organizing my negatives | film photography tip

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[@WillemVerb]

Happy Birthday Matt!!!!

[@mattdayphoto]

LOVE BROTHER

[@chadroberts44]

I just turned 51 and I'm blown away by it. I still feel like I'm 21. I remember turning 31 and 41 but its just a blur. Keep up the good work. I always enjoy your videos.

[@x100ed]

Happy Birthday Matt, thanks for the non stop, quality content, for sharing your life, family and work with us all.

[@mattdayphoto]

Truly appreciate that. ❤️

[@profHankin]

I do the same but I also number my PrintFile sleeves and then document that info in a Notion database. This speeds up the process when I need to find something specific. And "happy birthday!!" Watching at work - Bellevue Nebraska.

[@mattdayphoto]

Man, I hear people use Notion for so many things and as an organization/note taking nerd, I cannot figure out why I can't wrap my mind around it and how it all works. Haha. Thanks!

[@jw48335]

@@mattdayphoto I recommend Microsoft To Do instead of Notion - way simpler. I created a new Microsoft ID just for film. Then each project is a to-do list, and each roll of film is a task under that list. Every roll gets a 4 or 5 digit unique number I bake in as the task name. That number goes into the scan names too, and on the print file sleeves. The above gives me access to the info from any device or computer, and I can look up info super easy right from the file name. Great video!

[@tonyhayes9827]

Man I'm delving back through my negs. to the 1980's! I file them the same way you do, cant think of a better way. Scanning them all on the Nikon E-S 2 film scanner attached to the camera body. This means the film plane and sensor plain are automatically aligned parallel which makes life simple. Its a lot of fun and then developing scanned negs on the computer is very satisfying. Film still has something I cant get in digital. Not better or worse just different. Happy birthday.

[@mattdayphoto]

I've seen those Nikon kits, I love how simple that is! Totally with you too. Not better or worse, just different. A different language. Thanks!

[@timothylarson3558]

Happy Birthday, Matt!! Thanks for all you do in the film community and beyond!

[@mattdayphoto]

Thank you!

[@benjaminneoh]

Love the new bright, light and updated vibe of the home content, Matt.

[@mattdayphoto]

Thank you! It feels good to be home and working this way.

[@ExplodingWhale21]

Happy Birthday Matt!! Thanks for the genuine and inspirational content!

[@mattdayphoto]

Thank you!

[@davide9410]

Happy birthday Matt! You're an inspiration to all of us ! :)

[@mattdayphoto]

Thank you!

[@RYANPARKPHOTOGRAPHY]

thanks for sharing and Happy birthday Matt!!!!!

[@mattdayphoto]

Thank you!

[@Adrian99Diaz]

Great video! I really need to start archiving my film properly

[@jacobhouseman5776]

Happy Birthday Matt! I’ve found for me, I have 1 archival day at the end of the month. I develop about twice a week, printfile the negatives in no order in particular and throw it in my “monthly” binder. Towards the end of the month, I spend a whole day scanning and organizing, then put the negatives in their forever home. Works best for me, and mentally cuts down time on those days I’m developing.

[@mattdayphoto]

Love that. I've started to fall into this sort of routine myself now that I'm doing all of my developing and scanning at home again.

[@CalumetVideo]

Happy B-day Matt! You rock with your videos.

[@mattdayphoto]

Thank you!

[@filipposgeragidis3993]

This is such a brilliant, refreshing video! It seems like taking a break has breathed new energy into you, which is not always the case with creative work. Enjoy your birthday and the now 31 years of wisdom you've amassed - we sure do!

[@mattdayphoto]

I truly appreciate you saying that. Working from home and taking a healthier approach to my work and job has made all of the difference, especially when I needed it so badly. Thank you for the kind words and the support. ❤️

[@filipposgeragidis3993]

We all appreciate your work and efforts more than we express. Keep going, you’ve got this!

[@seijiurano5791]

Happy Birthday! Matt you are someone I lookup to when it comes to shooting film but also when it comes to photography in general. Tokyo, Japan

[@mattdayphoto]

Thank you so much!

[@federicodecuadro5672]

Happy B-Day Matt!

[@mattdayphoto]

Thank you!

