Recently during a demonstration I was doing for the photography class I teach I was embarrassed by one of the students’ observations. Apparently when I was showing them how to load film onto a reel for development (metal reels) I kept closing my eyes as I was going through the process. This caused me to be more observant during my normal routines in my darkroom.

Yup… every time I load or unload film holders in total darkness in my darkroom I do it with my eyes closed. Same thing for loading drums or any other procedure I do in darkness.

Does anybody else do this or I am uniquely weird on this one?

Kind Regards,

Do it all the time. that is the way I learned and since it really is a eye/hand thing the muscles react in the manner they were trained.
When I told my class that I did that one of them said "do it". ( I was showing them with my eyes open at the time.) So I did. I think they thought i was pulling their leg.

Can load them either way, but old habits are hard to break!

Hi GreyWolf,
Glad to hear I'm not the only one with this habit. Guess it's a safety thing, if I keep my eyes shut real tight no light can possably reach the film!
wm blunt

I don't load/unload film in the darkroom - I use a changing bag.

But I keep my eyes shut - I feel I can concentrate more on my hands this way.

Jorge O

...when I was showing them how to load film onto a reel for development (metal reels) I kept closing my eyes as I was going through the process...
Does anybody else do this or I am uniquely weird on this one?


Not only do I keep my eyes closed, I usually keep my glasses on.

Weird?? You call that weird? I'll show you *WEIRD* ...
Not only that ... I drink a LOT of coffee ... I show you WIRED weird!!

Heh! Amusing! I've done a bit of that now and then but mostly I keep my eyes open so I can see all the little glows and light leaks in my darkroom. It takes a while to see it and after a bit sometimes I can see where I'm putting things, kinda like working with shadows of an image instead of the real thing. Never had any film fogged while doing so, I guess my Xray vision is not that powerful.

Like Ed I load film in darkness with my eyes closed and my glasses on. I can't do it without!

And I tray-develop film with my eyes open, but must close my eyes to get the film out of the holders...

You people are strange.....:)

I keep my eyes open but my glasses on. But then I always learned in the dark.

Ed

You drink a lot of coffe while loading a reel?

That's REAL weird :D

Jorge O

Eyes closed whether in the darkroom or using a changing bag. Habit for the former, find it cuts out distractions for the latter.

For a while, I worked evenings in an in-house corporate photo department that printed large multiple runs of color prints. During the days, they had several people printing but since I was working alone in the evening, after balancing a night's worth of negatives, I would just darken the whole suite of darkrooms, lock all the electronic doors open and work in there for hours without being able to see my own hand in front of my face. It became completely natural to walk from room to room through doors and around furniture, set up and load the roll easles, sit around sipping coffee until a negative or roll of paper needed changing, even grab a pen and paper to write down notes (but not able to read them :) ) in utter darkness. I could have slept in there without closing my eyes.

For a while, I worked evenings in an in-house corporate photo department that printed large multiple runs of color prints. During the days, they had several people printing but since I was working alone in the evening, after balancing a night's worth of negatives, I would just darken the whole suite of darkrooms, lock all the electronic doors open and work in there for hours without being able to see my own hand in front of my face. It became completely natural to walk from room to room through doors and around furniture, set up and load the roll easles, sit around sipping coffee until a negative or roll of paper needed changing, even grab a pen and paper to write down notes (but not able to read them :) ) in utter darkness. I could have slept in there without closing my eyes.

You are ready to leave the temple grasshopper......:)

hehe!

I also tend to close my eyes. Seems more do than don't! So Jorge in Mexico, you're the weird one! ;)

I have been trying to keep them open as training for getting my eyes 'lasered' where apparently you loose your vision while they attack your eyeball... I thought it would be good training to see 'nothing' so I don't panic!, although I haven't got a substuitute for the smell of burning flesh :)

I don't close my eyes in the dark. Hafta keep an eye on the gremlins.

Ed
You drink a lot of coffe while loading a reel?
That's REAL weird :D
Jorge O

That is the one time that I do NOT!! drink coffee.
Didn't take long to realize that was *NOT* a good idea - unless you are searching for a new way to make abstracts ... Lightstruck film from dumping it into - questionably - light-tight containers while making an emergency run for the W.C.

I did find a "door" into an alternate universe. Just dorp a JOBO bottle cap - or anything - onto the floor of a darkroom in total darkness. It will bounce at aa rate exceeding the speed of light - and chances are that it will never be seen again.

I know that feeling. I use a little handheld timer to time printing processes. One day I was putting the battery into when the little AAA dropped. In total darkness I managed to find it. I'm not sure I could have done it with the lights on.

Robert - Mine fell in the dev on Saturday morning! Luckily I have a spare 'cos they ain't waterproof...

Years ago I had a photo instructor that told the class to keep their eyes closed while loading film. He said to do it that way so you didn't see the light leaking under the door.

http://www.recentlydeceased.com/sounds/darkroom.wav :?

I noticed I do the same thing when loading or unloading film holders in a changing tent even with the lights on. It does seem to make it easier!

I never need to close my eyes - With my eyes open, my mind fills in the blanks for what I can't see and I function like I am seeing. Or maybe it is all those light leaks in my darkroom. I have never had anything fog in the darkroom and yet with some light leaks, I can actually make out shapes. I did fix those though.

..

I find it completely confusing and disorienting trying to discern whether my eyes are open or not in total darkness... it's a strange sensation. I feel my eyes suddenly open while I'm twisting the reel and only then do I realize they were even closed in the first place. Hell, how do I even know they're open now?? *shrug*

And you thought YOU were weird.

I'm an eye-closer, too. I figure, if they're not doing me any good anyway, I might as well give 'em a break.