beginner mistakes we all sometimes make

[Markok765]

I forgot to wash my film enough, was in a hurry. found out later today when I had streaks of fixer :\ how bout you guys

 

[MattKing]

Developed an unexposed roll of 35mm bulk film the other day .....

 

[Alan W]

About 10 years ago I developed a roll of hp5 with ddx 1+4-omitting the 4 parts water.I realized when I was pouring the developer out!I almost wept.

 

[tkamiya]

I finished the entire process and instead of treating my film with diluted photoflo, I soaked it in stock strength HCA. Discovered my mistake after few hours of drying. Luckily, complete washing and photoflo saved the film.

 

[cjbecker]

I can say that I don't ever remember making a darkroom mistake that ended in screwed film.

But I forget to pull the darkslide on both medium format and LF before i shoot. Also cocked the shutter a few times with the darkslide pulled. Or rush portraits.

 

[pstake]

About 10 years ago I developed a roll of hp5 with ddx 1+4-omitting the 4 parts water.I realized when I was pouring the developer out!I almost wept.

I shot 36 exposures with no film loaded, once. My moment of realization was equally as hellish.

 

[lxdude]

I wasn't a beginner, but I did it anyway. In about 1978, I decided to go to Big Sur and spend two days traveling its length, stopping at every turnout on the road. I had been there before, but never with that kind of time. I had my usual Kodachrome 25 and 64 with me.
Partway through, I switched from K64 to K25 and forgot to change the ASA dial. I usually exposed at nominal film speed, though their tolerance for underexposure meant I knew I could get good pictures even when the meter said I couldn't, especially at sunrise or sunset. But this happened at midday. So I accidentally underexposed the K25 by 1 1/3 stops, thinking it was nominal. I was very upset with myself when I realized it. If only I'd compared the exposure settings to the conditions and film speed... but I didn't.

When I got the pictures back, I was stunned. The underexposed K25 was gorgeous! The colors had saturated as only Kodachrome could, deep and rich- more intense than reality, certainly, but still very real looking. The blue of the water took on a depth I'd never seen. The images were of the cliffs and sea, and the lack of shadow detail just made the cliffs look more dramatic. The sense of a very bright, clear day was portrayed better. My mistake turned into a delightful and fascinating discovery.


God I miss Kodachrome.

 

[TareqPhoto]

Later will tell my mistakes......






To be continued......

 

[Jesper]

For years I used identical bottles for develper, stop and fix always afraid I would make a mistake. Finally I put the fix in another kind of bottle to avoid the risk, only to make the mistake of exchanging fix and developer the first time with new bottles.
Yes, I developed the film in fix only to fix it in developer later.

Luckily it was just a test roll to check out a new lens

 

[Aron]

(there was a url link here which no longer exists)

 

[Rick A]

Got the chems in a Kodak E-6 kit out of order once--very interesting results, but screwed none the less. The magenta blotches really detracted from the scenes.

 

[wilfbiffherb]

i was taking the backing paper off my 120 film in my changing bag and ended up pulling the film out the abg and leaving the paper in. i nearly punched a hole in my wall because of my rage!!

 

[Arkasha]

Developed two rolls of TMax 400 (120) using HC-110 @ dilution "H" and times as indicated in the Mass. Dev. Chart. It was only when I was replacing the little paper tab on the film back that I realized I wasn't shooting TMax, but Tri-x . . .

D'OH.

 

[spatz]

i once accidentally mislabeled a bottle of chemistry and ended up developing some hp5 in fixer and then discarding it as a one-shot, mixing up some new fixer and fixing the film for the second time.

 

[Rick A]

Oh ya, then there was the time I loaded a roll of 36 exp film and it never advanced, thought it was done and pulled it for development. Not a single exposure, all the great one time only shots were not there. Note to self: ALWAYS check to ensure film is loaded properly and advances!!!!

 

[HowardDvorin]

Two boo booscome to mind.

I photgraphed an entire assignment without loading film into my camera.

The other was bulk loading 200 ' upside down. In other words I couldn't place the cartridges in my Canon

Please don't tell anybody.

Howard

 

[David Lyga]

I use PET plastic to store chemicals. I use PET plastic to keep drinking water in. You fill in the rest. I am still alive. - David Lyga

 

[Rick A]

I use PET plastic to store chemicals. I use PET plastic to keep drinking water in. You fill in the rest. I am still alive. - David Lyga

Bet you use labels now, don't ya.....

 

[mwdake]

I've managed to make forgetting to put the filter in the enlarger in to a fine art.

 

[Newt_on_Swings]

Hmmm I could go down the list of what's happened in my darkroom this week with the younger kids lol.

forgetting to turn off the focusing switch when loading easels.
Moving the test strip paper/ not holding the blocking board still.
forgetting to use the designated pair of tongs for each chemical.
moving from chemical to chemical way to fast while counting at super speed, some think its smart to count by 2, or 5, or 10s.
Forgetting to flip the negative.
Checking to make sure the negative is placed well before closing the carrier and crushing film.
Taking out a cell phone in the darkroom.

Though not this week, last week somehow a student got a bit of red play dough onto the focusing ring of my nikkor 50mm 1.8 AF lens I bring in to let them use.

Ive learned not to stress about any of this anymore since they are so young. If they mess up we just make another, and use the messed up sheet of paper to paint with or turn it colors in daylight. I think its because of the fact that the city and statewide tests have been over, and they are anticipating summer and dont keep anything else in their minds except that and games lol.

 

[TareqPhoto]

- Developed few un-exposed roll.
- In LF sheets, i did double exposure, so i lost one sheet not exposed.
- Un-exposed rolls are because wrong loading the film.
- First time i did shoot film in 120 in my life which is in 2009 i think, i cooked my color film roll, forgot it in the car in the film back and the car was burning of heat.

 

[David Lyga]

said by Rick A: "Bet you use labels now, don't ya....."

Response: I used labels BEFORE the 'deviation'. - David Lyga

 

[andrew.roos]

A few weeks ago I shot an entire sunrise shoot with the multiple exposure lever activated, having mistaken it for the mirror-up lever when shooting the first shot in the pre-dawn near dark.

 

[Thomas Bertilsson]

Not taking the lens cap off when shooting with a rangefinder. Yeah, I'm proud of those.

I use my print developer replenished, and pour about half of the gallon of working solution out to use every time I print. After I'm done printing, I have been known to pour fixer into the half full developer bottle. Smells great!

 

[Darkroom317]

In Photo I, I put my development tank on a counter with other ones. For some reason that I can't remember I picked up what I though was my tank and opened. I was horrified when I looked in the tank and saw reels. I had accidentally picked up another student's tank which he had just finished loading.

In my own darkroom, one time I was pouring the developer out in the sink and the funnel of the daylight tank came off. The film fell into the sink with the lights on. It was really yellow. I quickly put it back in the tank secured the funnel and poured in the stop.

Then later after the first wash I felt wash water and it was really hot. The film had a weird coating on it, almost as if the gelatin had boiled but I continued on with it. Hypo clear, second wash and photo-flo.

Even after all of that the film came out fine.