Do you keep a notebook in your camera bag?

johnnywalker · Jan 26, 2009

Don't remember where I got the idea, but I'm sure it wasn't original. That's not to say I'm not brilliant!

Kent10D · Jan 26, 2009

johnnywalker said:
Don't remember where I got the idea, but I'm sure it wasn't original. That's not to say I'm not brilliant!

I had previously seen the idea using a number of simple "v" notches corresponding to the film holder number, but not the idea of using Roman numerals.

So whether you originated the idea or not, you can take the rest of the day off!

Thanks.

jgjbowen · Jan 26, 2009

Richard Ritter uses a similar system to mark his film holders. I've adopted it for my own use. With ULF holders, you need to be able to determine which ones might have light leaks.

Vaughn · Jan 26, 2009

I have the 4.5"x7" Rite in the Rain All-Weather Notebooks.

I record every negative taken (easy when one only takes 4 to 6 different images in a day).

On the left side is recorded date location, film, lens, exposure settings, a drawing of the scene, film holder number in a somewhat standard matter.

On the right side are my meter reading, any notes, and what I how I developed the negs. All this info gets transferred to the negatives' film sleeve (paper 4-fold envelopes).

The notebooks also act as a diary of where I have been...but have not much as far as extra infomation (weather, thoughts, plans, etc).

vaughn

PS...some of my holders (bought used) came with very small holes drilled in the flap that holds the film in - instead of the notches that johnnywalker uses.

Larry Bullis · Jan 26, 2009

Vaughn said:
I have the 4.5"x7" Rite in the Rain All-Weather Notebooks.

Very practical. I have one of those in my kayak.

DannL · Jan 26, 2009

I generally make notes in a small notebook for each sheet of film/frame exposed. It's an old habit. I then transfer the notes to the sleeve for each negative. Notes can help you troubleshoot when things go awry.

Holder/Frame Number, EV reading, Iris setting, Shutter setting, Basic description of scene

Example
#12 EV13 f/8 1/125 Lake - Into sun/boat

MurrayMinchin · Jan 26, 2009

Nope. But I do keep notes for each negative on 4x5 glassine negative sleeves, then cut notches in the edge of the sleeves to indicate what development each one will get. This way I can fire all the exposed negatives into one box after the holders get emptied, they won't get scratched, and they're easy to separate when I next get back to the darkroom. Handy on long trips.

Murray

MurrayMinchin · Jan 26, 2009

johnnywalker said:
I use a small saw blade for an I (1), a small triangular file for the V (5) and a round file (like a power saw file) for a U (10). I mark the wooden or plastic flap the dark slide slides into, and the marks come out on the edge of the film (if I loaded it properly). So UVII would be number 17.

Slick!

I was impatient, could only find a small triangular file, and just went for it. I only have six holders so went with groups of four;

vv is holder #2, vvvv vv is holder #6, vvvv vvvv v is holder #9, etc.

Murray

phenix · Jan 26, 2009

Each time I charge a new film in one of my cameras, I take the following notes:

In title:
- camera’s name and film’s number,
- film’s name and box speed vs. speed set on the camera,
- date of the first shoot, and at the end I also note the date of the last one.

For each shoot:
- subject and date,
- lens’ name, focal length, aperture,
- shutter speed only if something special (like when I suspect shaking),
- over/under exposure, or where from I picked-up the exposure (when using AE-lock), or how I determined the manual exposure,
- miscellaneous: filter, artificial light, mirror lock, tripod, cable release vs. self-timer, etc.

Looks like it is very laborious, but it is only a habit. I never use a table or a memory help, as not all this information is pertinent for each shoot. And when it is, it becomes obvious, so I cannot forget to note it. Besides, lot of the information is redundant, like the date of the shoot, the lens’ name, its focal length, the aperture used, the filter employed, sometimes even the subject. So, I don’t have to note it for each shoot. Usually, it takes me 1-2 pages (half letter size) for a 135/24 film (1 page for 120). A SLR takes more, a fixed lens RF or a TLR takes less.

Christopher Walrath · Jan 26, 2009

Yes, I carry one at all times.

