WHAT CAN GO WRONG?

Seems as you shoot larger and larger formats, you find more and more mistakes to make. Anyone that has spent much time with a view camera knows all of those common mistakes you can make. No matter how experienced you are, and what you do to create a routine, something happens every now and then.

Just to name a few things that will come up to ruin your film; you pull the dark slide without closing the lens; you forget to set the aperture; you forget to pull the dark slide; you forget to cock the shutter, and the noise of the running water is so loud you cannot hear if the shutter fired; you fail to get the film holder properly seated in the camera back; there is dust on the film, always right in a nice even area of sky; strange light leaks; lens flare; camera flare; you kick the tripod after taking forever to get the image framed just right; and don’t forget double exposure. This can go on and on. Any number of other things, can and will happen, that are just right to ruin that great photograph.

These things never happened to you? Bet it has, even if you are not willing to admit it. All of the above, and many more, have certainly happened to me. The only way to lessen mistakes is to establish a routine. Do everything in the same order and double check as you go. But, even then, every now and again, something will get you. Just learn to live with it. Mistakes are one thing we all share in common. It is just part of being human. But I still reserve the right to express a few choice words when I screw up a good image.

JB