Closing my eyes in the dark

[sly]

Anybody else do this? When I'm loading film holders (or winding film onto reels for developing) if it gets tricky, I close my eyes to concentrate better. It's already dark, I can't see anything, but I seem to get a better grip on things with my eyes screwed shut. Am I loopy, or do other folks do this too?

 

[likemarlonbrando]

I do it, A nice little nap.

 

[Valerie]

I do it when using the changing bag. Its also funny to watch my students when they are learning to load reels in the changing bag: eyes closed, faces scrunched up, totally concentrating. I should take photos!

 

[markbarendt]

I shut my eyes in many situations.

The eyes can contradict reality.

 

[Kevin Caulfield]

I do it. I think everybody does.

 

[2F/2F]

I tend to do it. I have no idea why, but I do. Weird. Maybe it is a habit that comes from closing my eyes when using a changing bag.

 

[tkamiya]

I do that. For whatever reason, even when I'm in complete darkness, shutting eyes seems to enhance reliance on touch alone as sensory input. Probably a habit formed by years (since birth) of relying on visual input when eyes are open and using touch when not.

 

[fotch]

Maybe I am odd, I keep my eyes open in the dark, just seem normal. Same with changing bag. :confused:

 

[Ektagraphic]

I usually keep my eyes open...I guess you never know if the light could come on

 

[MattKing]

I think all that practice with my eyes closed, loading a sacrificial roll of film, got me into the habit .

 

[Ken Nadvornick]

Anybody else do this?

No, but I do always make certain that I'm wearing my reading glasses. (Really.)

Can't load film if everything is blurry, you know...

Ken

 

[urbanvelocity]

I do it in the darkroom. All of the kids I was teaching last year looked at me like I was crazy when I asked them if they did.

 

[mooseontheloose]

I don't, but then I only load film onto reels in a changing bag. That being said, when I'm loading the reel I'll look anywhere but the bag. For some reason closing my eyes makes me nervous.

 

[photokalia]

I don't close my eyes, but I look away from the bag and try to visualise what I'm doing. However, I'm guessing that closing our eyes achieves the same effect.

 

[Anscojohn]

Anybody else do this? When I'm loading film holders (or winding film onto reels for developing) if it gets tricky, I close my eyes to concentrate better. It's already dark, I can't see anything, but I seem to get a better grip on things with my eyes screwed shut. Am I loopy, or do other folks do this too?

********
Yup. I learned to load reels practiciing with eyes closed. In the dark, it helps me visualize what I am doing.

 

[clayne]

I don't think this has anything to do with darkness honestly. It's more akin to turning down the radio while trying to concentrate: you're removing another sensory input from taking up brain-time while you focus on something more important.

 

[Q.G.]

I don't think this has anything to do with darkness honestly. It's more akin to turning down the radio while trying to concentrate: you're removing another sensory input from taking up brain-time while you focus on something more important.

You would think that turning the lights off would do that just fine.

I keep my eyes open. How else to enjoy that mechano-chemical glow you get when you rip the adhesive strip from the film/backing paper?

 

[Vaughn]

With one's eyes open, the brain craves visual input and tries to make sense of the nothingness. With my eyes open in the dark I can "see" my hands and arms (years of open tray sheet film development) -- my brain creates the image based on muscle memory perhaps (based on the tightness/looseness of all the arm and hand muscles, the hands must be positioned like thus...). I use to worry that there must be some light leaking into the room, but there was none, and I could see no sign of other objects, just my hands and arms (and no detail -- more of a sense of where they are). But if I close my eyes, I can no longer "see" them! Perhaps as Clayne said -- it is like turning off the radio, and my brain no longer has to create an image out of the darkness.

If I find myself straining my eyes in the dark, I close them.

QG -- I developed 3 rolls of 120 last night -- seeing the glow is fun...and I repeated the old test -- pulled one slowly and one quickly. The quick one (nice bright glow) fogged the film locally, and the slow one (no glow) did not. Fun!

 

[5stringdeath]

I do it because I'm afraid of the dark

 

[clayne]

Yep. there's more than a few times I've been attacked by the Boogie man while spooling 120 film on stainless. Just look at this roll - totally trashed!

 

[5stringdeath]

This thread actually made me laugh, because when I was spooling film today I noticed (again) that I close my eyes in the dark. I figured nobody else did it. I don't even have a reason (like an old habit) for doing it .... so it must be because I'm afraid of the dark.

 

[Larry Bullis]

Sometimes, but I do like to search for happy little light leaks.

 

[Curt]

I used to XRay patients and as always asked them to keep their eyes open if they looked tired or weak. "Keep your eyes open and look straight ahead please." When they close their eyes during the exam they have a tendency to become wobbly and often get dizzy and fall, something I was lucky to avoid but came very close a few times. It's interesting how fast a person can fetch a falling patient, even if you end up under them.

 

[Rolleiflexible]

Helps me see better.

 

[Edward_S]

I wear red-tinted glasses to avoid using a safelight

Sorry... that wasn't what you asked. I do close my eyes in the dark when I'm doing colour printing - my concentration's much better then. No idea why!