Recording exposure

[Eising]

Hi there.

I'm a bit sloppy when it comes to recording the exposure details of my photos.
Ansel Adams has a sheet you can use for exposure, but it's very focused on the zone system and it's also very focused on large format. I do not practice the zone system myself, and I shoot medium format, so it doesn't fit very well together with my work flow.

How do you people record your exposure information?

[Q.G.]

When i do (and i don't do very often) in a little notebook.

[benjiboy]

I use a little Olympus pocket hard disc voice recorder and write it down when I get home

[Eising]

When i do (and i don't do very often) in a little notebook.

What details do you write down?

[bobwysiwyg]

I went on-line to one of those custom rubber stamp outfits and had one done to include; location, holder#. lens/F-length, shutter speed, f-stop, film type, etc. and had it sized to fit on a 3x5 index card. Next stop was an OfficeMax, picked up a pad of perforated index cards and stamped the pages/cards on the reverse, blank side. After processing the negative the card goes in an adjacent slot in the print file page. Cuts storage capacity in half, but I can always recall the details of the shot.

[Eising]

I went on-line to one of those custom rubber stamp outfits and had one done to include; location, holder#. lens/F-length, shutter speed, f-stop, film type, etc. and had it sized to fit on a 3x5 index card. Next stop was an OfficeMax, picked up a pad of perforated index cards and stamped the pages/cards on the reverse, blank side. After processing the negative the card goes in an adjacent slot in the print file page. Cuts storage capacity in half, but I can always recall the details of the shot.

That is such a great idea, in fact I think I will copy that idea.

[Q.G.]

What details do you write down?

It depends on why i want to record details. I don't record anything when i don't do anything out of the ordinary.
Sometimes i record just the aperture and shutterspeed. Sometimes what lens was used. Sometimes the amount i (for whatever reason) deviated from what the meter said. Sometimes details about the subject. Or any combination of these.

[Steve Smith]

I make a mental note at the time then forget it a few minutes later.


Steve.

[Eising]

I make a mental note at the time then forget it a few minutes later.

I have also been using this method quite successfully. I always manage to both make the mental note and forget it a few moments later.

[Steve Smith]

A slightly related question: For those of you who do make good notes of exposure, do you actually use that information at a later date? The only reason I can think of for retaining the data is to publish it when posting an image e.g. in the galleries here.


Steve.