Why do my 35mm film photos have spots all over them?
Asked 6/19/2021
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I'm new to film photography. I had a roll of 35mm color negative film processed, and most of the photos came back with large spots/dots across the images. Only a couple of frames looked normal. What usually causes this on film photos, and is it more likely to be a camera problem, something I did, or a processing issue?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
5y ago
2 Answers
2
Being that it's a film camera it takes dust on your sensor out of the question. If this is an SLR and you've been swapping out lenses maybe you got something on the rear of the lens. If that were the case the drops would be in the same locations from print to print. But the spots look to big for that explanation. More likely their processor had a bad day. Run off another roll and try again. I know that's not cost effective. Before you load the film check the seals and film bay for anything suspicious.
Originally by user99646. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user99646
5y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Large, repeated spots on many frames of a 35mm roll are usually not caused by sensor dust, since film cameras don’t have sensors. Possible causes include debris somewhere in the camera or lens, a camera fault such as a shutter problem, or a lab/processing issue. If the spots appear in the same place on frame after frame, that can point to something in the optical path or camera.
In your case, the most likely explanation is what you later identified: opening the camera while the film was still inside. Exposing the film to light can fog or mark much more than just one or two frames, especially depending on how much film had already been wound and how long the back was open.
Before shooting another roll, check the film chamber and seals for anything unusual. If the problem happens again on a fresh roll without opening the camera, then processing or a camera/shutter issue would be the next things to investigate.
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