Why I Take Notes on Every Roll of Film (And Why You Should Too)

I’m a librarian, which means I can’t help but keep records even when I’m shooting film. Whether I’m loading a Holga, experimenting with pinhole photography, or finally putting a “new-to-me” Nikkormat through its paces, I take meticulous notes on every roll I shoot. Not because I think I’m precious about my process, but because film photography rewards attention, patience, and memory and I don’t always develop my film right away. This post is a look at the system I’ve built to track my rolls, organize my notes, and make sense of what actually works (and what definitely doesn’t).

Let's start with what information I gather and the system I used to keep track of film rolls.

Here is where I have landed as far as keeping up with what I've shot, when, and where. This, I have already learned, helps because I don't always develop in the right after I shoot. #brokelibrarianmoney 

DATE STARTED: When I start the roll

DATE ENDED: When I finish the roll

DEVELOPED: When I finally get it developed

DEVELOPED AT: Where I get it developed (Southeastern Camera here in Raleigh. Shameless plug)

FILM: This is getting obvious 

CAMERA: Duh

LOCATION: You get the idea

NOTES: Where I keep notes on this roll of film. With pinholes I note hole long I exposed each photo.

ALL TIME ROLL: Number in order of all the film I have shot

How I Track Film Rolls

On the film box itself I'll put the start, end, and developed dates. I add what camera I've shot with (so far my Holga 120N has been the most common) as well as where the notes are kept. I have a nifty old card-catalog box that was destined for the trash, which I have now enlisted to hold those boxes. I brought it home, sanded it, and refinished it too, because sometimes TV is boring and apparently this is what I do for fun.

My Film Photography Notebook System

This is a two level system that so far has been made up of notebooks and matchbooks

The first  notebook (the white and black one) contains every roll I’ve shot. 35 mm film or 120 mm film. Pinhole camera, Holga, or any other camera. With that, I include everything listed above. Since I currently have exactly one roll of 35 mm film under my belt, it’s mostly 120 mm film, but if (or when) I shoot more 35 mm film, it’ll all live there together. 

To keep things organized, I also have separate notebooks: one (white "matchbook with coffee stains) for 120 mm, one for pinhole, and one (green spiral bound) for 35 mm film.* These are numbered, though I’ve only just made it to #2 for my Holga rolls, so try not to be too impressed. I try to add notes about these too. Usually it'll be about something that worked, or maybe something I hope works. . 

Keeping Notes In Film Photography 

For me, keeping notes on my photography serves two rolls. 

First, it creates a record so that someday when I am a wildly recognized photographer (eye roll) people might cling to my film photography notes and glean information about "my process." Read that as: When I am trying to figure out what I was doing, I might have some idea of what worked or didn't. Maybe someone will uncover this somewhere when I am long gone and it'll spark an interest. That'd be pretty cool.

Second, I have a degree in Library and Information Sciences, and creating systems to collect and store information is kind of our thing. I have already weened out information that I don't think I need, and added some that I do, so my early notes won't all look the same. 

I take an inordinate amount of notes in my film photography endeavors because I am weird, because I like systems, and because I want to leave some kind of breadcrumb trail behind. Maybe one day someone will understand what I was trying to do. And if not, at least I had fun organizing it all along the way.

*Just like you think a matchbook works but with paper instead of matches. I made mine with some slightly heavy than copy paper for the cover, and copy paper for notes.