Silly practices & bad habits

[OurManInTangier]

I've just processed a roll of Tri-x ( only the third I've ever shot and the only one that didn't foul up on the take up spool...but thats another matter!) in my bathroom. As I sat on the floor groping around in the changing bag I suddenly realised I was sitting there with my eyes screwed tightly closed! When I had my darkroom I used to do the same thing, I've wonder whether this goes back to when I used to practice loading the spirals when I first started or if its just easier to fumble in the dark than look at the top of a black bag!?

Anyone else find they do or have done odd things as a matter of habit that may stem from some far off practices?

 

[wontonny]

I just always forget to turn the enlarger back to f/16 from f/2.8 when focusing hhaha

 

[Thardy]

I just always forget to turn the enlarger back to f/16 from f/2.8 when focusing hhaha

Yep, been there......

 

[petronius]

Closing the eyes when loading the film in the dark sounds familiar to me!

 

[projectbluebird]

For several months after I switched back to developing 35mm from 4x5, I would leave the lights off until I got past the fixer step. Even though I was using light tight tanks and not open top tubs.

In the darkroom I was always dropping the tongs between the trays, so I pulled prints out with my fingers.

 

[rogue_designer]

As I sat on the floor groping around in the changing bag I suddenly realised I was sitting there with my eyes screwed tightly closed! When I had my darkroom I used to do the same thing..

I do the the exact same thing... I'm guessing partly practice, but I think it also helps me concentrate on what my hands are doing if I'm not distracted by visual stimulus...

Or we're just a weird bunch of folks.

 

[Bryce]

I also close my eyes when loading rollfilm tanks in a pitch black room. No good excuses here, I've never dealt with sheet film at all (except Lith type, with the safelight on and eyes open).
What might a psychology professor say about this? Do we want to know?
I have never forgotten to open the iris to focus the enlarger, nor to stop it back down to make a print. The only exceptions are the dozens and dozens of times it has happened...

 

[nikon_sam]

While manually rewinding the film (in camera)...I count the number of turns...why??? I don't know...

 

[Dogman]

A friend once told of how he learned to load 120 film on a stainless reel. He said he practiced on a junk roll with his eyes closed until he could load it several times without a problem. After much practice, he felt he was sufficiently experienced to load several rolls of exposed film in the darkroom. So he went in, closed his eyes and loaded four rolls of exposed 120 film perfectly. With lights still on.

 

[ClaremontPhoto]

My silly habit is to wear one specific hat when I'm out to take photos, as opposed to wandering around with a camera wearing any old hat.

With my special hat I can take better photos.

Obviously.

 

[sepiareverb]

A friend once told of how he learned to load 120 film on a stainless reel. He said he practiced on a junk roll with his eyes closed until he could load it several times without a problem. After much practice, he felt he was sufficiently experienced to load several rolls of exposed film in the darkroom. So he went in, closed his eyes and loaded four rolls of exposed 120 film perfectly. With lights still on.

That's a great story.

I used to always load reels with my eyes closed, but after teaching people to load reels I've managed to do it with my eyes open for the past few semesters. Just noticed to day I keep my eyes open when loading in my darkroom now.

One benefit of keeping the eyes closed for most of the loading is the ease of finding light leaks in the darkroom when you do open them. Running sheet film in trays I learned this. Open the eyes after a 15 minute water bath developing time and you'll be amazed how bright it is!

 

[OurManInTangier]

While manually rewinding the film (in camera)...I count the number of turns...why??? I don't know...

I love that one😀

Its always good to know that whilst we may be silly and/or do silly things we're in some very good company!

 

[popstar]

I agree, this is a great story. Thanks for sharing...it made me laugh this morning. 😀 Poor guy!

A friend once told of how he learned to load 120 film on a stainless reel. He said he practiced on a junk roll with his eyes closed until he could load it several times without a problem. After much practice, he felt he was sufficiently experienced to load several rolls of exposed film in the darkroom. So he went in, closed his eyes and loaded four rolls of exposed 120 film perfectly. With lights still on.

 

[flippyot]

I don't know if this is silly habit or good technique, but after years of firing rifles and hand guns I tend to wait at the end of exhailing, for that little pause, to take pictures. This is with every picture I take, can't seem to shake the habit.

 

[ClaremontPhoto]

...can't seem to shake the habit.

But do you shake the camera?

 

[oscroft]

I don't know if this is silly habit or good technique, but after years of firing rifles and hand guns I tend to wait at the end of exhailing, for that little pause, to take pictures. This is with every picture I take, can't seem to shake the habit

That's interesting - I often do the same, though I've spent very little time firing guns (though on the rare occasion when I get to - I'm British, so not at home - it's a lot of fun 😀 )

 

[mwooten]

I do the the exact same thing... I'm guessing partly practice, but I think it also helps me concentrate on what my hands are doing if I'm not distracted by visual stimulus...

Or we're just a weird bunch of folks.

I do it too. It makes the closet darker. 🙂

 

[Al Kaplan]

I always tell people that taking a pistol shooting course is the best way to learn the technique of holding a camera steady at slow speeds. The "squeeze of the shot at the end of the exhale" doesn't help much in a fast paced news situation. Some of the drug stores and supermarkets have a take-your-own blood pressure machine. Practice calming yourself and see how low you can get it. That does help.

As for odd habits, I bulk load film into cassettes in the dark, no loader, because it really is faster once you get the hang of it, but for no good reason I always tape the "wrong" end to the spool so the frame numbers are upside down and run backwards on the contact sheets.

 

[ClaremontPhoto]

for no good reason I always tape the "wrong" end to the spool so the frame numbers are upside down and run backwards on the contact sheets.

That's just to confuse the archivist. Right?

 

[Al Kaplan]

What archivist? You flatter me. Actually the strips of six, going back to 1961, are all in numbered glassines which are numbered to match the numbers I write on the end off the contact sheets. A piece of black tape on one end of my contact printing glass gives a white space for the numbers. What I wish I'd done is write more of the "who, what, and where" along with my scribbled "month and year" on the back of the contact sheets and/or on the envelopes holding the glassines.

Just as a matter of interest, while glassines aren't supposed to be "archival" the nagatives that have been in them for close to fifty years are still in great condition although the glassine itself has yellowed a bit.

We were also told in the beginning that resin coated paper wasn't archival, but I have RC contact sheets from the late 1970's that are in great shape. I suspect that the manufacturers just didn't know how archival RC paper would be when it was a brand new product so they were just covering their butts. Also, the contacts have been stored in the dark which might make a difference.