Your system to mark or add notes to exposed film before dev.?

Stored exposed film before processing: how do you store, mark or add notes to the exposed roll before developing?

I do not have a methodical way about it, and it makes me nervous.

I put it in plastic bags in the refrigerator with any necessary notes.

Some film 35mm cassettes have a small patch to check off what ISO the film was shot at, Kodak's is large enough to make a note. With Foma and Ultrafine I use tape to write a note, for 120 I put in a small plastic sandwich bag with my notes, 4X5, I have enough film holders that I can leave exposed film until I get to it, make my notes on the white strip with a pencil which can be erased, and when out for long shoot I keep a day book.

I mark each roll, 35mm & 120, with an individual sequential number, as well as the camera ID and the ISO the film was exposed for. The same info is in a notebook I carry with whichever camera bag I have with me, and the information is transferred every day to a permanent logbook, which also records how the film was developed and any other pertinent information.

jay moussy said:

Stored exposed film before processing: how do you store, mark or add notes to the exposed roll before developing?

I do not have a methodical way about it, and it makes me nervous.

Click to expand...

I use a dictation tape recordereveryting that requires writing gets in the way.

For marking and storing, I use a small notebook dedicated to film. Each roll gets labeled with details like date, location, and any specific notes on exposures. It’s simple but effective in keeping things organized before I develop them.

I use a small pocketable notebook where I record all things I don't want to forget about the photo's I shot, add a number and copy that number on the roll film's closing tape.
Then I rank the rolls, according to the numbering, on the darkroom's countertop, when putting them in the tank so they come out in the same order.
So, once developed I take the out and hang them to dry, and classify in the same consecutive order as numbered.
The number, and comments, are copied on the Pergamyne sheets where in the negatives are kept.

I know it sounds complicated, but once you get used to it, it works almost automatically..

Over the years I've tried physical notebooks, google docs/excel and phone apps.

Currently I'm using Exif Notes in the field to record not only what camera and film was used when, but complete picture with lenses, shutter speeds, aperture, filters, location and complimentary phone pic as a reminder if I wish to add one.
Downside is that phone screen is involved in workflow, cluttering it a bit, but upside - every bit of data is there to return to and to use it to your liking.

And this data is imported then in scans, end result on say Flickr (and any other site reading EXIF tags) being like in the attached picture.


There are many apps that do this one way or another.

jay moussy said:

Stored exposed film before processing: how do you store, mark, or add notes to the exposed roll before developing?

I do not have a methodical way about it, and it makes me nervous.

Click to expand...

my system is to process film soon after exposure; there is no need for the above

The only thing I ever have to note is if I shot at other than box speed. Marking the canister or paper works for that.

I have a photographic memory so there is no need for me to make notes................

Wishbean said:

For marking and storing, I use a small notebook dedicated to film. Each roll gets labeled with details like date, location, and any specific notes on exposures. It’s simple but effective in keeping things organized before I develop them.

Click to expand...

Recently, I’ve also started using an online notepad for quick notes. What’s neat is it automatically deletes notes after reading, which keeps things tidy. It’s been great for jotting down quick reminders or ideas that I need to keep track of until I’m ready to process the film.

Sharpie on the 35mm cassette, or the sealing strip of 120/220. I note the date most importantly, then camera and lens if it can't be obviously deduced, and film speed if it differs from box. Sometimes if I shoot a whole roll at one shutter speed/aperture or a tight range, I'll note those too. There's only so much space.

I use the Analogbook series of notebooks to keep track of my film and print processing.

On the canisters themselves, I only mark if I need to develop other than my normal process, usually with whatever I can find (post-it, sharpie, masking tape, etc).

When I put a roll of film in one of my cameras I make an entry in Apple Notes on my iPhone of the form YYMMDD<index>*, <camera>, <cassette>**, <film>, <number of frames>, <EI>***.

When I take the film out of the camera I use a magic marker to mark the paper on the roll or a piece of blue masking tape on the plastic canister with the YYMMDD<index> recorded in Notes.

When I develop the film I add the <developer> and <dilution> to the Notes entry.

After I scan the film I put the 120 negatives in a Printfile page labeled YYMMDD<index> or put the strip of 35mm back in the already labeled cannister and put it in a box labeled with the year.

When I make an inkjet contact page I print the complete entry from Apple Notes - and any observations after looking at the negatives - at the bottom of the page.

*<index> is the sequence number 1. 2. 3, etc. of the rolls
I load that day.
**<cassette> is the cassette type and sequence number.
I only use it for bulk loaded 35mm film.
***<EI> is the exposure index, i.e., the ISO at which
I am going to shoot the film.

On the exposed roll I mark in short the subject, the date, the consecutive number if I used more than one roll that day, and, if needed, a hint for the developing if the ambient light is delicate (shadows<—>highlights) or, eventually, if the exposure deviates from the box speed.

But on the pergamyne negative sheets, there I mark as much as and whatever I think is important, technically as wel as subject related.
And I stick Post-It notes with printing instructions for when I need to re-print that negative.
The sheets are classified per datum in boxes containing about 80 to 100 sheets which on their turn are arranged per year.
I keep 2 paralel spread sheets describing the contents of these boxes, one per datum and one per thema, and are systematically updated.
I make the boxes myself.

The same goes for the prints.

I don't make contact sheets as I find it somewhat a waste of material and time, and I am used to 'reed' the negative on the light table...

I used to be extremely anal about note taking, but now it's just film holder number, film type, EI, zone numbers, subject luminance range, which N dev, and which developer and printing process. For roll film, I write on the backing paper, subject matter or location. It gets developed one way, and always gets scanned in for digital negs.