Film shows ghost of film stored together

[Jay Staton]

After I expose film, I store it in an empty box of film before I develop it. There can be as much as a week before I get back home to develop it. After I develop the film, I occasionally get a ghost image of one negative on the other.(not both ways) It doesn't matter if it is b&w or slide. What could be causing this major problem? Humidity, or keeping box of exposed film in fridge, then removing it just long enough to put more exposed film in it.

Thanks before hand for your help.

Jay

[Eric Biggerstaff]

Perhaps a slight light leak in the boxes? I use Ilford film and like you, use the empty boxes to store film, but, I also use the little black bag they use inside the film box just to make sure that I mitigate the risk of light leaks as much as possible. Just a thought.

[paulr]

So you're getting a ghost image of the latent image of neg transfering to another?
If I read that right, it's the damndest thing I've heard of in a long time.
Absolutely no idea. I've stored unprocessed film piled into a box for over a year (yeah, i know ... slacker ...) but have never seen this.

[John Berry ( Roadkill )]

This is the first I've ever heard of this also. If this only happens every once in a while the only thing I can think of is you might have emulsion to emulsion once in a while.

[John Cook]

My Porsche mechanic would say that this, along with most every other world problem, must be the result of "carbon on the valves".

An old friend in Hollywood used to blame every such photographic anomaly on "bromide drag".

But then, he always believed that drag racing was where all the drivers wore dresses. So who knows?

[James E Galvin]

This could happen in tray developement, if two sheets are emulsion to emulsion, and stay together for a good part of the developement. The developer will exhaust in the highlights of one neg, decreasing the developement in that area of the other neg. I think all of the negs facing the same way in the tray would cure it.

[Richard Schlesinger]

I would vote for the refrigerator. Why store the film there? If you are shooting B&W there seems no reason for the refrigerator and usually they are quite humid places. I have never ever heardof B&W film being bothered by short term adverse storage conditions. Bought some color years and years ago in Death Valley that had sat up there awhile and it was bad. But B&W is very stable stuff.

[Ralph Barker]

You didn't mention what you were photographing, Jay. If you're doing work inside an atomic reactor, I suppose you might be capturing some "heavy photons" that are migrating from one sheet to another (top to bottom, of course). ;-)

Otherwise, there is no image at the storage stage to transfer - only the latent image. Thus, I think Jim Galvin might have come up with the answer.

[Brian C. Miller]

I vote for Jim's answer, too. I develop my 4x5s either singly in a tray, or else using film holders, so I never have anything touching during development. And of course roll film goes in a spool so it never touches.

I've had exposed film stored in the fridge for a very long time, too, with no ill effect. So the fridge isn't it. (for some reason my fridges have been very dry, not humid at all)

Otherwise, this is something for Coast to Coast AM, along with chupacabras, alien abductions, and top-secret black-budget government experiments.

[Paul Moshay]

Jay, The clue you give, removing the film box from the fridge to add more film, would let moisture condense on the films. No matter how dry the inside of the fridge is, the cold film will condense moisture in the air, unless you are in Phoenix, AZ this week, and perhaps the moisture can somehow cause the effect you discuss.

[Donald Qualls]

I agree -- condensation. This can cause ghost imaging as follows: when two film sheets are stored together, the base side gelatin coating (anti-curl coat, anti-halation carrier, retouching surface) of one is in contact with the sensitive side of the other. Dampness can carry extremely tiny quantities of halide (the stuff isn't completely insoluble, though the solubility is very, very low), and can even transfer a very thin layer of sensitized gelatin -- which, in the case of an exposed sheet, will also transfer a very, very faint latent image (likely only visible in a region of even, low density -- like a sky). A similar mechanism, transport of chemicals from printing inks, is most likely responsible for occasional roll film images I've seen where the next or previous frame's backing paper markings are imprinted on the image; in this case, chemicals may inhibit or enhance development or may partially bleach the latent image.

[Jay Staton]

Thanks for all your suggestions. I develop in a rotary tank, so sheets don't touch. Possibly the humidity going in then out of my fridge is doing it. Or the humidity in south Florida, 96% does it. I am sure I have stored some sheets emulsion to emulsion before. And I haven't been in any reactors...... lately.

Thanks to everyone.

Jay