How do keep your Notes with Film?

[DNG]

As you all know, I shoot both film and digital cameras.
I have never needed notes for my digital.... EXIF
But, with film, there are times it is a good idea to keep notes... especially if you may need to send a photo to unknown person you photographed.

I just found 2 APPS at the Android Market Place..... Slide Notes, and Typenote (free)

Slide Notes is like a book with a left slide, the next note opens like turning a page, or an INDEX of titles is provided, but, no folders
TypeNote uses folders/subfolders.... seem like the one to use....

Of you film shooters, do you take notes?, and if [Y]. HOW and or WHAT do you use to record them.....

I like the Idea of folders, Main: Major Location (City): , subs would by date/local place (name of park)

The Slider Notes is cool Idea, It has the Title of your note as a index line for getting to it. So the Title would contain the Date/Location.

 

[mathomas]

I know I should take exposure notes, but I can't be bothered. I've taken to trying to stick to one lens in a given session, which helps a bit. I can usually remember what I used from the subject matter. Later, I guesstimate the aperture used, etc. When I scan the negs I put them into Aperture and tag them with camera, lens, film, developer, process, etc. I also assign every roll an index that I add as a tag.

 

[Paul_C]

I use "Memento" (from the Android Market.) It basically just lets you set up your own db, defining fields, types, etc. Really handy.

 

[Chris101]

Every time I decide to be rigorous and take notes, I start out writing everything down in a notebook, numbering the exposures and all. Then by the end of the roll, I find my numbering has gone off somewhere, and I can't reliably put any note to any particular frame. So I just quit trying.

 

[Bob Michaels]

<snip>
Of you film shooters, do you take notes?, and if [Y]. HOW and or WHAT do you use to record them.....
<snip>

I use a 4x6 spiral notebook and a ball point pen. I never record any technical data, only subject names and information with a pertinent notation that allows me to match the notes up with a photo. It appears this is the same technique used by newspaper reporters and many photojournalists.

 

[atlcruiser]

In order of amount of use:

1. brain
2. little post it tab stick ons stuck on the camera body, back, bag, jacket... (only works if i have fine point sharpie)
3. inside of tri x box
4. pad without pen or pencil
5. pad with wet sharpie
6. pad with dry sharpie that does not work right
7. pad with an actual writing instrument...

I usually stick with option one.

with my M8 I even gave up on exif data....too complicated to fool with coding the lens 🙂

 

[Frank Petronio]

I usually carry the smallest Moleskine because it holds reciepts, business cards, etc. but if I only have my phone I will just email myself or make a calendar entry.... if I email it I can deal with stuff on the real computer later.

Recording exposures is nuts though.

 

[DNG]

I use "Memento" (from the Android Market.) It basically just lets you set up your own db, defining fields, types, etc. Really handy.

I just tried it, but, I'd rather have a folder system: Main Folder = Base Location, (Indianapolis), Locations, and Sub-Folders under the ONE main folder (Downtown), for each roll of film.
With Memeto, I'd have to have a single database for each roll of film.... No Sub-Databases are allowed in the Pro Version, which translates into many databases having a similar name of the location. Doing by date, want tell me the location (unless I in it in the database name)... that would result in many duplicate database names, except the date.... not well organized compared to Folders/sub-folders organization.

Thanks for the program name though.

 

[DNG]

I use a 4x6 spiral notebook and a ball point pen. I never record any technical data, only subject names and information with a pertinent notation that allows me to match the notes up with a photo. It appears this is the same technique used by newspaper reporters and many photojournalists.

I can see this with your style of personal candid portraits being a better method for you, for what is important when you print/sell etc..

 

[Paul_C]

I just tried it, but, I'd rather have a folder system: Main Folder = Base Location, (Indianapolis), Locations, and Sub-Folders under the ONE main folder (Downtown), for each roll of film.
With Memeto, I'd have to have a single database for each roll of film.... No Sub-Databases are allowed in the Pro Version, which translates into many databases having a similar name of the location. Doing by date, want tell me the location (unless I in it in the database name)... that would result in many duplicate database names, except the date.... not well organized compared to Folders/sub-folders organization.