[@shawnmiller4440]

I love the little PhotoMemo books from Mike Padua; they've been a huge help with tracking photo dates and subjects, especially 4x5 where I take extra notes on exposure, filters, etc. Each roll gets sleeved and gets a chronological tracking number with the year and number roll it is for the year, like #21-01, and put in those same archival boxes. I haven't done tracking numbers for the 4x5 since the number of sheets varies on what I shoot and is lower volume than roll film, but they all still get labeled with date and subject and #/# of pages in each shoot. Dates and roll numbers also get added to Lightroom metadata so I can easily pull the box I need if I find something in the scanned archive to pull again for wet prints or rescans. I wish I had the system earlier, all my stuff from 2000 to 2015 is a bit more loose on dates. Happy birthday!

[@mattdayphoto]

Love that! Mike is the best. Thanks Shawn!

[@scottpurdin2452]

Watching during lunch at work.

[@randyreitenauer]

Happy B'day! (and, I was watching on a TV, while using a rowing machine.)

[@amandafromjovem]

Happy birthday matt!

[@mattdayphoto]

Thank you!

[@BIbiVstf3sx]

Happy bday! Omg the negatives are just pilling up ... need to do this

[@mattdayphoto]

Thank you! And good luck!

[@Emman_Patts]

Happy birthday Matt!

[@mattdayphoto]

Thank you!

[@travisfellows]

I'm watching from Richmond, Virginia. I love everything you put out. Happy birthday Matt!

[@mattdayphoto]

Thank you!

[@duncanwatson7858]

Happy Birthday Matt. I was still watching.....on my lunch, at work!

[@mattdayphoto]

Thank you!

[@BillEvans1956]

Very helpful. I have so many 35mm negatives and slides which need to be catalogued.

[@RDtractor]

Happy Birthday! Love seeing the old photos, I'm watching at home from Adelaide South Australia

[@mattdayphoto]

Thank you!

[@theoldcameraguy]

PrintFile sleeves are my go-to. There’s still not a perfect option for 10 6x7 shots, but I make it work. I definitely need to upgrade my binders. Happy Birthday!

[@mattdayphoto]

Ah, I know. I love a nice 6x6 contact sheet but the 6x7, that poor 10th frame. Haha.Thanks!

[@stevenmeyer-rassow8551]

I’m still watching. 😉 sat on my sofa in Oxford, UK. Love the channel & all the best!

[@mattdayphoto]

Thank you!

[@eddie_g]

Can’t wait to dig into this process for myself. I headed your advice on Lightroom catalogs and it’s been a gargantuan help.

[@mattdayphoto]

Love to hear that! I think more people could benefit from dividing up their catalogs into respective projects or bodies of work.

[@AREKU]

Happy Birthday Matt! Great video, I love hearing about other peoples systems for organising :-D

[@mattdayphoto]

Thank you!

[@thefilmhound]

Matt! Jonathon Kohn here… it was such a pleasure watching this and even seeing old shots you shared to Facebook years ago. Glad you got around to protecting it all ;)

[@BenThayorath]

love this video, thank you

[@alanholzmanphoto]

Thanks for another helpful video Matt. I'd love to see a video on how you store and back up your digital photos.

[@mattdayphoto]

Thanks Alan!

[@aaronoverstreet1436]

Happy birthday Matt! I was still watching at the end! I'm watching from a small town called Mount Compass in South Australia. I've just had eggs on toast for breakfast and I'm currently making a second cup of tea. My nearly three year old is munching on a pear and watching Thomas and Friends, although he's already eaten a bowl of rice bubbles and half of his mum's toast and has played outside in the yard. A well deserved tv break! I'm off to work soon, I'm a primary school educator. This weekend I'll be processing photos from my wife's school's performing arts showcase- the stage lighting was shocking! I've been around since that early Leica M6 video, but rarely comment. I regret that because I feel as though I have a kind of personal connection with you, though it's one way. I'm sure many others feel the same. You've created something interesting and I think special here, and it's not about gear. And speaking of gear, my negatives are a mess!

[@mattdayphoto]

Thank you for sharing this, Aaron! This sounds like such a beautiful life. I'm truly thankful for your support all these years.This comment made my morning. Hope you and your family enjoy the holiday and new year!

[@LieutenantLights]

Happy birthday Matt! Those bestler archival folders look amazing. I keep my binder of film wrapped up in a garbage bag. Your way looks nicer. Thank you so much for doing this video. I like the gore

[@mattdayphoto]

Thank you!

[@nadiathomas1137]

Yes, still watching ! I’m currently in a station called Gare de l’Est in Paris, France. I’m waiting for my train 😊

[@mattdayphoto]

Thank you!

[@naslime_snaps]

Don’t worry Matt, your age is still in the calendar. 😉 Awesome photo of you at 21. All the best for you and your family. Thank you for all the knowledge and inspiration you’ve shared to all of us. Happy birthday!

