Do you keep a journal of your Shot Settings?

[Pirate]

When not using a DSLR which records your shot info, do you keep a journal of what your settings were as you shoot?

I was looking through the gallery and thought about a shot yesterday made with my 500C/M Hassy and can't for the life of me remember what the exact numbers were. I also use a Gossen Luna Pro-F when I shoot so it's no big deal for my next shot, but if I wanted to share the shot here and talk about the settings, I'd be out of luck.

?

 

[Pickett Wilson]

I'm too busy shooting to write down settings! 🙂

 

[Richard G]

I have been thinking of this. A notebook and pencil is just too difficult, although I suppose it shouldn't be. I keep a notebook for Astronomy and have a commonplace book and would ordinarily be just the sort to want another notebook. But what about the memo recorder on the iPhone, quickly mentioning subject and f stop and shutter speed? Sometimes one will remember for 20 minutes. Then you might have time to write them in the Notes program on the iPhone. I only mention this device as I carry one and would not want to carry one more thing, most of the time.

 

[johannielscom]

I will have to set myself to recording dates with the first shot.

In a few hours, the new owner will be picking up my M8 and I will get his M6 (and cash, ofcourse). I tend to scan weeks later, so date recording will be necessary. Other settings I have never recorded, and am unlikely to start doing.

 

[KenD]

I have always said to myself "I should write down the body, lens, f-stop, shutter, light conditions.." I tried it a few times and found it cumbersome. When I shoot 35 I am moving - visually or physically - and found writing notes way too disruptive.

 

[MatthewThompson]

I always want to, and never do. I should really just buy the GA645Wi I've always wanted & kill two birds with one stone.

Justifiable GAS?

 

[brainwood]

I did buy a notebook for just this purpose but 1 year I have not managed a single entry. Its the last thing I think of when I'm out in the field. Generally the most important thing to remember for me is which lens I used. So far I can usually work this out when I see the picture again when its developed.

Chris

 

[Al Kaplan]

There's not really much sense in keeping that information. I might notate that I should cut development back to tame contrast on a roll, or perhaps push a roll a stop. The only info I might write on the back of the contact sheets would be who or what is in the picture and the month and year taken. After using pretty much the exact same Leica bodies and lenses for almost half a century they're well trained. When the Weston Master V meter says 1/60 between f/5.6 and 8 that's what they use.

 

[Sjixxxy]

If I'm shooting 4x5 I'll put a piece of tape on each of my grafmatics and make a note about each exposure. Other than that, I only record what is still in my memory by the time I get an image onto Flickr. Usually that is just the lens I used.

 

[jarski]

I add a new note to my iPhone, basic settings like camera, lenses, rough dates and places photos were taken etc. these things, on roll basis, film type is also taken down. am too lazy to record anything more detailed 🙂

edit: notes are also handy to email from iPhone to store in mailbox, for easier access with computer later on. I usually delete or forget them in iPhone, after roll is finished.

 

[wgerrard]

Since I've recently dived into the waters of processing at home and often deliberately shoot at various settings just to see what happens, I suppose I ought to be writing that stuff down to aid learning. I don't know if I'd trust my memory about the light, etc., at each location, though.

I usually carry the camera in my right hand, so using a pencil and pad would require setting the camera down someplace. Besides, it'd be more stuff to carry, and I hate carrying stuff.

 

[borrel]

I have also speculated over a dedicated iPhone program for this purpose. One that quickly allows you to record the relevant settings and repeats them for the next shot, incrementing frame number etc. Added goodies would be recording the GPS position (iPhone 3G has a GPS) and even embedding a photothumbnail if a camera shutter button is included in the interface.

In the mean time, just pointing the iphone at the top of your camera and taking a picture would record the essential settings. Starting the series with a picture of the surroundings would provide the connection to the images on the negatives. If your iPhone has a GPS, you've got the location too!

Even at this lousy resolution and focus, the 24th frame is set to 500/6.3 and the location is 59 deg 4' 16.11" N, 11 deg 25' 36.70" E. All we need is a shot of the film tab at the beginning of the series:

 

[jarski]

never thought of taking a iPhone photo of camera and lens. image exif has dates, mentioned GPS etc. so most of the stuff one might want to remember weeks later when film is ready from development. not a bad idea, as long as number of such record photos stay limited, otherwise it might work against the purpose.

 

[craygc]

I'm with Al on this one ...just don't see any point in the information and I couldn't shoot anything if I was writing stuff every shot. Mid tone is mid tone regardless of my settings, so from there its just thinking about whether I want to open up or close down a little. A sense of the depth of field is something I get from using the lenses frequently. Then the image itself gives me a fair idea of the lighting just by looking at it and in itself an image brings back a lot of memories around the circumstances

 

[David R Munson]

There were two situations in which I used to keep exposure notes. The first was when I was starting out shooting and was learning the basics of proper exposure. I was shooting primarily 35mm color transparencies, and kept exposure notes so that when something went wrong, I had a better idea of what went wrong.

The other situation in which I kept a notebook for exposures was when shooting large format. 4x5 and 8x10 film isn't cheap, and keeping good track of things helps eliminates problems. That was especially important while shooting 4x5 color transparency in the studio, as every exposure was about $5+ out of my pocket. It also made sense with large format for b&w work when I needed to keep track of development information. If I needed to give a particular sheet of film reduced or extended development, I needed to keep track of it accurately. One of these days when I resume shooting large format, I will again keep exposure records.

 

[rogue_designer]

I have a notebook where I write down particularly unusual settings. But for the most part, since I'm shooting meterless, I have a pretty good idea of what settings were used based on the light (ie. downtown at night? probably around f2 @ 1/30th on 800, walking around on a cloudy day? probably f8 @ 1/500th on 400, etc.). I don't deviate too much for street work from those types of formula

Certainly when shooting in the studio, or when using LF, I keep more extensive notes.

 

[borrel]

never thought of taking a iPhone photo of camera and lens. image exif has dates, mentioned GPS etc. so most of the stuff one might want to remember weeks later when film is ready from development. not a bad idea, as long as number of such record photos stay limited, otherwise it might work against the purpose.

As with all "good ideas", it hinges on the leap from theory to practice. I.e. remembering that iPhone in your pocket! More often than not I'm concerned with the developer used, development times, and not least what scanner and scanning was used for the negatives. As for exposure information, the only really necessary information is date and location. Very difficult to remember for those slides or negatives that didn't get any annotation all those years ago.

As mentioned above, exposure settings are only really as important as the cost of the film being used or wasted, as the case may be.

 

[CopperB]

I've been trying to, only because I'm new to film and trying to figure out what's worked and what hasn't.

 

[chris000]

I keep a brief journal of where I have been and what I have seen and photographed. This is general, more of a diary really, and does not list every shot. I find I need this as it is often some weeks before I properly file and catalogue negatives and it reminds what I'm looking at when I do this.

I do not record exposure details or anything that detailed, except for when I am trying anything slightly 'experimental', but even then I stick to simpe comments like "+ 1 stop".

 

[sepiareverb]

I record body/lens/filter/ISO and development notes as the film comes out of the camera- I tend not to switch lenses very often. Each roll gets numbered as it comes out of the camera, but individual settings per frame? Never. Haven't missed it either.