Developing film yourself is a complicated process, and a lot could go wrong at any stage. In fact, even seasoned photographers make errors from time to time that cause their pictures to come out incorrectly. When beginning the trial and error phase, review some typical film developing mistakes to avoid them in your work.

How Film Developing Mistakes Can Ruin Your Images

1. Blank Image

A blank image is a standard processing error, and it could mean that multiple issues occurred at any time during development. This result most likely indicates that you didn't develop the film in complete darkness. However, you may have also mixed the chemical solutions incorrectly, or you might have gotten the timing wrong.

2. Various Patches

Crescent-shaped patches or straight marks could appear on your images if you bent your negatives during development. To avoid this, use gloves to carefully place the film in the solution instead of your bare hands. You may also see stained areas on your photos if you used the spiral processing reel incorrectly.

3. Too Dark

Negatives that appear darker than they should or almost black could mean you loaded the film incorrectly into the camera. Your film may have also been exposed too early, so limit exposure by storing all your film in a dark place and sealing it tightly. Film developing errors could also occur if you developed the film for too long, or if the developer was too warm or concentrated.

4. Too Light

The most common cause of light negatives is zero to no exposure from the camera. If the picture is still visible but overexposed, you probably didn't place the film in the camera correctly. You may have also taken the film out of the developer too early, or used developer that was over diluted or too cold.

To avoid ruining your negatives, have The Shutterbug handle your film development. For over 45 years, they’ve helped customers in and around Salem, Portland, and Eugene, OR, with all their photography needs. Whether you want a new camera or a photo printing class, they can help. Visit their website to order prints today, or call (503) 227-3456 with any questions you have.