[@mattdayphoto]

Thank you!

[@twwtb]

I just inherited all of the family photos going back into the 1920s. They came from a few different places and are all mixed up. A lot of my dad's 6x6 negatives from the 1960s were cut into two frame strips. I don't think anybody makes sleeves for those. I'd be glad to know if they do. You say it's your birthday. Happy birthday to you! I can scarcely remember when I was 31. Yes, I'm still watching. My office on the second floor of my house, surrounded by desks, tables and computers. Orange County CA (Nick Carverland)

[@andrewhawkins6454]

Penblwydd Hapus. ( Happy Birthday ) from Wales. Hope you have a fabulous day. Nice interesting video again Matt. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿👍

[@mattdayphoto]

Thank you!

[@EssexCountyPhoto]

Great tips tank you. I still have negatives from the 1990's. Some from Easter Island taken at the time with a cheap "waterproof" rugged camera, Canon I think... I'd love to save them digitally but I'm not sure if I really need a Plustek type scanner, or if I should buy a decent macro lens for my Canon 6D Mk2... Anyway, keep up the good work. And Happy Birthday! (I'm watching this video tucked up in bed with a working cocker snoring VERY loudly in my left ear! 😂 ... but I love her...)

[@justinconnaher8868]

Happy birthday Matt. Eagle River, Alaska.

[@mattdayphoto]

Thank you!

[@boristrouserkov]

Thanks Matt, watching from North Wales, UK Loving the binders - off to buy !

[@mattdayphoto]

Thank you!

[@cameronwilson8561]

Yep, I’m much the same. I always write as a minimum. A brief description (less than 10 words,) the date I developed, the camera I used. And maybe an extra note if I pushed or pulled the film.

[@shlotchky]

watching at my desk while im waiting for some stuff to finish running for work

[@jackyleecs]

I file by chronological order too. I keep a record of the date and content of the negatives in an EXCEL sheet which I placed on the cloud. I feel that doing that is sufficient for me. For storage, I slot the negatives into Print File archival storage page. I used to then keep them in Best File archival ring binders which is like a box when closed. However, as the number of negatives increases over time, I find the negatives get squeezed by the metal rings when I close the binder. It was due to the metal rings being located on the spine of the binder rather than the base. Eventually I switched to Print File ring binders which solved that problem.

[@michaelcarnevale3250]

Happy birthday dude!

[@mattdayphoto]

Thank you!

[@thetattooedmamaoftwo4274]

Edmonds, Wa - here! Happy Birthday BTW!

[@mattdayphoto]

Thank you!

[@utgbanduk]

Happy Birthday, Matt. Hope 31 treats you well!

[@mattdayphoto]

Thank you!

[@vitalisneufeld]

Happy Birthday Matt! I'm planing to do the same during the Christmas time so your video comes super handy :) ah.. from Berlin, Germany

[@mattdayphoto]

Thank you! Great time to catch up.

[@pasharaw]

Hey Matt! I'd like to mention that the tracting paper is better than plastic sleeves cuz of the lack of dust in between the paper and our negatives. They also don't stick to each other. Love your vidz!

[@mattdayphoto]

Thank you for the heads up! I'll look into this.

[@carstenlueter2250]

Happy Birthday Matt! Even if many of your negatives did only get short attention in the past to the effect that you almost forgot about them, they may proove worthwhile in the future. This is how one of your all time favorite photographers Elliott Erwitt compiled his latest volume "Found not Lost".

[@mattdayphoto]

Great book!

[@carstenlueter2250]

@@mattdayphoto Indeed!

[@yearswithoutsleep]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY🎉🎉🎉

[@mattdayphoto]

Thank you!

[@samhardy2038]

The white cat with it’s pink ears against the white and pink fabric is great. Happy birthday!

[@mattdayphoto]

Thank you!

[@brianeewei8750]

Happy Birthday!!!!

[@mattdayphoto]

Thank you!

[@BenRipleyPhoto]

Thanks Matt, really useful. I kinda archive the same way but I’m always looking for ways to improve the system! Beautiful photo of you and Molly in the mirror btw 🙌 And as you asked I’m watching the video in my chair at home, here in cold and wintry England. It’s just got dark (really early now) but I was out shooting some B&W 35mm this afternoon so it’s all good!

[@mattdayphoto]

Thanks so much, Ben!

