[stevebrot]

Everyone has done it...everyone...

Two rules:

• Always make sure that the sprocket holes are engaged, both top and bottom, before closing the film door
• Always make sure that the rewind turns when advancing to the first frame

Do #1 and you will almost always see #2.


Steve

[ChrisPlatt]

Another mistake I will admit to having made in haste
was pressing the rewind button and starting to rewind,
failing to observe that the button hadn't locked in,
tearing multiple film sprocket holes in the process.

On many older 35mm cameras the rewind button
doesn't lock and must be held in during rewind.

Chris

[TedH42]

I have to put mine in here, because it was painful, and is STILL burned into my memory after 30+ years. The normal, unforgettable, stupid mistake that initiates you into the club.

Backpacking just to the west of the Tetons, I went through this magnificent, vast alpine meadow, just an ocean of flowers, yellow, purple, everything, with spectacular mountains and a dark blue sky with dramatic clouds. Just a perfect scene. I shot picture after picture, each more magnificent than the last. I kept shooting as we went past Table Mountain. Boy! This is a long roll! When I looked, the film counter was past 36, the film should have ended by now. Another 2 shots as tests. I had a bad feeling, so I released the film sprockets and started slowly rewinding. A turn or two, and the film leader came free. I had achieved the ultimate multi-exposure - about 42 images on 1 frame!

And no time to go back.

Damn straight I checked EVERY time after that!

[wasser]

If that's the dumbest thing you ever do then you'll be one of the smarter photographers.

I once spent ages taking quite a few long exposure night shots; did all the right things, tripod, MLU & 2sec timer. Only problem was I took them all from a floating jetty.

Having admired your slow shutter speed shots makes this one even more funny.

Been there done that. The other one is to open the back not realizing that the film hasn't been rewound. Done that too.

Did that once. I completed a roll and went to swap film, popped the back, and stared stunned at the exposed film. I quickly shut it, but knew the damage was done. However, there is an upside to this one. Out of the entire roll I had been really pleased with an image of a stairway I'd taken. I just had to get the image back so I returned to the location and shot it. I developed both rolls and when I compared the two sets the framing of my second go around was much better. So, had it not been for exposing my roll I wouldn't have actually gotten the shot.

LOL, a classic.

One of the cool things with manual rewind of film, is that you can stop before all is in the box. Just stop turning until the rewind knob stops turning, then a flap of film will stik out. My Contax 167MT can't do that, auto rewind. But then again loading is also auto, that's great!

But then, when you reload that roll you better remember it's actually been partially exposed and how many exposures. I once removed a partially exposed roll of color so I could do one in black and white. I then put the color back in...and forgot to advance the film. I ended up with a bunch of odd double exposures.

Whatever requires human interaction in total darkness can go wrong

But once you load your film into the developing tank you can turn the lights on.

[Nesster]

Another mistake I will admit to having made in haste
was pressing the rewind button and starting to rewind,
failing to observe that the button hadn't locked in,
tearing multiple film sprocket holes in the process.

On many older 35mm cameras the rewind button
doesn't lock and must be held in during rewind.

Chris

I'd just shot a roll with my Retina in NYC and for some strange reason decided I had to rewind it right then in a moving train.

I did what you did - the film shattered - and being on the train I didn't hear or note much of anything.

The best guard against this: my ST605n fuji is about the worst shape body possible, the rewind release button does not exist. I have to use a ballpoint pen to release the film... which assures that I'll do the rewind correctly

[John Poirier]

In 40 plus years I think I've committed every crime described here, most several times, and perhaps come up with a few original ones.

My favourite dumb move was during one of the many times that I shot at -40 or so. I certainly knew better. Nonetheless, in a moment of mindless concentration on focusing through a frosted finder I stuck out my tongue. It instantly froze to the bare metal on the camera. Getting it loose again was painful and left me with a bleeding tongue. That's one mistake I won't repeat.

Cheers.

[ismaelg]

BREAKING NEWS!
Just about an hour ago, as I was teaching the photography merit badge at my Boy Scouts troop, a fellow parent showed me his old Canon film body. I grabbed it and without asking, poped the door open.... you guessed it, there was a roll in there.......
Drumroll please.......
Thank you!

[ChrisPlatt]

Other film blunders I'm guilty of include half-ruined exposures on frames S1 and S2,
and centers missing on frame 38, obscured by the tape holding the film to the spool.

Chris

[Nesster]

BREAKING NEWS!
Just about an hour ago, as I was teaching the photography merit badge at my Boy Scouts troop, a fellow parent showed me his old Canon film body. I grabbed it and without asking, poped the door open.... you guessed it, there was a roll in there.......
Drumroll please.......
Thank you!

Now that's classic.

[Jüri]

Am I the only idiot, who likes to play around with cameras and while at it, randomly open the film chamber without even making sure there's no film inside?

[eddie1960]

I've made all the above mistakes at one point or another. at least 3 rolls of ilm have wound their way through the back on my medium format with the darkslide in (I have one older back which lets this happen grr)
more than once i've shot with the lens cap on with RF styl;e cameras (I think every RF user does this once in a while)
and yep I've not had the leader catch and thought i was shooting like you
On all the above i have also processed those dumb mistaakes before realising it uurrgh
I've also shot with no film duh

Digital has less mistakes to make but
I've loaded the bag and headed off to shoot and found
- Dead batteries aaasrgh
- no SD card with me

So digital too has it's margins for error

[dj_saunter]

I did that with my first film camera. Loaded the film poorly, went out to a festival to shoot, thought I had some great shots and came home to find out it wasn't loaded.

It's a mistake you only make once great learning experience

[séamuis]

when I was covering the st. patricks day parade here in savannah, I was using my spotmatic as a personal camera alongside my digital gear for the paper and I had shot a total of 22 rolls. yes that many. I was in a hurry to load a roll, as I was waking alongside an irish dance group, and I somehow managed to load the film poorly, and it jammed pretty hard. I got the film out but wound the leader all the way back in and now I don't know which roll is the bad one. how I managed to jam it, I haven't a clue. I actually had to stop and reload while everyone moved past me. so many good shots lost.

[stevebrot]

wound their way through the back on my medium format with the darkslide in (I have one older back which lets this happen grr)

...Oh, yes! The darkslide demon! I know him well. He hangs out around my view camera along with the double-exposure imp.


Steve

[eddie1960]

...Oh, yes! The darkslide demon! I know him well. He hang out around my view camera along with the double-exposure imp.


Steve

I forgot about that little Imp, he's visited me more than a few times, occasionally fortuitously, more often not