Worst mistakes

OptiKen · Apr 21, 2015

You name it and I've done it.
Loaded film the wrong way.
Taking readings with my Autocord but having the meter still covered.
Shooting with the Autocord while having the lens cover open on the viewing lens but closed on the taking lens.
Opening a non-red window camera thinking there was no film in it or that the film was jammed only to discover a half full roll of film still in the camera and it's working fine.
Forgetting that my Hapo-66 has a non-coupled rangefinder so I focus the rangefinder and forget to transfer that reading to the actual lens.
Rushing to capture an image and taking a reading at ASA 100 then shooting ASA 3200 at that reading.
The Darkroom is a whole another adventure.

Thomas Bertilsson · Apr 21, 2015

Richard Sintchak (rich815) said:
I never make mistakes. One time I thought I did. But I was wrong.

Thomas Bertilsson · Apr 21, 2015

I shot 5 film holders, 10 sheets, of 4x5 Agfa RSX 100 E6 film with it loaded backwards. The film came out red, but with some other colors. It was my last 10 sheets of that gorgeous beautiful extinct film.

The mistake I make most often is to expose my enlarger paper without stopping the lens down. Usually I realize mid exposure, tear up the sheet and start over.

dpurdy · Apr 21, 2015

Leaving my Pentax spot meter on my car seat and not locking the door.. I got to buy a brand new Pentax spot meter.

Thomas Bertilsson · Apr 21, 2015

jibbalee said:
Loading 2 rolls of 120 film into a steel tank for developing in a dark bag. Then running water for the pre soak, and viola, I take the whole lid instead of the top light tight lid, completely off. Look down for a second, furrow my brows, "This isn't right." ... "OH MY WHAT THE, YOU IDIOT!" Still developed it, and actually got some interesting results. AAAnnnd it happened again. Then I started using the tape from the 120 backing paper to tape down the lid. Yeah. :crazy:

This is why I usually tape the lid to the tank with some electric tape. Prevents the lid from accidentally coming off (especially when developing C41), but also from removing it mid process.

blansky · Apr 21, 2015

I can't think of any mistake I haven't made.

This is my autobiography:

frank · Apr 21, 2015

blansky said:
I can't think of any mistake I haven't made.

This is my autobiography:

: )

removed-user-1 · Apr 23, 2015

BradleyK said:
... to check camera stores, and drove to the first one open. By some miracle, one of the staff was a film shooter and showed me how to load the back (while probably wondering why someone in possession of a Hasselblad kit couldn't figure out how load the thing).

I got to be that helpful guy at the camera store more than once. One time, a professional photographer came in an hour before a wedding he was booked to photograph. He had done weddings before, but had always worked on 35mm and had just taken the plunge into medium format. Into the deep end, as it turns out... He asked me to show him how to load his brand new Mamiya RB67. He had the boxes and even the shipping box it all came in; apparently he had just received the camera and had not had time to even test it. Anyway we got his camera loaded and off he went... I always wondered how the shoot went.

Sirius Glass · Apr 23, 2015

rthomas said:
I got to be that helpful guy at the camera store more than once. One time, a professional photographer came in an hour before a wedding he was booked to photograph. He had done weddings before, but had always worked on 35mm and had just taken the plunge into medium format. Into the deep end, as it turns out... He asked me to show him how to load his brand new Mamiya RB67. He had the boxes and even the shipping box it all came in; apparently he had just received the camera and had not had time to even test it. Anyway we got his camera loaded and off he went... I always wondered how the shoot went.

I would bet that he did not buy the equipment from your store, never came back to thank you nor did he ever buy anything from your store. Of course he was pissed off when the store closed.

Kokoro · Apr 25, 2015

Rick A said:
Shooting film in the first place! :crazy:

Using film often becomes a terrible addiction. It can be quite uncurable.

I want to say something as it sometimes gives me sleepless nights.

I was helping film a school play about 14 years ago. The camera was on a table to get it to a height over the audience. I was stood to the right of the camera for what seemed like ages. There was a spare seat to the left of the camera. I wanted to sit on it. The camera was back against the wall, I couldn't go behind, and people were sat in front, I could not go in front. I thought, I could crawl under the table!
I got up too soon, knocking the table and knocking the camera over.

Another more recent mistake was when I got my first 120 camera, an Agfa Folder, this year I checked the camera as best I knew how but never knew that it had a damaged bellows till I had put three rolls of film through it.

Patrick Robert James · Apr 26, 2015

I have done just about everything that can be imagined. Live and learn.

The one thing that really stings- Double exposing rolls. I rarely do it, but for some reason it always happens at the worst time. Murphy's law and all. That is the only thing that really bothers me. Tends to be personal pictures that can't be reproduced which really makes it hurt. In fact in over two decades of shooting film I have only done it four times that I can remember, and three of those times were priceless personal moments. It is so distressing that I now crumble the ends of the film when I take it out of the camera just to make sure I never do it again.

On a professional level- Once I was distracted by a f-up with rental gear that took an hour to sort out so I forgot to pick up the 150 rolls for a job the week after Thanksgiving weekend and had to be in another city the next morning (Sunday) when I realized my error at 9 pm on a Saturday night. That was fun, but I worked it out by calling in some favors. I don't think I have ever been so stressed out. I wince just thinking about it now a decade later. That could have been a disaster of epic proportions. I seriously dodged a bullet with that one.

