an eventful day in my photographic journey

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ujjwaldey8165

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Ujjwal
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:LOL::LOL::LOL:

So I went to pick up a bunch of films from the lab today; including 3 MF films.

Only one film was completely blank, the one that came out of the hassy.

The Lab guy couldn't offer any explanation; maybe the shutter in the hassy was stuck and needs a CLA. Oh my god.

So I thought, and thought, and thought throughtout my 1 hour train journey. Folks notice, I think very slowly, but attempt to make up the woeful lack of quality by copiuos quantity of thinking.

I got down from the train, and while driving, kept thinking. Could it be, just be, that I loaded the film the wrong way. Is that even possible? It is...... When suddenly ...BAM. I had hit a car. Or rather the other car hit me. Or was it the other way around?

We got down from our cars; inspected our respective cars, then each others car, then our own car again. We discussed the matter in a rather raised voice. It was clear to both of us that the other car had run into us. After all, we are careful drivers. After much discussion, and offering to bring in an arbiter in the shape of a siren car, we both decided, with great magnanimity, that we will pay for our respective damages, and went our own way.

Remember my Hassy? Forgot? Not me. So now there was only one way to find out what the problem was. To develop the film loaded in the camera, which has 2 exposed shots. That will tell me if shutter ot stupid me is the culprit.

Good plan, except I have never loaded a 120 film, and I am told thats difficu;lt. Oh bother. But such little things never bother me. Did I tell you, what I lack in competence, I make up by absolute confidence.

So I take my film out, throw everything in the changing bag, struggle for 30 mins and finally load. I tell you, God should have given us a pair of eyes which could go off-body, if not capable of being triggered by a chinese RF trigger.

The development I have done before, so that goes easy. Except my dear wife decides to have a engaging discussion on the relative merits of Indian and English culnary habits. Just when I am counting down to 13 minutes. And the fate of my hassy hangs in a balance.

The washing is now done, and the wife has departed; satisfied that she has married to a dumb deaf. Or was it deaf and dumb. Anyways, time to open the developing tank and see whats inside.

Oh my god. Whats this? The darned tank is locked so tight, it refuses to open. These things have a mind of their own, i swear. But a darned tank is not going to come between my and my hassy. So, inevitable, succour, in the shape of a hammer, arrived.

Have you ever tried to break a Jessops development tank with a hammer. Don't try. I tell you, dont. If you do, be careful to remove your face just at the moment the plastic trank decides to throw itself at you in its last show of defiance.

The film, or atleast the few exposed shots came out right. My hassy was saved. And let it be recoreded, for poterirty, that there is apparently only one way of loading a film the wrong way in a hassy. And I have achieved that. Let it be known to all that Vicktor Hasselblad had failed miserably to design a fool-prrof camera.

So as I now sit here with my drink, my count for today goes like this

Car : 1 destroyed
Development Tank : 1 destroyed
120 film development : 1st one, done
Hassy : 1 saved

and not to forget

Idiot : one, proved
 
What a story that is. I feel for you and hope tomorrow brings a better day :LOL:
 
Said it before mate and I will say it again..
You are nuts!! Ujjwal
:wacky::wacky::wacky::wacky:

Glad you are ok though my friend.(y)
 
Superb. I would like to say 'more please'.

But I don't wish you any MORE misfortune :) ;)
 
This would make a great animated short.
 
LOL. Great post! :D

For future reference.

I think what causes a lot of confusion is that when you unload a blad back you're left with an empty spool sitting where the new roll of film needs to go when you load again. You have to move this empty spool across to the other side as it now becomes the take up spool, THEN install the new roll on the now empty sprocket.
 
:LOL:

I sooooo felt your pain on having to load the MF oh what a arse ache it is...
:clap:
 
CT said:
LOL. Great post! :D

For future reference.

I think what causes a lot of confusion is that when you unload a blad back you're left with an empty spool sitting where the new roll of film needs to go when you load again. You have to move this empty spool across to the other side as it now becomes the take up spool, THEN install the new roll on the now empty sprocket.
Click to expand...

Thanks for that - I couldn't think why he took 30 mins and had to use a changing bag to load a 120 film.

Looks like loading film is becoming a dying art.
 
petersmart said:
Thanks for that - I couldn't think why he took 30 mins and had to use a changing bag to load a 120 film.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the observation. I wasn't really timing it to see whether it was 30 mins; it sure seemed a very long time; and rest is poetic licence ( another dying art, it would seem).

I think I couldn't explain myself very well. I was loading the film in the development tank ( and not into the camera), hence the changing bag ( unless there is a trick to loading a film in the development tank without a changing bag in daylight that I have missed)

The film that went for D&P to the lab was loaded the wrong way; the one which was in the camera with 2 exposed shot were loaded correctly. And bizzarly enough, inspite of all the excitement, the shots came out pretty well developed


CT : I did swap over the spools; indeed you have to do it because the turning knob is on lower side. But then, you cant explain stupidity, can you.....ha ha ha
 
Quality tale mate, had many similar experiences myself. A bit late now you've smashed the tank but I ave the same problem with a jessops tank myself. Always ends up tighter than when it started. The answer is to use a towel or cloth around the lid whilst you have a firm grip of the base. Patterson tanks are quite a lot easier compared to the Jessops ones.
 
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