Taking notes at shooting

[eddie]

...all that note taking slows down the creative process of photography.

I understand what you're saying, but can't completely agree. In my case, note taking can improve the creative process. It's just one more opportunity to assess my decisions. In fact, I probably do it for this reason more than any other. Sheet film shooting is inherently slow to begin with. The note taking is the quickest part of the process. I view it like a pilot going through a pre-flight checklist. They already know how to fly, but going through the checklist (or taking notes) is usually a positive thing.

[mporter012]

Where did you get these sheets? That's quite clever! I'm finding that while in the field, I'm attempting to write down details about each shot, but this takes time and it is annoying when it's 15 degrees (which it is here is PA today!).

That said, I find it to be vital to learning precisely what happens with what exposure settings. Any other advice would be welcome.

Thanks!

[fotch]

What ever floats your boat.

[StoneNYC]

I pre-wrap all my 35mm rolls w/ a piece of masking tape. After I expose the final frame of the roll, I mark the piece of tape with the date and camera used. During development, I transfer the tape to the Patterson tank and later to the negative clip while drying. Once I cut the negatives, I move the tape to the storage sleeve. In the notes section of the sleeve, I also note developer type, dilution, time and temperature.

Wow this is a great idea!!!


~Stone

Mamiya: 7 II, RZ67 Pro II / Canon: 1V, AE-1, 5DmkII / Kodak: No 1 Pocket Autographic, No 1A Pocket Autographic | Sent w/ iPhone using Tapatalk

[StoneNYC]

This is what I do, not really uncommon from what anyone else might do who is into the zone system way of doing things......I used to take notes in the field, but came to not wanting to fuss with writing while in the field. I find it far easier now to just use a digital voice recorder to document the notes, then, usually in the truck before leaving, I'll quickly put them on a card like this. It takes practically no time to do........I find that notes not only help diagnose problems but they also reinforce what went right on those occasions too.

What kind of analog guy are you?? Shooting an recording with DIGITAL devices... Get a stenographers recording machine already, go buy some recordable tape cassettes and bring that along! Or be ostracized by the community!


~Stone

Mamiya: 7 II, RZ67 Pro II / Canon: 1V, AE-1, 5DmkII / Kodak: No 1 Pocket Autographic, No 1A Pocket Autographic | Sent w/ iPhone using Tapatalk

[StoneNYC]

Personally I only note when I need to push or pull a roll. The 120 rolls don't have a lot of room for notes (which is really annoying honestly I don't need to know its FUJI FUJI FUJI in a million places, and Ilford isn't much better using some plastic tape that is hard to write on. Kodak is the only one who gets it at all, sadly it's too expensive and I mostly shoot Fuji and Ilford.... Tmax is cheaper right now so I have some of that but that's it....

I used to "take notes" when I shot 35mm because my 1V has downloadable data sheets for EVERYTHING which is great, but I never use any of it. I'm sure if I publish I'll regret not having details about the shot but I find it all very distracting from the art making process. I can't understand why newer cameras (Mamiya 7, fuji 680, or whatever its called, systems, etc) don't have some sort of downloadable data just stored in the camera, I mean anything with an AE function has to communicate to the lens/shutter etc, knows the shot/selected ASA speed, can't that all be downloaded easily? My canon 1V can hold about 300 ROLLS of data and they stopped making them in 2001.... The Mamiya is newer than that...

My other gripe is the MF stuff doesn't have water sealing/dust sealing body/lenses and those are the ones who need it for all the crazy extremes we go into with them...

Sheesh!

Sorry, I'm a tangent go-er....


~Stone

Mamiya: 7 II, RZ67 Pro II / Canon: 1V, AE-1, 5DmkII / Kodak: No 1 Pocket Autographic, No 1A Pocket Autographic | Sent w/ iPhone using Tapatalk

[CPorter]

What kind of analog guy are you??

The photography kind, all bets are off on anything else...............

[Michael R 1974]

I think CPorter is right. There is nothing about making notes that hinders the creative process.