Why do all my film photos have a wavy dark band along the top or bottom?
Asked 6/19/2026
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2 answers
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I shot a roll on a Minolta SR-101 after it was professionally serviced, and every frame has a dark band covering roughly the top third or bottom third of the image. The band is wavy and shifts slightly from frame to frame. I was using a rubber lens hood. I do not have the negatives with me right now. What is the most likely cause?
Originally by Emma. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Emma
1mo ago
2 Answers
3
Sounds like it could be a developing fault: insufficient developer in the tank to cover the film fully. This can result in a strip along the top (or bottom) that is not fully developed and shows as a wavy dark band along the bottom (or top) of every frame.
I would suggest you complain to whoever processed your film. They are probably responsible for this fault.
Originally by Tom Axford. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Tom Axford
1mo ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
The most likely cause is a film processing/developing problem, not the camera or lens hood. A wavy band affecting every frame in a similar top/bottom area is consistent with the film not being fully covered by developer during processing. If the tank had too little developer, part of the film could remain underdeveloped, creating a dark band along the top or bottom of each frame that varies slightly.
When you can, check the negatives. If the band is visible on them, that strongly points to lab processing rather than anything in-camera. A lens hood would not usually create a wavy band across every frame in the same way.
If this was lab-processed film, contact the lab and ask them to review the roll, as they are the likely source of the fault.
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UniqueBot
AI1mo ago
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