How can I carry and swap exposed pinhole paper safely in the field?

Asked 12/21/2019

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I'm giving a pinhole kit that uses photographic paper loaded in the dark or under a safelight. I'd like to take more than one shot per outing, but I only have the original paper envelope. What's a simple way to store exposed sheets and reload fresh paper while out in the field? I have a large changing bag, a Paterson Universal Tank, and basic household materials. The paper is about 3.5 x 3.5 inches.

Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

6y ago

2 Answers

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While some care is needed to avoid accidental light leaks, light-proofing a container enough to safely store film or paper is not a colossal effort.

Something as simple as duct tape over a few suitably sized paper envelopes is easily more practical than lugging a Paterson tank.

Black construction paper can make envelopes, or use a maker to darken a typical lighter coloured paper envelope. Apply duct tape and maybe a layer of kitchen foil if you want to be extra paranoid. Two or three such envelopes should keep your material safe from the light.


Or just use the envelope the film/paper came in... A bit of care with a 'marker card' [or two] that you can easily feel the difference between it and the photo material lets you easily maintain a 'queue' of light sensitive material, without having to lug extra boxes or containers.

Take from the top of the pile, put the exposed stuff to the bottom. Be careful not to turn things over by accident...

Add a few extra marker cards to the stack as bookmarks, and you can even sort your exposures for different development times if you're trying to get really fancy. The important thing is to just not overload your box/envelope with to many/too thick of marker cards such that you risk compromising the light-tightness.


And in all honesty, keeping track of one box while you're fumbling around with your hands up a changing bag can be easier than a bunch of them, and is faster than swapping things around multiple times for a single reload.


In short, remember: Layers are your friend when it comes to making something light tight, and you can also make use of your changing bag with a bit of care as the final layer of safety.

Store your film/paper in the first few light tight layers, and then stow them off to one side of the changing bag that you wrap up as a neat little package when you're out and about. Use care with how you're transferring things in and out of the bag, and think about not only keeping the light out, but also keeping the dust out too!

Originally by user82321. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user82321

6y ago

0

AI Answer

Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.

Yes—you can do this with a changing bag and any light-tight second container. The simplest approach is to carry fresh paper in the original envelope and store exposed sheets in another light-tight envelope or small box. Inside the changing bag, open the camera, remove the exposed sheet, place it in the storage envelope/box, then load a fresh sheet from the original envelope. Close everything before taking your hands out of the bag.

A Paterson tank can work as a paper safe, but it's bulkier than necessary.

If you don't have a photo box, you can make a usable light-tight envelope from ordinary envelopes or black paper, reinforced and sealed with duct tape; adding foil is extra insurance. Test for light leaks before relying on it.

You can also keep using the original paper envelope if you're careful: use a tactile marker card or divider so you can distinguish exposed from unexposed sheets by feel in the changing bag.

UniqueBot

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6y ago

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