Jim Jones · Apr 26, 2015

I neglected to double-check the locks on the legs of a Slik tripod sitting on a platform on top of a VW. The tripod was snugly held down with bungee cords so I could move the car with the tripod and camera in place. One leg collapsed, and the tripod with Leica M2. 21mm Angulon, and viewfinder catapulted to the ground. Fortunately the Angulon survived.

blansky · Apr 26, 2015

rthomas said:
I got to be that helpful guy at the camera store more than once. One time, a professional photographer came in an hour before a wedding he was booked to photograph. He had done weddings before, but had always worked on 35mm and had just taken the plunge into medium format. Into the deep end, as it turns out... He asked me to show him how to load his brand new Mamiya RB67. He had the boxes and even the shipping box it all came in; apparently he had just received the camera and had not had time to even test it. Anyway we got his camera loaded and off he went... I always wondered how the shoot went.

Not sure I'd call him a professional photographer.

removed-user-1 · Apr 26, 2015

blansky said:
Not sure I'd call him a professional photographer.

Well, only in the sense that he evidently made a living at it. But I know what you mean.

blansky · Apr 27, 2015

rthomas said:
Well, only in the sense that he evidently made a living at it. But I know what you mean.

In 40 years I only switched out systems twice. First from 35mm to Hasselblad in 1976 and then in 2008ish from Hasselblad to 35mm digital.

One of the main components of being a pro is some sort of consistency and expected professionalism and that always entails the fact that the equipment is sort of invisible. And it sucks when it's an issue, mentally or physically when shooting.

I always used my comfort zone camera and then told people I was experimenting with a new system and and took a few shots with the new one. When I finally had the new one in the comfort zone I still carried the old system as a backup for a while.

I can't image going cold turkey to a new system in a paid shoot. Would scare the hell out of me.

Would be like taking a hooker to your high school reunion and finding out everyone knew who she was.

Dinesh · Apr 27, 2015

blansky said:
Would be like taking a hooker to your high school reunion and finding out everyone knew who she was.

Is that bad?

blansky · Apr 27, 2015

Dinesh said:
Is that bad?

If your wife is in the hospital having a baby at the time, in some circles some bleeding hearts could considered it bad form, I suppose.

bayernfan · Apr 28, 2015

didn't realize a roll of film hadn't caught the sprocket after loading. shot probably 40 or 50 shots on a 36exp roll before realizing what was wrong. Lotta great shots piled up on one very over exposed negative.

RetroCameraReview · Apr 28, 2015

I was using an 8x10 to photograph an expensive recreated high school prom once. I was using a highly modified Taylor-Hobson lens with 2 aperture systems in it. One aperture was a left over in the construction of the lens, the other was the real one. I accidentally used the wrong one and cropped most of my pictures. Horrible feeling while pulling the sheet out of the developer and flicking on the light to see circular images on a square negative. I think they are kind of interesting now, but I was so pissed at the time.

JBrunner · Apr 28, 2015

One entire day, far from home, shooting on a perfect day, happily making perfect exposures of perfect compositions, with empty film holders.

removed account4 · Apr 28, 2015

JBrunner said:
One entire day, far from home, shooting on a perfect day, happily making perfect exposures of perfect compositions, with empty film holders.

you mean it wasn't sneezing on the ground glass ? 8D

sdotkling · Apr 28, 2015

I got hired for my first real photography job of any size: Shooting a "day in the life" of a candidate for governor of Tennessee. The man was a trucking executive, rather portly and large, and his family was similarly large and loud and, I quickly discovered, about the nastiest bunch of redneck bigots I had ever met. So I followed them to a diner, a catfish fry at the lake, a rally, Grandma's house, etc, all with a 24mm lens and a stack of pushed Tri-X. When I developed the film, the photos were, I thought, great...until the PR firm that hired me took a look and fired me on the spot. Yes, I had made the candidate look just like...a portly redneck trucking executive with his loud, nasty and large bigotted family, a la John Waters. I got a kill fee, though.

JBrunner · Apr 28, 2015

jnanian said:
you mean it wasn't sneezing on the ground glass ? 8D

LOL That would be next!

blansky · Apr 28, 2015

RetroCameraReview said:
I was using an 8x10 to photograph an expensive recreated high school prom once. I was using a highly modified Taylor-Hobson lens with 2 aperture systems in it. One aperture was a left over in the construction of the lens, the other was the real one. I accidentally used the wrong one and cropped most of my pictures. Horrible feeling while pulling the sheet out of the developer and flicking on the light to see circular images on a square negative. I think they are kind of interesting now, but I was so pissed at the time.

They are pretty interesting.

Seem to contain a lot of mystery, although probably not exactly what you were going for at the time.

RalphLambrecht · Apr 28, 2015

That was my worst mistake too.I loaded the film into a Hasselblad back in a way that the backing paper got the exposure and the film got none.Great way to make film last and put Kodak out of business.Who says digital is cheaper?

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