[pure-silver] Re: Getting Organized

I started photography over thirty years ago!  
Boy it sounds strange saying that!

Anyway,  Starting out I shot mostly color prints.  Film was sent off at the 
local drug store
and came back processed with prints several days later.  Back then I developed 
the
shoe box method.  I would go through a pack of prints, trash the really bad 
ones, put the good ones in a photo album, and leave any duplicates in the 
envelope with the negatives.  On the envelope I would write as close as 
possible the date the photos were taken, The subject, location, and any other 
notes that might help me find a prized negative in the future.

To some extent I still do use the shoebox method, except that I have progressed 
from using shoe boxes for storage and moved to card files purchased from used 
office furniture stores.

It would not be too hard to setup an Access datbase to track these things, but 
since I work on computers for a living I try to keep them as far away from my 
photography as possible...

When I started doing black and white photography I started keeping my negatives 
in old notebooks.  I purchased the printfile sheets and after I had printed the 
negatives I would place them in the print file sheet.  As with the shoebox 
method I would write the date, subject, and notes on that group of negatives on 
the lable at the top of the printfile page.  Using a three hole punch I would 
put a contact print sheet and any rejects I might have from prints made in the 
printing session.  The back of the prints and contact sheet provides more space 
for notes if needed.

The downside of my system is that it relies on my memory of when something was 
shot.  So far that has worked out fine.  I can usually go right to a negative 
when I need to.  One day I may be more forgetful or even gone.   At that point 
my system breaks down...

Hopefully someone here has come up with a better system.  Like you I am very 
interested.

Speedy

Date: Mon, 25 May 2009 22:12:03 -0400
Subject: [pure-silver] Re: Getting Organized
From: wm.harting@xxxxxxxxx
To: pure-silver@xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Can't help much, Elias. I've been away from home for almost a week and the 
homework I brought with me is a briefcase full of notes about developers, 
papers, scanning procedures, printing techniques, contact prints, notes about 
prints to make, oh just a huge bunch of stuff. I took one piece of paper and 
headed it with the word Simplify, and I've been paring things down. I think I'm 
making progress but I won't know until I get back to the darkroom, file away 
the things I know I'm not going to do (life is short) and try to stick to the 
list and do some printing. Simplify!


-bill h

On Mon, May 25, 2009 at 9:35 PM, K W Hart <kwhart1@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

From: "Elias Roustom" <elroustom@xxxxxxxxx>




At the risk of revealing too much about my worst habit, the lack of

habits, I'm going to ask if anyone else has the same problem I'm

having. Two years into photography, I now have sheets and sheets of

negatives, prints experimenting with every sort of technique or paper

or developer, and no order to any of it. I'm at a point now where

it's getting hard to move forward with any photographic project

without looking for something under something else...

   I'm going to assume I'm not the only one who has an obsession

with this craft and is also very busy (with paying work). I've got

some ideas of how to dig out, straighten up and fly right, but I'm

curious how some of you have dealt with putting your house in order?

Not only about storage and retrieval, or record keeping, but about

anything pertaining to managing current projects and planning future

projects. I could use some inspiration, and some good ideas.



Elias




"Junk expands to fill all available space"



I'm not sure I can give a definative answer, but you did ask just for 
inspiration and good ideas...



One thing I do when I feel the walls closing in is to make a list of things I 
need to do. I find great satisfaction in crossing things off the list and 
watching it get smaller. Don't get bogged down with personnal management 
software- just use a piece of paper. Seeing things crossed out is inspiring.




For my professional photos (professional meaning that people are paying me for 
them), I maintain a database of negatives, cross-referenced to the customer. 
The database also has a field for the type of photo: "Hi-key baby", "Outdoor 
senior", "Location Group", etc. Then if I need a certain type of photo, I can 
search the database for a codeword.




For my pleasure photos (no one commissioned them), I file the negatives in 
photofile pages- clear plastic pages that can be directly contact printed. The 
pages and the contact prints go in a notebook chronilogically. Sometimes I will 
print them to an appropriate size and make an album- the negs for these go in 
the album. For example, I have albums of various civic events: July 4th 
celebrations, etc.




As for the various types of paper and developer, you either need to set up a 
notebook with samples and procedures so that you can refer back to it when you 
need a certain effect, or, you need to standardize on one paper and one 
developer so that you will have consistency in your work. Bear in mind that if 
you choose the standardization route, that paper and developer will be 
discontinued in six months or less! For me, I prefer to standardize the 
darkroom and do my experimenting with the camera. Too many varibles and you 
don't learn anything.




I feel your pain: I'm currently trying to sell my property and move halfway 
'cross country to the old homestead. I know that all the 'stuff' I have here 
won't fit in the property I want to move to, so I'm constantly looking for 
things that can go on eBay, go to the salvage yard, or just go to the dump. I 
feel this is getting organized, but I have a pile of stuff waiting for someone 
to bid on, a pile of scrap metal stuff needing to be sorted for salvage, and a 
pile of stuff needing to go to the dump (the dump charges $20 for up to a ton, 
so I want to be sure my truck is dragging when I go there!).




The best encouragement I can offer is to keep as much of your chaos in the 
darkroom as possible- that way you can turn out the lights and not have to look 
at it! 

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