I have written down some info in case I suffer from the occasional cranial flatulation. EV Index, Additive Light Value Equivalents, Basic Zone System, Guide Numbers, other odds and ends.

One bit of info I would suggest would be the EV Index and the two ways to use it. Aperture and shutter speed. Film speed and ALV (additive light values).

winger · Jan 26, 2009

I have the best of intentions. But I rarely have a notebook with me unless I'm trying something new. When I shoot large format, I do have a pencil and post-its in the bag with the film holders. Some of the holders I've got had notches in them already, so I filled in the numbers I didn't have and I use those for reference. They're all just triangles, so it's not very sophisticated. But so far it works. Though, if I screw something up, it's likely not from the settings but leaving the lens open, bumping the camera, loading the holder poorly, or one of the other 150 things that can be screwed up with LF.

Christopher Walrath · Jan 27, 2009

I actually have affixed 2x3 white stickers to one side of my 4x5 dark slides so that once the film is exposed it serves the double purpose of letting me know that the film was exposed and gives me a sizeable notation area about exp, etc. for that negative.

wilhelm · Jan 27, 2009

I mark down every sheet I shoot: where I am, which holder number, which optics, metering of main spots of the scene (in EV), what zones I place those spots in, the indicated exposure (in EV), the actual exposure (in shutter/fstop), any reciprocity failure or bellows factor modifications, and what development is indicated. If there are movements, I try to note them as well. Sometimes I sketch out the lighting plan, if I'm using strobes.

It occurs to me that I don't note the date or time I made the exposure. I should start doing that.

removed account4 · Jan 27, 2009

only when i am on a job, to mark down
the description, and direction ( n/s/e/w) my lens was facing,
or to write the person's name &C i was told to photograph.

Poisson Du Jour · Jan 27, 2009

wilhelm said:
[...]

It occurs to me that I don't note the date or time I made the exposure. I should start doing that.

Funny you should say that...
I note the time, but never the date (!). I seem to remember "that one day" even if I can't recall putting a number to it!

catem · Jan 27, 2009

Yes.

I write in it nearly every day. All my ideas, jottings, and the technical details, dates etc. go in the same small book. I've tried all sorts of different ways - different notebooks for different purposes etc. - but this works best for me.

So in fact it's mostly on my desk.

Then if I go away it's in my camera bag.

If go out I usually leave the bag behind - unless I'm going any distance - take the camera, and the notebook is in one pocket. The other pocket has the light meter in it.

AlanC · Jan 27, 2009

I mostly photograph farming activities in Ryedale and the North York Moors, for an archive in the local folk museum. My little A6 notebook is essential for recording people's names, dates, descriptions of what they are doing, etc. I also make quick sketches in it when I'm hanging about waiting for something to happen.

One thing that doesn't go in it is technical photographic information. I have two OM1 camera bodies,both loaded with HP5+. One is marked for sunny conditions. Film from this camera will get less development, so to avoid mixing films up I write any technical information I will need to know later on the film leader when I remove each film. This is my tip for beginners.

Alan Clark

Laurent · Jan 27, 2009

I'm usually using a d*$*$*$ voice recorder, as it's more convenient to dictate whatever I have in mind while determining my exposure. I then transcribe this on notes I have ready (usually at home) to record the exposure details, film, subject information, lens and other elements of the shoot.

Later, when processing the film, I will then complete with development details,and the sheet becomes an attachment to the negative.

The main pitfall I experience with that process is that I might forget the bellows factor, or filter factor, as it's not written. This makes the exposure calculation a bit more tedious.

I plan to number my holders using a file and a binary scheme, as described by Ralph Lambrecht in Way Beyond Monochrome. That seems an efficient system to number things, provided you have a ruler of some kind to remember what the MSB (most significant byte) is.

Hamster · Jan 27, 2009

Might sound sacrilege, since a lot of Digital P&S also have a voice recorder function, would it not make a lot of sense for the LF folks to use one of these as a "notebook"? Take a digi photo of the scene and camera setup, then "talk" the technical details into the digicam. Does anyone do that already or is it really not that practical?

