Organizing negatives

[ahelg]

Just wondering if anyone can recommend how to organize my negatives and pictures. I've only developed four roles of film so far so I would like to get a system for it as soon as possible. All the films are in some sort of plastic page and they are cut in lines of six. I have index prints of all four roles of film.

 

[Big Mike]

If you plan on looking/searching through them...I think the best way would be to put them into clear plastic binder sleeves. That way you could flip though them, take the page out and look at them quickly.

I don't have a system yet...I simply keep the negatives with the prints in the envelope or box that they came in from the lab.

 

[Corry]

If you plan on looking/searching through them...I think the best way would be to put them into clear plastic binder sleeves. That way you could flip though them, take the page out and look at them quickly.

I don't have a system yet...I simply keep the negatives with the prints in the envelope or box that they came in from the lab.

Yeah, I've been saying I'm gonna get mine organized, too, but mine are also still kept in the envelope from the lab. And I have boxes upon boxes of envelopes!!!! It's insane how much I have.

 

[ahelg]

I want to try and get a system before it's to late.

 

[green]

the easiest system i think, is to have a binder full of the negative sleeves. I give each sleeve a code... usually a letter (a,b,c, and once you get past the regulars start into aa, ab, ab etc) then i put the same code on the back of the photo together with the negative number. that way, if i feel like it i can sort the prints by theme, or by which i think are good and usable, and not have to worry about never finding the negative. they're all in the same binder, completely organized.

also... I put the date on the negative sleeve, that way if i need to know when i took something, I can look back at that.

 

[Corry]

the easiest system i think, is to have a binder full of the negative sleeves. I give each sleeve a code... usually a letter (a,b,c, and once you get past the regulars start into aa, ab, ab etc) then i put the same code on the back of the photo together with the negative number. that way, if i feel like it i can sort the prints by theme, or by which i think are good and usable, and not have to worry about never finding the negative. they're all in the same binder, completely organized.

also... I put the date on the negative sleeve, that way if i need to know when i took something, I can look back at that.

Sounds like a great system to me!

 

[ahelg]

I think that is what I shall do.

 

[Jovian]

I have binders, upon binders of negative sleeves... even with them in binders, sometimes it's hard to find what you want, when you want it. Not impossible, just hard sometimes. It's hard to find that "perfect" system, and to follow it all the time as well.

 

[fadingaway1986]

Maybe you should number your binder book too?

So you could have binder #1, #2, Etc... Then with the photo you can write

B#1, aa, 21a

Etc.. (Binder, Film Number, Negative Number)

I don't really have a system...

I basically write the number of the twin check on the outside of the envelope, and also on the back of the negative... and I think I put it with the photo too...

And then with the photo, I put the negative number (ie: 21A)

so if the twin check was 7726, and the negative was 21A, I would put "7726/21A"

And on the back of the index prints, I write

Subject
Date taken
Type of film

Twin Check number
Negative number


then i store the index print at the back of the album...

And my negatives are all just in their envelopes in a tin.