Fabulous Film Fridays – February 4, 2011
Samantha and I have discovered a major drawback of sharing our film cameras. Often we can’t remember who actually took a particular photo on a roll of film especially when we shoot the same subject with the same camera. For example, we both shot photos of an old car in a snowstorm. Sam used Beep, her Holga (and she has the pictures to prove it) but she also used Linny the Linhof to compose some photos (the evidence for that fact will be presented below). I had my Canon G11 digital camera (and I have photos to prove it) and I also used Linny to make a panoramic photo of the old car (or at least I think I did).
Anyway when we got the film developed from the Linhof, there was one photo of the old car – just one. I quickly claimed the image. Here it is:

©Darwin Wiggett (well I think)...
And so, I filed the image (shot on Fujichrome Velvia 50 slide film) into my film binder. Done.
But wait… when processing my G11 images later, I found this little video that I made. Guess who is shooting the car with the Linhof?
Well… when Samantha saw this video, the conversation went something like this:
Samantha: Hey, where is my photo from the Linhof?
Darwin: (silence…his brain is working hard to understand the question.)
Samantha: Well?
Darwin: Whoops… I must have it in my film binder. I thought it was my shot. I guess I accidentally stole your photo. I’ll go get it for you.
Samantha: Good, I’ll post it on Fabulous Film Fridays as a warning to others to guard their film. And by the way, you always get the title of our project wrong, it is Fabulous Film Fridays, not Fantastic Film Fridays like you say in the video.
(sidebar): Sam goes to post the January 31st Fabulous Film Fridays blog using the old car photo and the video as evidence that Darwin is a stealer of images. She re-watches the video and notices that the angle of her composition of the old car is very different from the developed photo above. She concludes she probably did not make the image.
Samantha: Hey Darwin, this keeps getting weirder. I think that was your image after all! But then where is my photo from the angle we see in the video?
Darwin: Well there were some blank slides, maybe you forgot to pull the dark slide and so had unexposed frames.
(At this point Samantha gave Darwin a pointed look. She’s never forgotten to pull out the dark slide, whereas Darwin admits to taking rolls of film without taking out the dark slide. Darwin thinks: Maybe that wasn’t the right thing to say.)
Darwin: (silence)… Well maybe we lost a roll of film?
Samantha: No, the stuff we shot before and immediately after the car is on the same roll.
Darwin: Right. Maybe you composed the photo and because the angle was so tight, you did not like the comp and so you didn’t make a photo?
Samantha: Maybe….
Darwin: Well… so we think the old car photo is now mine? (he asks hopefully). If so, then I will make a B+W version from the scan just for fun.
Samantha: Yes, you can have it. It’s pretty good, but you may want to take a closer look at my Composition and Design eBook for a few tips!

©Darwin Wiggett (by default and reluctant agreement)
February 4, 2011 at 3:18 AM
Nobody sued ?
February 4, 2011 at 6:49 AM
Neither of us have any money! d
February 4, 2011 at 5:28 AM
I like your style. The both of you. I know that sounds weird, but in a forest of pretentious landscape photographers, you both stand out as real. Pretentiousness be damned!
February 4, 2011 at 6:49 AM
It’s hard to be pretentious when you have snot dripping off your nose in icicles at -20 degrees. d
February 4, 2011 at 5:39 AM
You guys are a hoot! And pretty good photographers to boot! (Hey, look – that rhymes – Woot!)
:^D
– Jack
February 4, 2011 at 6:50 AM
A hidden poet amongst us 😉
February 4, 2011 at 6:13 AM
(silence…his brain is working hard to understand the question.)…………… ha ha, I’m sure my wife can relate to that one………… just in case she reads this, I want to clarify that I meant that my brain doesn’t work sometimes…
February 4, 2011 at 7:12 AM
This used to happen to hubby and I all the time so now we never share cameras!
Hilarious tale! You guys are adorable!
February 4, 2011 at 8:29 AM
Sooo ….
Any tips from the eBook ? 🙂
February 4, 2011 at 9:43 AM
Sure! Tip #1: Like our parents told us, don’t steal! Actually, I take it as a compliment when Darwin keeps my images (as opposed to deleting them as he also has from time to time when he thought the pictures were his to edit!)
As for the eBook…do you know what barrier is the main culprit that keeps you from making images honest to your inner creativity? I list three biggies in the Foundations eBook!
February 4, 2011 at 9:47 AM
Have you ever spent time setting up a shot, examining your subject from every angle, checking the lighting, setting up tripod, metering, setting the perfect f/stop and shutter speed, selecting and adjusting filters, focusing, examining every detail on the ground glass with a loupe, testing the wind speed and then forgot to press the shutter?
February 4, 2011 at 11:17 AM
There should be mini series….here are some suggestions. “Desperate Film Shooters”, “Fabulous Friday the 13th”, “The Great Friday Film Heist”, “Where to bury the Film?”, “Dial F for Film”.
I am sure others can suggest some creative names.
-Jay
February 4, 2011 at 6:07 PM
At least the argument was settled without a cracking sound of your head this time…or did Sam learn to push you after you finished recording? 😉
February 4, 2011 at 6:53 PM
Since you’re a couple, why not share the credit? I mean, why does it matter who actually took the shot? My shot, your shot–ultimately, it’s all a crap shoot. 😉
February 4, 2011 at 8:15 PM
You Two don’t have a problem. What’s really a problem is when you are the only one to use the camera and still don’t know who took the shot. 🙂