[@johnmusgrave9356]

Watched the video in my lounge in Pudsey in the UK whilst thawing out... It's 4 celsius (39f) and I chose today to go back to shooting film for the first time this century(!) I bought myself a Yashica 635, loaded it with Ilford FP4 and went down to the local canal. Not expecting much but the way I see it I can only improve! Happy birthday by the way...

[@mattdayphoto]

Thank you!

[@mstrshkbrnnn1999]

Wow. As you were building up to the graphic photos somehow I knew they’d be skinned raccoons. I came across an exact same situation a few months back, except in the central district of Seattle! I was walking through a neighborhood, and when getting up to an intersection I noticed a torn black trash bag in the middle of the road with some animal looking thing hanging out of it. It was a skinned raccoon that was disemboweled and run over several times in the trash bag. It was so gruesome and disturbing.

[@ElleYew]

HBD! Yes, very similar approach to what you’re doing here. However, I typically add the month/year to the neg sleeve, as well as a pg number. From there, I’ll scan the entire neg sleeve a la “digital contact sheet” that gets stored in LR, where I make my selects. The selects then get hi-res scanned or printed in my darkroom. Essentially, my LR catalog is a digital copy of my neg binders (via contact sheets) so I know exactly where every frame is digitally or physically 😎

[@mattdayphoto]

Ohh, I do like that! That's a good tip.

[@mattdayphoto]

Also, thank you!

[@dannychun924]

Great video!! Up until now all of my negatives have been stored in a box :) (Watching from Atlanta GA)

[@mattdayphoto]

Thank you!

[@leafsfan71]

Happy Birthday!

[@mattdayphoto]

Thank you!

[@heygem]

Wow 31, so young and so accomplished! Happy birthday.

[@mattdayphoto]

Thank you!

[@norbertsteinkamp9380]

Happy Birthday Matt! As to your question at 8:15: I was just watching the video in the living room of my Berlin apartment, less than a mile away from the place where, almost 60 years ago, an American president told a crowd of Berliners that he's one too: a Berliner :-)

[@mattdayphoto]

Thank you! And thank you for sharing!

[@Dahrenhorst]

I have dozens of unmarked boxes with two also unmarked slide magazines each, probably two to three thousand framed slides from the 80s to 00s, when I switched to digital. The slides in one magazine are all from the same time period (usually a certain month of a certain year) but even to find out what year that was is sometimes not easy (when exactly do we have been in that town?). Now I'm starting to scan them all and by that I'm trying to re-sort them by time (estimated year and month) and tag them by motif (family/friends, portraits, landscape/architecture, animals/plants, documentary). This will take me a few months, I guess. With new pictures, I write on wraps the date I developed them (yyyy-mm-dd) and the camera body the film was shot with. I scan them all and additionally tag them by topic and/or motif on my computer. Greetings from Germany ...

[@Anthonylarz]

Hey Matt, what% of the time are you scanning your negatives yourself vs having the lab do the scan for you? Thanks!!!

[@mitchellhughes5180]

Look at Strawberry! I love her!😍😆

[@BenHeathcote]

Happy birthday! (Northumberland, UK)

[@mattdayphoto]

Thank you!

[@yoputito]

It might sound a bit weird, but every time I notice that the negatives stock is one the most valued treasures in someone's place, I know that that person has a sense of meaningful/beautiful objects that I totally love and respect.

[@mattdayphoto]

Totally get that.

[@besimai]

Happy birthday!

[@mattdayphoto]

Thank you!

[@BraeHunziker]

Happy bday father Day!

[@mattdayphoto]

Thank you, son.

[@Steve_and_Deb_Explore_the_USA]

Watching Wednesday evening in my family room on the Apple TV KZbin app. Happy belated birthday!! Trying to figure out what to do with our photos. A couple hundred 8mm movies back to my childhood in the ‘50s. Slides, my film photo preference from the ‘70s to 2005 when I mostly went digital. Plus prints from various point and shoot travel cameras. Color slides from my Dad’s youth in the ‘30s! Polaroid Swinger shots from the ‘70s. Oh, and our wedding on Betamax in 1981. 😁 I bought a slide scanner in the early ‘00s, but hated it. Dust and the film popping out of focus as they heated were impossible to work with. I’ve thought about hiring it done, but the movies and thousands and thousands of slides would be very expensive. Anyway, thanks for showing your method. It looks efficient and well organized.

[@mattdayphoto]

Oh wow, I can't even imagine the cost of sending all of that out to be scanned.. My guess is I'll be catching up on my archives for the rest of my life because it's never gonna stop growing. Haha. Thanks for watching!

