Things you had to learn the hard way

Rick A

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That my father was right, about most things.
 

Sirius Glass

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Which one lasts forever: true love or herpes?
 

David A. Goldfarb

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--Check to be sure the developer is active before processing film, if it hasn't been mixed fresh and hasn't been used recently.

--When using a camera with an uncoupled rangefinder or scale focusing and separate viewfinder, don't forget to focus.

--After changing lenses with a press camera, check the groundglass, even if you plan to shoot with the rangefinder, to be sure you're using the right rangefinder cam and the right infinity stop.
 

Sirius Glass

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Clearly label the chemical bottles. Hypo makes a lousy developer.
 

Jaf-Photo

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You will make some technical mistakes sooner or later. Everyone does.

But the most important thing you have to learn is your own vision.

You should find what distinguishes your photography from everyone else's and develop it.

There is no point in walking in someone else's footsteps.

Work on your vision, that's the hardest lesson, I think.
 

cliveh

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We all make mistakes like that.
 

Jaf-Photo

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If she dumped you for an unguarded word, the she wasn't the right one. We go through life saying the wrong things at the wrong time. If your partner can't take that, she's not your partner.
 

eddie

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Make sure the print washer's drain tube is in the sink, not hanging towards the floor.
 

Ken Nadvornick

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The final act before walking away from ANY location, regardless of why you paused or what you were doing there, is to stop, turn around, and visually verify that nothing has been left behind. This especially goes for places you know you will never return to.

A lesson originally learned over 30 years ago while working in the field as a geologist. I very nearly single-handedly kept the rock hammer manufacturing industry afloat. Seems that when one uses a compass the best practice is to first remove the hammer from your belt, drop it on the ground, then walk a couple of steps away.

Adapted to camera equipment, this rule is by now deeply instinctive and has saved me a fair amount of agony (and money) over the years.



Ken
 

Sirius Glass

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So now when you want to take a light reading, you drop your camera on the ground, walk away, take out and use the light meter, then continue walking ... right?
 

Ken Nadvornick

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Sirius Glass said:
So now when you want to take a light reading, you drop your camera on the ground, walk away, take out and use the light meter, then continue walking ... right?
Click to expand...

Well, maybe not in exact practice. But definitely in principle. Usually it's the light meter that gets set down on the table or bench while I fiddle with the camera...

Ken
 
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Alan Klein

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Today I was out trying a second back for my Mamiya RB67. I was shooting Tmax 100 BW film with a yellow filter on a 50mm lens. I thought about getting the same scene in color so swapped my back out to the one loaded with Velvia 50. I had shot 7 pictures on the color Velvia before I realized I left the yellow filter on the lens. Boing!!!

Then I realized I had composed for verticals on the BW and forgot to turn the revolving back and wound up shooting horizontals formats. Boing 2!!!!

Then when I wound the finished film roll, I pulled the self sticking tape that closes the end of the roll clear off the roll forcing me to "glue" the end with just the little sticky part that remained. Boing 3!!!

Don't ask me how long I've had this camera.
 

analoguey

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Clean your gear as often as possible - most of them are works of art(at least the mostly metal ones) and its really great to look at a product that's well made.(Also, helps shoot better)

Your gear is usually way tougher than you give credit it with -even the plasticky stuff.

If you cant get to make enlarger prints, make contacts - even medium format contact prints are great to look at.

As you move into a larger format - go for a higher f-stop/smaller aperture (for the same shot)- if metering manually. I used to shoot a lot of MF at f3.5-5.6, until I saw a friend's meter reading say f22.. I compensated with higher shutter speed of course, but lost DoF.



Indeed - double-checking isnt a bad thing either!

Sirius Glass said:
Clearly label the chemical bottles. Hypo makes a lousy developer.
Click to expand...

Clearly label so that whoever you're staying with doesnt move them around like house furniture or re-order them...(I so hate it when that happens)


Learnt this the hard way from a lab where I was a customer for quite some years. I got a banded-print which messed up the whole look and feel of the shot - when I had asked for a darkroom print (color).


Sent from Tap-a-talk
 

Sirius Glass

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Protect the lens with a sky light or UV filter.
 

Vaughn

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1) Know your equipment well before taking a long trip. Three months hitch hiking around New Zealand with a 4x5 camera with a massive light leak taught me that.

2) It is worth going back and doing it right; by building on the experiences of the first attempt.

Tolaga Bay Wharf, North Island, NZ, 1986 (the first trip was 1981/82)
 

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MattKrull

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Another lesson that hurts - if you shoot a camera with a dark slide, put a something noticable on it so you can't miss that it is still in the camera.

Last night I was doing a photo shoot for a friend. He spent several years designing and patenting a new suspension design for bicycles and spent the entire winter machining the prototype in his apartment. He's been riding it and testing it for the past two months and was ready for some photos for the web page and material to send to frame makers. Anyways, the "work" shots were all done on digital, but because this is such a massive milestone for him, I pulled out the medium format and was planning to make a couple of really nice enlargements for him and some of the people who have helped him get this far. I was on shot 8 by the time I notcied that my darkslide was still in the camera. It was out just enough to let the shutter fire normally.

Tonight I'm borrowing my wife's hot pink nail polish and painting a stripe on that damned dark slide (this is not the first time I've done this).
 
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Vaughn

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Did that with an hour exposure by moonlight. Could not find the darkslide anywhere (no flashlight). Still in the film holder, of course.
 

MrBrowning

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They have probably been said already but here's my two. Always carry extra batteries and when using a range finder check to make sure the lens cap is removed before shooting. I was at a family picnic and shot my with Holga for the first time and forgot to take that damn cap off. Never have I been so disappointed in myself. I wish someone had of pointed it out to me. oh well lesson learned.
 

Truzi

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Don't bend down to pull up your socks in a dark room with no safelight (hit my head on a table in the 8th grade).

Don't confuse the Meters and Feet lines on your lens's focus scale.
 

analoguey

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+1 on #2
 

mooseontheloose

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A lot of good advice so far. Rather than repeat I thought I'd choose a different focus. I travel a lot, so here is some photography advice that is travel-related:

1. You can never have too much film. Bring everything that you think you'll possibly need.
2. Always carry spare batteries.
3. Other useful items include: a head torch, small cleaning kit, swiss army knife, ziploc bags for wet/rainy situations, and little sticky labels you can stick to your film (with notes). The last has been much more useful and easier to manage than the notes I would take sporadically.
4. Don't worry about cabin baggage/tourist site xray machines: I've had film go through multiple passes (up to 16 times), including high speed films (1600) with no ill effects. However, don't be afraid to ask for hand checks: if you can get them, great. Also, at some airports there are luggage scanners that you have to use before (or just after) you check in. These are not necessarily safe for film, so ask first.
5. Always have a camera with you, but don't be afraid to put it aside and just enjoy the moment.
6. Before you go: Know your equipment. Know your film. Know how you are going to develop/print when you get back.
7. Don't be afraid to get out of your comfort zone. Try new things.
 

TheNewMayor

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jnanian said:
.
also a hard lesson to learn is
a lot of people on the internet seem like experts
but often times they arent as expert as they seem
so take internet-advice with a large grain of salt.
Click to expand...

Exactly. I have to remind myself this just about every day. Learn from others, don't always compare your work against theirs.
 
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