I'm Baffled—Film Problem

[Richard Wasserman]

I'm having a problem that I can't figure out. I am using TMY-2 developed in Pyrocat (if that matters). About 20% of my negatives have an area of lower density in the same place, although the size varies a bit. As you can see, it is very sharply delineated, and looks to me as if the film was somehow masked when it was exposed. This has happened with several film holders and in 2 different cameras. I did fly with this film, could it be X-ray damage from carry-on scanners? It was scanned 4 times. All ideas welcome!

[Jim Michael]

The x-ray damage I've seen gave an overall density cast to the film. Besides, the area affected is lower density in your film, not higher. Have you looked inside your camera to see if something is blocking some of the light?

[Richard Wasserman]

The x-ray damage I've seen gave an overall density cast to the film. Besides, the area affected is lower density in your film, not higher. Have you looked inside your camera to see if something is blocking some of the light?

That's what I thought too in regards to x-rays. It has happened in 2 different cameras and looks exactly the same in both.

Bad batch of film?

[Gary Beasley]

It might be xrays. The lighter area might have been blocked by a denser object while being scanned. Do you have anything you carry with the film shaped like that?

[Ken Lee]

If the film were exposed by xray, but shielded in one spot, then there should be radiation on the film edge too. If the film edges are clear, then whatever happened, took place when the film in the holder.

Try developing an unexposed sheet. That will tell you if the problem is with the film, or your equipment.

[Joe Smigiel]

Any chance a darkslide was laying on the film when it was being loaded into the holders or before processing? The shape of the darker area looks like the lower part of a darkslide to me. Do you place something (like a darkslide) between sheets of film in the darkroom while you load a processor or stagger development of various sheets? Maybe the lighter area is from a fogging exposure in the darkroom that kicked the film above its threshold while part was shielded.

[Bill Burk]

It might be xrays. The lighter area might have been blocked by a denser object while being scanned. Do you have anything you carry with the film shaped like that?

This looks possible. Was a cell-phone or iPod laying on the film box in the luggage? Because it's sharp it was probably just one bad scan, not an accumulation. Were you also carrying loaded film in holders - and did the 'first' shots of the trip come out fine?

[Richard Wasserman]

Any chance a darkslide was laying on the film when it was being loaded into the holders or before processing? The shape of the darker area looks like the lower part of a darkslide to me. Do you place something (like a darkslide) between sheets of film in the darkroom while you load a processor or stagger development of various sheets? Maybe the lighter area is from a fogging exposure in the darkroom that kicked the film above its threshold while part was shielded.

Joe,

I think you may have hit upon the problem. It occurred to me that the affected area is the same shape as the dividers in my slosher tray. I went down to my darkroom and discovered that a vent was open in a through the wall air conditioner. The vent not only let in fresh air, but a fair amount of light that then bounced off the ceiling. I closed the vent.... I also found a few pinhole leaks that I sealed. I am fairly new to TMY-2 and have never had a problem with FP-4, which is no surprise given its slower speed and much different reciprocity characteristics. I'll know more when I develop some film, but I'm feeling confident that the the problem is solved—it certainly makes sense to me at least. Thanks!

[Frank Petronio]

Guess it is nice to know that film is so forgiving! Even with the fog the negative looks nicely printable.

[Stephen Benskin]

I don't think x-rays fog evenly, and the sky is very even.

Check the film edges for fog. If they are clear, then it's fogging when the film is in the holder, if not then it happened when the film was out of the holders.

The area has a perimeter that is very smooth and well defined suggesting something was very close to the film. It looks too small to be a dark slide. If something was sitting on a stack of film, there should be a flaring out of the perimeter the further down in the box the sheet film sat. The degree of flare should also tapper off.

Another possibility is a light leak in the dark room. Is this happening more with the first sheets taken out for processing? How are they processed? Is there some kind of flap in the processing film holders or anything else that could be blocking the light from the lower section as they sit out waiting to be developed or even while being developed?

[Jim Michael]

... discovered that a vent was open in a through the wall air conditioner. The vent not only let in fresh air, but a fair amount of light that then bounced off the ceiling.

Reminds me of a customer once who had fogged film. I asked him if it was dark when he removed the film. He said "Yes, I could hardly see a thing." Glad you found the source of your problem.

[Bill Burk]

Glad you solved your problem.

The birds on top of the marquee add a nice touch.

[Richard Wasserman]

Guess it is nice to know that film is so forgiving! Even with the fog the negative looks nicely printable.

The film really doesn't look fogged. I think it's more like it's been flashed, and I suppose if anything the shadows got a bit of a boost. They print easily.