[Leica] Re: Contact Sheets/File System

[George Huczek <ghuczek@sk.sympatico.ca>]

At 09:52 PM 05/12/98 EST, Bob Bedwell wrote:
    It's a pain in the ass to remove the negatives
>from the sleeves, place properly on top of the paper and close the glass over
>the paper before exposing under the enlarger.  I must be doing something
>wrong.   I finally figured out today that I can leave the negatives in the
>negative holders and lay it on top of the paper.  This does make it easier
but
>you can sure tell the difference in the quality of the contact sheet by doing
>it this way.  
>
>I am currently using the Archival Negative Preservers which are clear poly.
>They seem to be ok but there may be something out there better.
>
I print my contact sheets by keeping the negatives in the clear poly
holders.  So what if the contact sheets aren't of the same quality as if
they were made by laying the negatives directly on the paper?  
Contact sheets serve two main purposes for me.  First, they give me a quick
preview of the images.  They let me assess the image quickly.  I print them
on grade 2 paper.  With a loupe, they let me determine which images offer
the most promising possibilities for printing.  Because they have all
received the same exposure and contrast grade, I can tell which ones would
have to be printed on a different grade of paper, and which ones will be
difficult to print because of variations in exposure and negative contrast.
   The second function they serve is for negative storage and retrieval.  I
use PrintFile negative storage sheets, which hold seven strips with five
frames on each.  (I bulk-load most of my film into 35-exposure rolls. For
36-exposure rolls, I cut the extra remaining frame and put it into a
different contact sheet, where I don't have a full 35 frames, due to missed
shots with focusing errors, or improper exposure.)  The negatives are
stored in 3-ring binders, with the accompanying contact sheets.  I store
them chronologically, with separate binders for 35mm and 120 film, with B&W
and color negatives in separate storage.  (I don't make contact sheets for
color negatives.)  If I can remember roughly when I took a photo, I can
then go into the right binders to find what I am looking for.  I number
each transparency sheet with the subject matter, information about the
development used, and the date.