Strange Stuff on Film

[Paul Mongillo]

I have just returned from the sunny and warm SE corner of Oregon shooting my new Phillips 4X5. However, I got a few strange images on 3 of my negatives that I have not encountered before. One image is about 1/4 inch across. In the center it is a flattened circle. There are about 20 little legs surrounding it. Looks like an alien sea anemone. The sun was behind me and to the left. The other imag e (not in the same place on the negative or with the same lens) looks like a sma ll twig about 3/8 in long hovering in the sky. The sun was behind me and to the right. The final image is about 1/16 in diameter and is shaped like and egg. I t is darker than the sky where it is found and has a focused bright corona aroun d it. The light was coming directly from my left. I always shade my lens with my hat or whatever is available. All three were shot with Cokin filters on Tri- x. I haven't seen discussion of my first two images here yet. The last sounds like something pretty close to the film. Any suggestions ?

[Sean Billy Bob Boy yates]

The first one sounds like pollen

[Paul Mongillo]

That actually crossed my mind, but where would it have been to be focused ? This was not the classic dust on the negative during exposure deal. These are images.

[Ellis Vener]

Could it have been a reflection off the back side of the Cokin flter, a kind of bounced flare? The other thought that occurs to me is that it is pinhole in the bellows.

[Ron Shaw]

I have found that its easy to get reflectiond from the backside of Cokin filters (and others that have a similar type of mount), as Ellis suggested. The one with the 20 little legs sounds a lot like the diffraction spikes you would get from a bright object (or reflection). Oh, those pesky UFOs, always screwing up our LF chromes!

[Paul Schilliger]

Yes, should contact the UFOs control departement!

[tom Barrett]

How old was the film? How was it stored? Maybe fungus on the film??? In Georgia it can happen.

[tom Barrett]

could also be from reticulation(sp). Are all ofyour chemicals the same temp? Have you allowed for your film to become at least room temp?

[steve_530]

Go to www.roswellrods.com.