darkslides - which side do you use first?

Photo Engineer · Mar 26, 2008

Melchi;

Come with me on a shoot and see if it matters! We can go to the game preserve off the Parkway.

PE

drpsilver · Mar 26, 2008

Steve Smith said:
White = Ready for light
Dark = Ready for darkroom

26 Mar 2008

This is my standard also.

Regards,
Darwin

pellicle · Mar 27, 2008

Hi

Photo Engineer said:
Does it make a difference?

not to me, I just asked out of interest late in the evening here (I already have my schema of working). I wasn't interested in changing it (already been a few years at it this way) I was just interested. perhaps I should have added frivolous to the topic. I don't get to 'rub shoulders' with other LF photogrpahers in my 'real life' so this is where I do it with "coffee table" type conversation.

I have picked up a few useful things this way ... like my question about an ebay guy lead me to learn of esnipe

mmmichel · Mar 27, 2008

Photo Engineer said:
Melchi;

Come with me on a shoot and see if it matters! We can go to the game preserve off the Parkway.

PE

I'd love to! Unfortunately, I'm in Austin at the moment (I've got a postdoc position at UT), but I'll be in Rochester in mid May. I'd be glad to meet up for a shoot then.

Melchi

Photo Engineer · Mar 27, 2008

I may be away when you are here. IDK.

PE

Martin Aislabie · Mar 28, 2008

I agree with PE, we all have our own methods of marking up our own Darkslides to indicate empty/ready/used - and very few of us will ever swap darkslides with others - so if it works for us why change it.
However, to me the real question is - what is a realistic sucess rate?
We are all human and who among us has not put film in upside down, double exposed and/or shot empty slides.
Martin

Photo Engineer · Mar 28, 2008

Martin;

I had 23 photographers working for me in the Air Force. Between us including myself, I never new of a darkslide problem. I remember a loose sheet of film once caught the slide going back in, and a focal plane shutter on a Speed Graphic went, but no darkslide induced exposure problems.

The same has been true of my own work here since.

If you are careful and methodical, the probems seem to me to be mostly mechanical.

PE

23mjm · Mar 28, 2008

Well not that it matters, because you should always do what works best for you, BUT white=unexposed, black=exposed.

One thing I do to tell if a holder has film or not is use little stickers (Avery 5167) they are 1/2X1 3/4 inch. I print the film type on the sticker. When I load the holder I put the sticker on the holder, when I unload I pull the sticker off (unless I am going to load it right back up with the same film). So--no sticker no film. It has worked well so far.

blanco_y_negro · Mar 29, 2008

White: Unexposed,
Black: Exposed

Each one of my holders is coded on both sides. Then I code small index cards so that each card corresponds to one of the holders. After exposing the film, I write down the necessary information on the relevant card.

Dave Miller · Mar 29, 2008

So, all I have to do is to work methodically, and make notes and everything will be ok.
But then again; why should I change the habit of a lifetime.:confused:

Bandicoot · Mar 31, 2008

climbabout said:
Regarding opening and closing the holder to check if there's film inside - if you do it in the darkroom, the holder will always be empty, naturally if you're in the light, there will be film in the holder.

If Shroedinger had only known that he wouldn't have had to shut his poor cat in the box.

Peter

haziz · Mar 31, 2008

John Kasaian said:
Light-unexposed/dark-exposed. My problem is which side do I use to indicate "unloaded?"

Ditto:

White Unexposed.

Black Exposed/Empty. I tend to have the Dark Slide lock protecting the darkslides when loaded, then turning it to "neutral" when empty. Problem is they rarely stay put.

My question to the group is how do you keep track of your N, N- and N+ sheets after exposing without individually labeling every holder and elaborate record keeping. I am simply too lazy to do that and hence tend to do only N development, unless using Quickloads, in which I write on the individual envelope.

Thanks.

Sincerely,

Hany.

NavyMoose · Apr 20, 2008

I use the Ansel Adams standard of white for unexposed and black for exposed. I'm a recovering accountant and tend to be "detail oriented" on some things. Since I'm new to large format and I want to learn from my mistakes, I keep a log for each shot I take.

Now, if I could only load the sheets in the proper track each time......

Steve Smith · Apr 21, 2008

Ilford 120 roll films also follow the convention (I'm not sure about other manufacturers).

i.e. the backing paper is white on an unexposed roll and black when it is exposed and wound onto the take up spool.

Steve.

darkslides - which side do you use first?

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