Most important advice you never followed

[CPorter]

Most important advice I never followed-------

"Just braket"

[wy2l]

"Honest, honey, I won't get pregnant."

"You can trust me, I'm not like the rest of them."

[Aron]

I'm surprised by the number of people who say the old "use one film and one developer until you know the combo inside and out" is BS. Sure, there is a reason Ilford has other films than say just FP4, but when a craft has this many variables to deal with, it really helps consistency, repeatability, troubleshooting and learning. Of course it doesn't matter much if you screw up the new exciting fim on a Sunday afternoon walk, but when you have to insure you'll get each time fairly close to what you wanted (visualized, if you like), than the old boring advice holds true. I have taken many photos of people that can't be taken again and I'm so happy most of those negs print fairly easily.

I suspect most of this mentality comes from the fact that the times manufacturers give us are very good. But if e.g. Rodinal semi-stand is your thing, than you're back to stone-age testing.

Saying all this, one of my current favourite photo is from a totally new to me film which got overdeveloped by accident.

[Helinophoto]

Here are a few I never followed:

- Never use a wide-angle lens to photograph people.
(Orly?? http://photos.modelmayhem.com/photos...af21d5b706.jpg http://photos.modelmayhem.com/photos...40b1584d11.jpg :P)
- Use one film and one developer. (with all the data available online, I strongly disagree. Research and trials are done much faster now and you can base it upon work done by others. Alone in a cellar until 1995, I would agree, but not with Internet, google, and places like APUG archives at your fingertips :P). Also, now days, you need to be able to find your favorites and adjust to new ones, as older films are cut and newer ones comes into play.
- Film is dead, don't spend your money on film-equipment. Heard from 2005-2012 and probably beyond.
- Digital is better than film, don't shoot that film stuff.
- If you lack shadow detail, the photo is a failure.
- If you have blown highlights, the photo is a failure.
- Your analog camera is dated, throw it away.
- You only need one lens, use it and learn it. (probably never heard of stuff like "compression effects" and exotic stuff like "variation" or "best tool for a given job")
- If you are going to buy studio equipment, then buy the most expensive head and pack solution you can get, Alien Bees suck donkey dung.

Probably lots of other junk as well, usually it goes in one ear and out the other, just barely registering with my internal spam-filter, before it's spat out on the other side as "utter crap"

[Roger Cole]

I'm surprised by the number of people who say the old "use one film and one developer until you know the combo inside and out" is BS. Sure, there is a reason Ilford has other films than say just FP4, but when a craft has this many variables to deal with, it really helps consistency, repeatability, troubleshooting and learning. Of course it doesn't matter much if you screw up the new exciting fim on a Sunday afternoon walk, but when you have to insure you'll get each time fairly close to what you wanted (visualized, if you like), than the old boring advice holds true. I have taken many photos of people that can't be taken again and I'm so happy most of those negs print fairly easily.

I suspect most of this mentality comes from the fact that the times manufacturers give us are very good. But if e.g. Rodinal semi-stand is your thing, than you're back to stone-age testing.

Saying all this, one of my current favourite photo is from a totally new to me film which got overdeveloped by accident.

I don't recall anyone saying it was exactly BS. We said we didn't do it.

[stavrosk]

"Don't mind the blown highlights!"
I just cannot stand them.

[Aron]

I don't recall anyone saying it was exactly BS. We said we didn't do it.

Damn, it's always bad to see when someone else does what I just did. My apologies, it was early in the morning when I wrote my post and not every part of the system got booted yet.

[John cox]

Someone once told me that if I wanted to do a type or style of photography really well, I should find someone who's work I liked and study it. That by learning everything that photographer/artist did and mastering it, I would be able to take it to the next level.
That's probably the best photographic advise someone has given me.

[Roger Cole]

Damn, it's always bad to see when someone else does what I just did. My apologies, it was early in the morning when I wrote my post and not every part of the system got booted yet.

Well I did say the advice had problems, that not every material was suitable for every circumstances I want to shoot in or every artistic intent. And that's true.

I really think the advice has a certain sound basis, but is over stated. As in my prior example, I like TMZ and Delta 3200 in low light, but if I find myself shooting outdoors in bright sun and wish to make large prints without obvious grain from those shots too, such film is doubly unsuitable.

If I had to phrase my own advice on such things I'd say "don't go overboard using many different materials without getting to know any of them, but don't lock yourself into a straightjacket of materials choice either. Try a few at first and get an idea of what you like, then choose a few film/developer combinations for the situations you usually shoot in and your style of imagery. Make these your usual materials and get to know them well, but don't be afraid to experiment with others occasionally too."

[Aron]

If I had to phrase my own advice on such things I'd say "don't go overboard using many different materials without getting to know any of them, but don't lock yourself into a straightjacket of materials choice either. Try a few at first and get an idea of what you like, then choose a few film/developer combinations for the situations you usually shoot in and your style of imagery. Make these your usual materials and get to know them well, but don't be afraid to experiment with others occasionally too."

Trying a few might very well have different meanings for different people, but for me, when trying a film (say a few rolls), what I will understand most likely is how it reacts to some changes in exposure/dev, and what grain structure/size it has.

The more I stick to a film combo, the stronger I feel the need for another brick/box to understand it better. The former approach gives me a kind of "one size fits all" negative while the latter helps me to explore where my limits are (and slaps them in my face ruthlessly).

I'm not going to say anything new here, but this aproach is not unique to photography and works in other areas as well.

I personally have standardized on one medium speed film, which I use 95% of the time.

Out of curiousity, what is it that TMZ gives you in 35 mm that you don't get from the Delta?