I plan on moving to LF when I become more settled, and perhaps that would be a good setup to make more science out of our analog art?

John Jarosz · Jan 27, 2009

I do for ULF so that I can keep track of what is in each filmholder and what kind of processing it may need. I have all my ULF filmholders notched so I can identify which holder held which neg.

For someone starting out, I would us a notebook to keep track of what was the intent in taking the photographs and (if you use a spot meter) the EV range of light to dark. After a while you'll start to really understand the cause/effect of range of illumination on the subject.

John

Vaughn · Jan 27, 2009

Hamster said:
Might sound sacrilege, since a lot of Digital P&S also have a voice recorder function, would it not make a lot of sense for the LF folks to use one of these as a "notebook"? Take a digi photo of the scene and camera setup, then "talk" the technical details into the digicam. Does anyone do that already or is it really not that practical?

I plan on moving to LF when I become more settled, and perhaps that would be a good setup to make more science out of our analog art?

For some this might work. I don't carry a digital camera nor wish to carry a voice recorder. I find it easier to imput directly into the final storage device...no worries about accurate transcriptions, batteries dying in the field, or damage due to dropping it or getting it wet. All my exposure and developing data is stored in analog form -- permanent carbon marks on paper in two places (the Rite in the Rain notebooks and on the acid-free paper envelope that holds the negative.)

Using "science" does not make what one does "science"...LOL! But any kind of recording can help to make good results repeatable and more likely to make mistakes less repeated. And can even help to find a path towards improvement.

Vaughn

Ira Rush · Jan 30, 2009

I played around with a number of such notebook template designs, from the following sources...

Way Beyond Monochrome by Lambrecht & Woodhouse
The Practical Zone System by Johnson
The Negative by Adams
The Zone System Craftbook by Woods

I then decided which one(s) were best for me, modified it for my needs. Including the best of each design. Basically it contains a space for recording camera type, lens, film, IE, base exposure, zone placement, filter factor, bellows and reciprocity factor, and final exposure. Basic sketch of the scene is also included. One for roll film and one for 35mm.

So I do all that work and the sad truth, 90% of the time I never really use it....

Now, not that I am looking for yet one more... I am curious about the following...

mikebarger said:
I use Fred Picker's little red notebook in my Hassey bag .........Mike

I have Fred Picker's book Zone VI Workshop.. The Fine Print in Black & White Photography, can't find any mention of a red notebook there.
Was this in any of his newsletters? If not where can I find out more?
Googling yields no results.

viridari · Jan 30, 2009

I keep a very small notebook and pen in my pocket, but I don't often have need for it. I do not record exposure data for each shot or anything else most of the time. If I am shooting someone noteworthy, like an entertainer, I'll take notes on who & where, what album they are promoting, etc. for short term purposes. This is mostly so that when I upload a negative scan to Flickr, I can leave a useful description on the image.

I am so horribly unorganized, though, that I wouldn't know what to do with more exhaustive notes if I took them.

Uhner · Jan 30, 2009

Yes

I carry a simple black moleskin notebook.

msdemanche · Jan 30, 2009

I have always had some sort of notebook, but when I moved up to Large Format it became very important. I keep my info in a weekly planner, so I record the location, camera, lens, type of film, base exposure, bellows compensation, filter if used, and zone 5 reading and zone calculation. I also keep a "sketchbook" with anything special I felt or thought about the scene. Lately I have also needed a map to mark the locations, because I would return to some of them later in the year.On the film I then record ( on the glassine holders) deleloper, temp, time, date. I make contact proofs of everything and keep info about paper type, filter, delveopment etc. Lastly when I finally make a choice for the neg, I keep a dodge and burn chart, with any filter info, exposure, times etc. on a post it that goes with that neg. It seems like alot, but it helps me chart my way with the LF camera.
Michel

Do you keep a notebook in your camera bag?

johnnywalker

Kent10D

jgjbowen

Vaughn

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Larry Bullis

DannL

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phenix

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removed account4

Poisson Du Jour

catem

AlanC

Laurent

Hamster

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Vaughn

Ira Rush

viridari

Uhner

msdemanche

Do you keep a notebook in your camera bag?

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