[@JayGrapherTh]

great video tip on management does weather and temperature affect the life of the film? I live in thailand where it is humid and rather hot - so i wonder if the life of the developed film might change over time due to these weathers too?

[@thomasepping8637]

happy belated birthday!

[@mattdayphoto]

Thank you!

[@jimwlouavl]

Happy Birthday

[@horaciomillan4181]

Hello Matt, I’m watching your video at my bed after having some beers and pizza in La Plata, Argentina. Today was great cause I am learning to develop film, and made my second attempt. And now hearing Ravel’s Pavane before sleep. That’s intimate, isn’t it?🙂🙂📷💿

[@mattdayphoto]

Thank you! And congrats on learning how to develop!

[@crocato]

happy birthday 🎂

[@mattdayphoto]

Thank you!

[@morrisbagnall2690]

Happy birthday Matt. I'm late I think but time moves differently in the UK you know ;)

[@morrisbagnall2690]

Love the Mollypic.

[@mattdayphoto]

Thank you!

[@joelvideira5360]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! =]

[@mattdayphoto]

Thank you!

[@ZachStWard]

Little bröther 😂 Solid video man, good to see your face on here a bit more

[@mattdayphoto]

Thank you!

[@victoriaromero6472]

Curious to know about your light tablet?

[@AlexBuckMaurer]

Ay suggestion for storing full uncut rolls? I have a scanner that can take full rolls, so i would prefer to not cut my negatives. But i cant really figure out how to store them the best way.

[@mattdayphoto]

I would maybe roll them up and store in small plastic bags. You could bundle a decent amount together in each bag. Then maybe store those stacked in a box somewhere that is decently humidity controlled. Then you could just scan as little or as much as needed at a time.

[@watrobkasmaczna1]

Yeah, I think date is the key of archive both analog / digital ;)

[@6wop]

happy birthday ❤️

[@mattdayphoto]

Thank you!

[@pushingfilm]

In the kitchen while making lunch 😁

[@llavedia]

Mind blown, as I am watching this video just a week after I turned 31!! Happy birthday, even if it's a few months late hehehe Also, watching from Spain, and trying to find the Beseler Archival Binder here.. and can't seem to be available or any similar alternative :( i'll keep on searching as they seem like an awesome and protective solution!

[@Ziggys91]

thanks Matt, I was wondering how your digital (scanned) catalog is organized:)

[@mattdayphoto]

I'll be sharing more of that in a video soon!

[@ultra707]

What's the name of the podcast you have on in the background it looks interesting

[@mattdayphoto]

It was an episode from the Dead Meat Podcast where they talked about the Scream franchise, one of my favorites!

[@sam_pesto8943]

What camera do you use to make these videos? The link in your description doesn’t seem to work

[@mattdayphoto]

Leica SL2-S for this one! Sorry about that.

[@kelvinlau7467]

happy birthday! i am from Hong Kong.

[@mattdayphoto]

Thank you!

[@szabodaniel9447]

I simply throw away the negs I don’t like, sometimes I only keep a frame or two, other times the entire roll has to go. By the way, Henry Cartier Bresson did the same.

[@mattdayphoto]

Whatever works for you, nothing wrong with that.

[@benjamindejonge3624]

Congratulations

[@mattdayphoto]

Thank you!

[@sincerelyscotttt]

Did anyone ask what flannel that is? Bc it’s sick! Also happy birthday!

[@mattdayphoto]

Haha, it's from Huckberry, it's called a blanket flannel or something. Super comfortable. Thanks man!

[@horaciomillan4181]

By the way, happy birthday 🎊🎊🎊

[@mattdayphoto]

Thank you!

[@Phototrappeur]

Paris, France☺️

[@robertriley1991]

Your organizational skills makes me irrationally jealous. Anyways…Happy Birthday.

[@mattdayphoto]

Haha, thank you!

[@GabrieleBoscaratto]

you should print a label to rename the label maker to "little brother" :D

[@mattdayphoto]

ON IT!

[@andreatrifoglio8136]

Bologna, Italy

[@wichersham]

31!? I thought you are much older… A happy birth day!

[@mattdayphoto]

Thank you!

[@davidgz1156]

Why subtitles in korean? Lol. Great video, as always

[@mattdayphoto]

I genuinely have no idea why that was set that way. Haha. Thank you!

[@u2emotional4yt]

How to cherish plastic waste

[@jeffzanin5503]

Korean subtitle??? C'mon man!