RE: New Year's resolutions

Well, am I the only one using a computer to record my negatives? Seemed like
the perfect application for a data base operation to me.

I use a simple program called Q&A but any data base program could be used.
I've even heard of some people using Xcell although I believe one could out
grow it's ability quickly.

When I was submitting to magazines, they often were sensitive to when the
image was recorded even if the scene had not changed over the period of
time. Therefore, I simply use a 4 digit number and assign them sequentially
as needed with no indication as to when the image was made. Of course if
they asked I would always tell the whole truth. Most times they didn't ask.

The individual record, think of it as a 4x5 index card, was laid out with
fields that include information like place, date, film, caption, subject and
a number of other things.

The beauty is that I can pull up the image number with multiple data
requests. Example: Prickly Pear Cactus Flowers blooming in Big Bend
National Park will be selected using search data like "Big Bend" or
"Flowers" or "Prickly Pear" and so on. As I may have photographed Prickly
Pear blooming in a number of different places this method is a great
advantage. Like wise I could pull a series on Big Bend and some may not
include "flowers". I also have fields that include the development and
printing data so editions can be reproduced within an acceptable range. The
information can be hand tailored to one's specific needs. I never did find a
program that worked just like I wanted and had all the proper data I wanted.

The film itself is put into Clear Pre View Archival sleeves in three ring
binders then placed on a book shelf. The image number is marked on the
sleeve with a Script Magic Marker or a small stick on tab that is then
placed on the sleeve.

Clay I don't know of anyone who makes 7x17 binders sorry. Mine max at 8x10
at the present time. I also have 35, 2.25, 645 and 4x5, negatives
transparencies, color and B&W. All that information is also recorded on the
record.

I mark the range of image numbers on the outside of the binder. Book one may
have 0001-0250, book 2 will be 0250-0625 and so on. I can pull a particular
image quickly or a series of images with any designated subject matter just
as quickly. This was critical to me with over 6,000 images in my files. I
can always increase the quantity of numerals in the image number once I
exceed 9999 without the need to start over.

It did require some time to learn the Q&A and set up the records but I can't
imagine doing it without a data base in this day and age. To me it appears
to be the perfect solution and it has worked for about 10 years now. It is a
long tern solution and the sooner one begins the easier it is.

There are of course a few more details but I believe this should be
sufficient to give a broad overview.

And if anyone steps up and says they keep theirs in little yellow boxes and
can find any thing they ever shot, well think I'll just stop there.

Rocky
Houston, TX

-----Original Message-----
From: wcharmon@wt.net [mailto:wcharmon@wt.net]
Sent: Sunday, December 28, 2003 4:06 PM
To: alt-photo-process-l@sask.usask.ca
Subject: New Year's resolutions

The list has been way too quiet for the holiday season, so I thought I would
throw out a wacky idea that has been germinating in my mind during the
precious few idle moments that holidays generally bring: What if I actually
organized my negatives, and I don't know, maybe even filed them in some sort
of logical sequence?

So how do incredibly self-actualized, virtuous and organized people actually
do this? I'm thinking that an ideal system would be organized around the
common human need for over-simplification and sloth. So what is the
simplest and easiest system that might actually work? My system of
organizing by 'piles' may have reached it's logical end now, and some of the
piles look dangerously close to their maximum angle of repose.

Clay
Received on Mon Dec 29 10:39:31 2003