Who remembers the good old days when you used a film camera and tried to get 37 views out of a 36 view film
Who remembers the good old days when you used a film camera and tried to get 37 views out of a 36 view film ? Sometimes you couldn't wind the film far enough and you ended up with two superposed photos.
This one was taken exactly 14 years ago in Alsace (2004-04-11).
My son is the most visible, and I stand in the mist in the background. Looking closely, you can also just guess my wife's face on my son's forehead.
In fact, I found this image quite interesting and I kept it as you see it.
Right out of High School, I worked at a commercial photo lab, where this was often a serious problem. Normally, the rolls of film were spliced, end to end. And it ran threw the machinelike a movie projector through big baths of chemicals, mostly in the dark.
ReplyDeleteIf the film was damaged with torn sprocket holes, it was prone to ripping in two. The technicians, like myself, would then have to stop the machine (150 Ft. per minute) find both ends, staple it back together, make sure the film did not hop rollers, and start it back up, in under three minutes, all in the dark! Some nights there were quite a few of these problems. It made the evening more, "Exciting," that's for sure!
It's a unique and creative image, one that photographers try to mimic today by layering multiple images for one interesting effect:-) I like the photo a lot and the composition you were seeking was a great one in spite of the overlapping. Super accidental image!Oshi Shikigami That was labor intensive work!
ReplyDeleteOshi Shikigami
ReplyDeleteI have always wondered how far humans had to interfere with automatic developing machines. Thanks Oshi for giving me part of the answer.
Ann Kennedy Thanks Ann. I also like the snow effect on this picture.
ReplyDeleteI was in charge of a .5M$ machine. It, in theory, could run for hours without attention. But the truth was that is was one of the most complex chemical procedure that existed at the time.
ReplyDeleteI was more a 'babysitter', to make sure it kept running smoothly, or at all. With pumps and valves, precise re-exposure filtered lighting, to say nothing of a series of 50 - 80 liter tanks of heated (caustic) chemicals, that had looped racks with film running through them.
When it worked, it was beautiful to behold! And when it didn't... all hell broke loose! Imagine running around steaming vats of noxious chemicals, having to grope around dozens of loops on more than a dozen racks, reaching as far down as you can ( up to my shoulder) in the chemicals, find to ends of broken film, staple them together correctly - in the dark! And do it in less than 3 minutes, or hundreds of rolls of film could be damaged.
For all this, often putting 60+ hours of night shift, I had a 'premium' wage of US$ 2.00 per Hour. ;-)
Oshi Shikigami But with that job came a lot of knowledge that you can now share with others:-)
ReplyDeletePrecisely, for about three decades, anyway. Now it is only the people who shoot film, because of its lack of perfection, so few are interested, anymore, to learn how to make your film photos as technically perfect as possible. LOL
ReplyDeleteWonderful Share and conversation Laurent Truillet Ann Kennedy Oshi Shikigami.
ReplyDeleteLaurent, the image is way cool, such a happy accident to have happen.
Oshi, I hope you at least had some sort of rubber sleeves to save your skin, not to mention your health back then.
Ann, as always I enjoy reading your words and wisdom on the subject of photography.
+Margaret Siemers (Siemers Rafter Room), and Ann Kennedy, this was long before OSHA or any of that sort. I had to feel in the dark, to find ends and hold them for stapling I do not think gloves, even very long ones, would allow the dexterity, to do the job.
ReplyDeleteSometimes when the film would break, too many loops were skipped before being able to reattach. and the whole machine was cleared of film, and leader put on, so it could be stopped, and properly rethreaded, before running again.
I would hold the moving film between my fingers, and offset from whatever would have otherwise scratched the film. That usually required sitting on my knees, with my face sitting only inches from one of the chemicals. It could take as much as an hour for leader to clear, and the rack could be properly rethreaded. Meanwhile, I would breath the heated fumes of the some fairly toxic chemicals (Formaldehyde, ammonia, and man made compounds that were even then listed as carcinogenic).
The film was riveted or stapled together. Sometimes the joins was slightly miss-aligned. The hard edge of the film was then smashed into the fingers. Sometimes, when the break was in the light side, I would watch the blood drip a drop at a time, into the chemical bath. NOT my favorite entertainment!
You have to understand: This was my first employment in a big company. Workers did not have a lot os the safety regulations we have now. I was making "good" money, starting out immediately with the job ($2.00 USD). I actually was doing an important trained job, that I liked.
After I had work there for a year or so, I went through the entire plant, (my own time) and took notes of dangerous work situations, like the above, but more of them, and ways the company could do thing more efficiently, at less cost, and more safely. I got an appointment with the president, and presented my list, with details and answered question. All very professional like. And I was fired... He did not believe someone my age could come up with newfangled was that would actually be good. I am convinced that he had no intention of correcting safety issues. It came to me, as no great surprise then, that another year later, the company was bankrupt.
Yes this was a learning experience! Not technically, as I had all the darkroom basics learned a long time by then. Bur the realities of business that was a very strong lesson, I kept the rest of my life. :-)
Oshi Shikigami I am sure it didn't help any that you were a woman suggesting these things.
ReplyDeleteI am just glad that you didn't have ill effects from all of this. (you do still have all of your fingers right? ) Not a joking matter even if it didn't affect you.
I had found this out too at an early age, most large companies are all about the bottom line and employees are simply collateral damage when things go wrong. I am sorry to say that I never saw it get better while I was working out in the world. I like working for me these days. I am a wonderful boss to me. ; )