Never leave a roll behind…

In June of 2023, I set off on a two-week trip to Scotland. For weeks before I left, I agonized over what to bring, as we were trying to travel light. In the end, I decided on my Nikon FE, with a 50mm f1.8 AI and two favorite Nikon Series E lenses, the 35 f2.5 and wonderful 75-150 f3.5.  I also packed an Olympus XA rangefinder pocket camera for the lighter days, a Sony RX10 II for when I was feeling digital, and an RX100 IV, just in case.

Having never been to Scotland and picturing grey days and lots of rain, I packed 10 rolls of 200 and 400 speed color and black and white film, to be ready for what i feared might less than ideal light. Stocks included Kodak ColorPlus and Ultramax, my last rolls of Japanese Fuji Superia, Kentmere B&W and an ancient roll of my beloved Supra 400 from the freezer.

My concern about the weather was unfounded, however: it was bright and sunny every day. The rain gear we’d packed never even came out of the suitcase. I could have taken Ektar, ProImage 100 and FP4 and had no issues.

Our fellow travelers were experienced Scot-o-philes, having visited a number of times. They planned an itinerary that took us through Sterling, Glencoe, the Isle of Skye, Inverness, the Cairngorms, Stonehaven and finally to Edinburgh.  Over the course of two weeks, the photographic opportunities were many, and i took advantage of the light and rugged beauty of the country as often as I could.

And the kit I brought proved ideal. I’m an aperture-priority shooter, having been introduced to SLR photography many moons ago with my brother’s Nikon EM. Since then, AV is my go-to, even with all my digital gear. My lens selections never left me feeling like I’d mistakenly left something home.

By the time we reached our final destination — Edinburgh —  I had run through eight rolls of film and nearly half a 64G SD card. I had enjoyed shooting the FE and was looking forward to processing it all when I returned home.

Edinburgh would prove yet another photographic wonderland. (See James Tocchio’s 2024 article on Casual Photophile about Fujifilm’s Edinburgh Photo Trail — wish he’d published it before I went!) Camera(s) in hand, we toured the Castle, the Royal Mile and Haymarket on our way to the remarkable National Museum of Scotland.

For my American compatriots, imagine the entire Smithsonian in one building. The National Museum of Scotland is among the most complete and diverse museums I’ve ever visited. The photographic opportunities were many, and I finished my last two rolls in the museum and its surroundings.

As we packed to return home the next day, I checked my film bag before putting it in the outside pocket of my backpack so I could easily pull it out at the airport. After shooting all that film, I wanted to be ready for the hand check at security.  I counted the rolls…I’d come with 10, and now there were only nine! When — and where — had I lost one along the way?

My mind raced as I checked all the pockets of my camera bags and backpack. No roll there. I moved from room to room in our AirBnB — the place was a film-free zone. I asked my wife and friends if I had given them a roll to hold. Nope. I racked my brain…where could that elusive roll be?

Then it occurred to me — in the industrial section of the National Museum, at the base of a locomotive display, I had changed rolls. I had set the finished roll down on the display base, reloaded my camera and moved on. Had I left it there? And if I had, how would I ever get it back?

I considered running back to the museum to check, but we had no time go back as were on a tight schedule to get to the airport. On a longshot, I pulled out my travel Macbook Air and fired off an e-mail to the general info e-mail address for the National Museum:

Subject: Lost Roll of Film June 15

Greetings!

I had a wonderful experience visiting the National Museum of Scotland yesterday (Thursday, 15 June); while there, I believe I left a roll of exposed 35mm film; it was a roll of Kodak 400, 24 exposure.  If memory serves, it was in the Scotland wing, near the large locomotive. 

Is it possible that someone found it and turned it in? And if so, is there a way I can get it back, as it contains my images from Edinburgh?

I am unable to return to the museum before leaving for the U.S. this morning. I would be happy to reimburse any costs for doing so.

With hope,

Mike Riess

Not holding much hope, I closed my Macbook, gathered my bags and left for the airport. I was sure I’d never see that roll again.

When I got home, I had my local camera shop do the processing and initial scans of the rolls that did make it back. I usually process my own film, but with these once-in-a-lifetime shots, I didn’t want to mess anything up. I was pleased with what I was seeing, with most of the images shot on film looking great. There was the one roll that was partially underexposed (forgot to reset the film speed) and the roll of long-expired (yet frozen) Supra with some really funky colors (that’s for another time) but otherwise the FE had proven to be the right choice.

A week went by, and I hadn’t heard anything from the museum. I was beginning to think that a huge museum like the National Museum of Scotland wouldn’t have time to go looking for a single lost roll of film. In my mind, the roll had been scooped up by the cleaning crew and was in a dumpster somewhere.  After two weeks of constantly checking my inbox, only to have nothing from the museum, I was crushed. I was certain the roll was lost forever.

As I was about to give up, I noticed a “1” next to the Junk folder on my e-mail client. I clicked on it and found this e-mail…from the National Museum…dated the day after I’d reached out to them!

Good morning Mike,

I’m glad you had a great visit to our museum yesterday and I just wanted to let you know that we found your film. A roll of Kodak 400 film in a clear plastic case. 

We would love to reunite you with your film. When you arrive back home please send a self-addressed envelope with the postage on it paid to:                             

Visitor Experience
National Museum of Scotland
Chambers Street
Edinburgh
Scotland
EH1 1JF

And we will send it back to you.

If you have any questions or if we can help with anything else, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Kind regards,
Daniel
Visitor Experience Team Leader
National Museums of Scotland

I was astounded! They had responded the very next day to say they’d found it — right where I’d left it — and were ready to “reunite me with my film!” I had been ready to give up; if I hadn’t checked the spam filter, this would have been the end of the story.

The only wrinkle — how does one prepare a self-addressed envelope for something coming to the U.S. from the U.K.? Several Google searches and a dizzying trip through the royalmail.co.uk website resulted in the proper labels, and off went my padded envelope to the Royal Museum.

Two weeks later, the envelope containing my lost roll of Ultramax 400 arrived, safe and sound. As I was eager to see what I had saved, it was straight to the basement for processing in Cinestill’s CS41.

And I’m so glad I got it back. One of the things I love about the FE is that, unlike later Nikons, you don’t need to wait until you reach “1” to have the meter work and start shooting, I regularly get at least 25 shots on a 24 exposure roll.

Among the 26 (!) shots on the rescued roll were images of the Greyfriars Bobby statue outside the pub of the same name, taken expressly for my wife who manages a conference center called Greyfriars for her firm. As Greyfriars is right across the street from the museum, these shots were among the last ones on the roll. Also on the roll were shots from the Castle, the Royal Mile and our temporary lodgings in Ramsay Garden. The last two were close ups of machinery in the Royal Museum, just before I changed the roll.

I’m thankful for the kind folks in Visitor Experience at the National Museum. Our visit there had been a highlight of the trip — and the staff’s understanding about the importance of a roll of film and their help in getting it back to me in the ‘States was invaluable.

And it taught me a valuable lesson — pay attention when changing rolls, and never leave a roll behind!

This is my first article for 35mmc — it’s an honor to be featured, and I hope to share more soon. See some of my earlier writings at www.riessography.com

All images shot with Nikon FE on Kodak Ultramax 400, processed in Cinestill CS-41 and scanned on an Epson V550.  Lenses included Nikkor 50 mm f1.8 AI, Nikon 35mm f2.5 Series E and Nikon 75-150mm F3.5 Series E.

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