing the sheet of film facing towards me), had a dark slide catch on another holder in my bag and pull out with it, not shut the back so had 90 degree shadows down one edge and doubtless many more.
Checklists and not talking to people while you work is your friend…
Glad I'm not alone. I have definitely done a few of those... You're absolutely right about checklists and not talking to anyone while you're shooting...
I think I double exposed once (or maybe twice, can't remember). But even more embarrassing - I once put out the back slide (but in this case it was an unexposed sheet, so I didn't ruin a prior shot). Most people (me included) use the "white side" for unexposed, dark side for exposed, but some do it the other way round (I guess the white side was originally meant for notes and would this way show that it's exposed, and not just empty).
Very costy mistake…
Could have been worse. Could have been colour film!