What could cause a black blurry spot in the corner of only one film frame?
Asked 5/7/2021
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One frame on my processed film roll has a black blurry spot in the upper-left corner, while all the other frames look normal. What are the likely causes, and how can I tell whether it happened in the camera, during processing, or during scanning/printing?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
5y ago
2 Answers
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You will need to inspect the negative to see if the spot appears there also. If not, it is some artifact of printing/scanning, the problem is fixable, and you should ask the lab to redo it.
If yes, it could be a number of things. I'll hazard a guess: given the blurry edges, it's an out-of-focus insect that happened to sit on the lens / fly by when you took the photo. But it could also be a development error, for example an air bubble that prevented the developing solution from reaching that area in the negative properly.
By the way, I'd be more worried about the slight vertical banding seen in the image. Unless this is a processing/scanning artifact, it could indicate that something is wrong with your camera's shutter.
Originally by user83032. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user83032
5y ago
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First, inspect the negative. That will tell you whether the issue is on the film itself or was introduced later.
- If the spot does not appear on the negative, it’s likely a scanning or printing artifact. Ask the lab to rescan or reprint the frame.
- If the spot is visible on the negative, possible causes include:
- something briefly in front of the lens, such as an insect, dust, or even a bit of web on the lens hood/front element
- a processing problem, such as an air bubble during development that prevented chemistry from reaching part of the film evenly
Because it only appears on one frame, a temporary obstruction near the lens is a strong possibility.
Also check for any vertical banding in the image. If that banding is present on the negative and not just from scanning, it may indicate a camera shutter problem rather than a one-off lab issue.
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