The balance of information in the darkroom

[Tom Kershaw]

Inspired by a comment from 'Dave' I wonder how much information we record for prints in the darkroom? - After a few years of darkroom work I've somewhat settled on making notes on date, developer used, special techniques, toning, process observations etc. for a print session but have stopped recording the finest details, apart from in rough, e.g. exact ranges of test strips, whether the paper received 3 minutes or 2 min 45 sec development etc... as too much information seems to confuse the "creative process".

Tom

[TonyMiller]

I went down the route of designing a spreadsheet with all the info on and, like you, found too much info was getting in the way. Just last week I went back to keeping an A4 notebook with a few simple notes - date, neg reference, enlarger lens and times and grades. That's about it.

[Richard Gould]

I tend to write a note of the base exposure, stop, grade and any burning in,and dodgeing, but I tend to lose them, and if \i come back to a print I prefer to start again,Richard

[MarkWalker]

My darkroom note taking works on about 3 levels.

I find that if I make a note of some procedure I can recall it, like the act of writing reinforces my memory. So, I end up with a pile of notes after a few months which I skim through and then throw away 90% of: if anything is worth keeping I put it in a small Moleskine notebook - these being durable and nice to have. So, I don't keep any ordered records.
On the other hand, on a more immediately practical level I jot down printing times for use in one or more sessions, particularly if I make more than one test strip in a session and when the same film extends to more sessions' or else I can't recall different times at different grades. For some prints I will sketch an exposure sequence, i.e. the burning and dodging, more for help in the interpretation of a negative than the hard data.
The final type of information I record is when I am experimenting with something different and making comparisons: for example, with a new enlarger lens, developer or paper. I record the immediate details onto the print when squeeged with chinagraph.
Pretty haphazard, but I find it works ok. If I was a professional printer working with clients negatives doubtless I would be keeping a proper darkroom log.

Finally I don't think I would want to keep individual print records as there are so many variables through time and, importantly, because it may, for me, restrict the creative process of re-visiting a negative.

[Jon Butler]

Tom an interesting point you said about confusing the creative process, I would say it subdues creativity.

I make no notes/records of any print I make preferring to look at a negative I like and wish to reprint with fresh eyes.
There are so many techniques that can be explored when producing a fine print it seem a shame to just try and duplicate the original one.
JON.

[PavelDerka]

In the process of trying to quantify all the variables as we are learning this craft we try to write things down. I can see that after much experience it may get in the way of the zen that may be there for some - but I'm far, far from that state still.