Spent 6 months developing film wrong because of a light leak I ignored

I kept getting these washed out negatives and blamed my cheap enlarger. Then a guy at the photo lab mentioned my changing bag had a pinprick hole near the seam. Sure enough, I checked it with a flashlight in a dark closet and saw a tiny dot of light. So for half a year my film was getting fogged before I even loaded it into the tank. Anyone else ever find a flaw in their gear that was obvious in hindsight?

2 comments

2 Comments

wren_rodriguez13d ago

Man, I gotta push back a little on this one. Changing bags can develop tiny holes over time, sure, but 6 months of consistently "washed out" negatives sounds like you were blaming the wrong thing from the start. A pinprick light leak usually gives you a weird shadow or a foggy edge on some frames, not a whole roll that looks like you shot it through a cloud. Wouldn't a quick test with a blank roll or even a visual check under a desk lamp have caught that within a week? It's a real bummer you lost that time, but I'd argue the real gear failing here was your troubleshooting process, not the bag itself.

jamieperez13d ago

Troubleshooting process" assumes you know what you're testing for, I once missed a leak because my bag's zipper seam was the culprit not the fabric.