Thanks for the program name though.

Yeah, my use is a little different. I have a single database with fields for:

1. folder # (int.)
2. file # (int.)
[the above I fill in once processed, sleeved and filed - to make referencing back and forth easy]

3. camera (text with autocomplete from other entries)
4. film (text with autocomplete, as above)
5. EI (int.)
6. frames (text, the range of frames from the roll this entry covers [e.g. 1-10] as I rarely put down specific unique information per shot)
7. date (date, defaults to today so i don't have to fill it in)
8. location (text with autocomplete - all I usually concern myself with is city, state)
9. specific location (google maps coordinate - basically for when I don't know where the hell I am this lets me pop open a map and have gps fill in the details)
10. notes (text - for whatever else I want to note. e.g. sublocation, subject, filter, reminders)

After that a combination of grouping/sorting/filtering on the fly quickly pulls up whatever I'm looking for.

The biggest deal for me is that it syncs with google docs. Before this I used a pen and spiral pocket notebooks until one full of info got disappeared along with the camera bag it was in (and a bunch of beloved pentax gear, and all shots taken on the trip [much on the last of my kodachrome, no less]) from a rental car in Hawaii.

Aside from the lost photos, the info lost from that notebook hurt the worst.

Whatever you use, make backups.

 

[panchro-press]

I use a reporters note book and a pencil...always works

Dave

 

[menos]

I use Adobe Lightroom, so I only have to carry any important info from the time of exposure to the time of scanning.

I do this mostly with a pen and some piece of paper.

When I finish a roll, I do this:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/teknopunk/5147484350/

I then keyword in Lightroom and I have it all.

I do not document exposure data - this is madness.
If I remember, which lens I used for a frame or roll, I will put the lens into the keywords as well (very simple and extremely quick to do in Lightroom).

More important than names and EXIF data to me is, how did I meter a certain roll (exposure comp, which light, I shot in, etc…) and which developer has been used.
This helps me, to make decisions for the next time in similar conditions.

 

[TheHub]

Since I scan everything, rolls get filed by camera name, film, developer and date scanned. Since I don't have a million lenses I can remember which lens I used at the time. For some reason I can remember where I took every single shot I have (it was on this street, this part of the city, etc.) I don't write anything down; I can't be bothered.

 

[JoeV]

Especially when doing large format work, and darkroom processing, I find stopping to take notes not only ties up my time, but my hands. I have this little-used Olympus voice recorder that I may start using as a field recorder for quick voice notes, which I can then transcribe into a notebook or database back home when time permits.

~Joe

 

[xxloverxx]

What I used to do was note every exposure down in a spreadsheet (when I got home from shooting). Around a month ago I got sick of doing this (after almost a year of it), and decided that place and time didn't really matter for my kind of photography.

So I changed. I'm still using a spreadsheet, but instead of one table/roll, it's 1 table/year. All I note are the start/finish dates, film used and any notes I might have for that roll (usually if there's 1 or 2 really "special" or important photos in there, or if the whole roll was used for 1 event).

Saves a lot of hassle.

 

[DNG]

I use the app "TypeNote" (free)
I put the township/city I am shooting in with film type and date as the title. and once I get the exposure reading, I may take 1 or more images at the same exposure, or close.
here is the how notes prints out for storage with the Neg File page and contact page

From Today

Delta 50 / Greenwood, 12-3-2010
1: auto sales stand alone.
--- f/4 1/500
2: row of parked cars
--- f/4 1/1000
3,4: Lotus Chinese restaurant
--- f/11 1/30
5: Rallys drive through
--- f/4 1/500
6: Regal theater parking lot
--- f/8 1/45
7,8,9,10: Snow remove trucks / tractor
--- f/2.8 1/250
11,12,13: Produce stand
--- f/2.8 1/500
14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23: Heidenerieh Greenhouse
--- f/11 or f/16 1/1000-1/250

I then eMail to myself and print it so I can put it with my Neg file page along with a contact print.
It matches my folder structure on my computer... somewhat...