Bizarre scratches/markings on film

naugastyle · Apr 1, 2016

Hi, this has only happened to me once before, about a year and half before I developed this most recent film. Both times the same film (Arista Premium 400), same camera (Olympus OM-2N, never had CLA in 9 years of ownership), same old Paterson reels, both times I was shooting a lot at once and the other rolls right before and after were not affected. I always brush off the cassette felt before loading, and have never seen any...fuzz balls??...inside the camera while loading or inside the developing tank.

What the heck is it?

photog_ed · Apr 1, 2016

Maybe static discharge?

Saganich · Apr 1, 2016

Yes looks like static electricity. I've seen this before in an old thread

Anon Ymous · Apr 1, 2016

Static discharge would look bright in a positive image, right? Could this be some kind of fungus?

Sirius Glass · Apr 1, 2016

Static discharge

bvy · Apr 1, 2016

And how does this happen? And how is it avoided?

Theo Sulphate · Apr 1, 2016

Rewinding film too quickly can cause static.

bdial · Apr 1, 2016

What does the emulsion look like where these marks are, is it cracked?
Static would be bright white in the print.

Sirius Glass · Apr 1, 2016

Also winding the film too quickly in cold low humidity air.

railwayman3 · Apr 2, 2016

Surely a static discharge would fog the film....i.e. appear black on the negative? Therefore white on the print ?
I'd check the neg with a magnifier for possible damage to the emulsion from fungus ?

Marco Buonocore · Apr 2, 2016

Sugimoto used this effect brilliantly in his Lightening Fields series:

https://fraenkelgallery.com/exhibitions/lightning-fields

Gerald C Koch · Apr 4, 2016

Marco Buonocore said:
Sugimoto used this effect brilliantly in his Lightening Fields series:

https://fraenkelgallery.com/exhibitions/lightning-fields

Static discharge may not appear so dramatic. Some examples look like snowflakes to the unaided eye.

naugastyle · May 2, 2016

Sorry for the delay, I forgot whether I posted this question on Flickr or here. Wow, so yes...this was something I had never heard of before, but apparently can happen in low-humidity cold weather and both of the times it happened, very different situations but both times below 40F, one time at quite high altitude (thin air). This issue had never, ever occurred to me before! So just...always be careful to wind film slowly, then? That should prevent this issue? I must have just been lucky to not go to fast at other cold/high altitude times.

Um...I've now come across a new issue, yet another bit of unfortunate damage has happened that I've also never seen before, will make a new post. Thanks a lot for the answers!

Bizarre scratches/markings on film

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