THE PHOTOGRAPHIC EYE

camera or are being careless during
processing. It's a good idea to blow
and brush the camera's interior from
time to time. Be especially careful not
to load or unload film in a strong
dusty wind.
IN PROCESSING
If you're at all prone to anxiety, then
processing film is likely to be a
nightmare for you. All those precious
images sit soaking inside a little metal
or plastic tank. You can't see what's
going on and any mistake may result
in utter disaster. Rest assured that,
sooner or later, you will ruin a roll.
Try to accept it as a learning experience,
as your photographic dues.
It happens to all of us.
Streaks
The most common cause of streaking
in a negative is incorrect agitation.
If you agitate the film too little
during processing, you're likely to get
vertical streaks (running across each
frame) that line up with the sprocket
holes. If you agitate too much, you're
likely to get horizontal streaks (running
along the edge of the film
lengthwise). Both are caused by inconsistencies
in the rate at which
bromide in the developer is refreshed.
The solution is simple: once you
establish an agitation pattern that
works for you, stick to it.
If you are quite certain that you are
agitating the film correctly, you have
been using old or contaminated
chemicals. Replace them.
Polka Dots
If your film comes out of processing
looking like it has a bad case of
chicken pox, you probably are having
trouble with air bubbles. When an
air bubble attaches itself to the film,
it blocks out the developer. As a
result, the film under the bubble
doesn't develop. To avoid this,
remember to bang the developing
tank good and hard after each
agitation.
Fogging
If large patches of your negative, including
the narrow band between
frames, are cloudy (i.e. dark gray
even in the lightest areas), you almost
certainly have a light leak. Check out
your darkroom by closing the door
and turning off all the lights. After
three minutes, stretch your hand out.
You should not be able to see it. If
you can see it, try to find out where
the light is coming from. Look along
the edges of any doors and windows.
Check to see if any darkroom equipment
is glowing too brightly (indicator
lights on your enlarger timer?
a glowing radio dial?). Also examine
your processing tank to be sure it
hasn't developed any light leaks.
Have any portions of the light trap
inside the tank broken off? Is the
cover not sealing properly?
White Blotches
If your negative comes out looking
like irrefutable proof of UFOs, you
probably failed to load the film properly
onto the developing reel. If the
film is stuck together during loading,
it can produce an airtight seal which,
like air bubbles, prevents development.
Little crescent moons are
caused by bending the film. The only
solution is to be as careful as possible
when loading, and to practice
with blank rolls until you can load
correctly every time.
Scratches
You have many opportunities to
scratch your film. The first is when
you remove it from the canister. Be
sure the film is wound tightly enough
to slide out all together. The outside
of the roll (the leader) is not being
developed, so be sure it is protecting
the rest of the roll. Your second
scratch opportunity is when you
transfer the roll onto the developing
spool. Good ways to scratch the film
at this stage include bumping or
sliding it against a table or other surface,
letting one part of the film edge
scrape along another portion of the
emulsion, or running your fingers
along the emulsion (inner) surface.
Once the film is in the developing
tank, it is relatively impossible to
scratch. Your next big chance comes
when you hang it up to dry. Squeegees
are the best tool for scratching.
Just squeeze good and hard and
you're certain to destroy the entire
roll. Finally, any time the film is out
of its negative file it stands an excellent
chance of being scratched.
Particularly effective techniques include
dropping it on the floor (stepping
on it just about guarantees complete
destruction), sliding it through
a closed negative holder, leaving it
unprotected while you go out for a
snack, and trying to rub dust off with
a cloth that could pass for sandpaper.
Processing 241