partially blocked out polaroid pictures

Hi there. I have a question regarding my polaroid camera.
its a Land 103, and pretty old, but still works. a friend of mine recently fixed it up for me, and it worked perfectly. im going to be using it in a project i am organising soon. I tested it out the other day, took a picture perfectly. i took another picture and it was fine too. but after about the 3rd or 4th picture, the picture was about 3 quarters of an inch blacked out on the right hand side. it worked fine a few weeks ago too, and got lots of shots. the film is expired, but it has been in foil, and never opened. so today, i put in a new film, and the first picture that came out, same thing again.
its a perfectly straight block of just blackness, cant even vaguely make out the image underneath and its just under an inch on the pictures, inside the white border polaroid film has.

does anyone know what this could be and how to fix it?? will be starting my project in a few weeks. my film has ten exposures, and ive 3 other films of 10 exposures left. i want to get portraits of about 8 - 10 people , and will have approximately 3 goes to get each person, so im trying to spare as much film as possible.

thanks in advance!!! any help appreciated!

Unfortunately, it will be a bit of a hit-or-miss situation. You are depending on expired chemicals spreading evenly, and from my experience there is not a whole lot one can do about it. Creating a project from a limited supply of expired Polaroid material is a chancy thing -- as you are discovering. If the chemicals do not spread evenly, then there is no development in the areas that do not get the chemical -- thus the black.

I have had similar results from expired Type 55. Only thing I can think of is that if you get a good image in one or two tries, save the third one for the next portrait. That and embrace the "mistakes" and include them in your project if there is any image at all.

I have some Type 69 that is bad because it was kept flat for too many years and the pressure of the pods on the film above and below it has caused discolored prints -- found out way too late that the boxes need to be kept up-right on its short end...fortunately this problem does not seem to extend to the Type 55 (so far).

Check your rollers to make sure they stay clean. I have not heard of anyone "massaging" the chemical pods -- but who knows, perhaps that would help, though there are chances of popping the pod, which would nasty.

Good luck!

Do you have any scans of the images? Uneven developer spread would come out white, so that's not the problem.

...its a perfectly straight block of just blackness...

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Uneven developer spread would come out white...

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And, uneven developer spread is just that, 'streaky uneven.'
I'm trying to think it's something remaining in the image path, but darned if can nail it.

You've ensured that all of the trailing paper is coming out fully as you pull each image?

Marc

nickrapak said:

... Uneven developer spread would come out white, so that's not the problem.

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I am not so sure of that. No developer, means no image, means black on the print. I would think it would act just like a shadow area that got no exposure.

But I have been wrong many times before!

Vaughn

No developer, means no image, means black on the print

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Nope, I'll bet a bunch, Nick has it nailed correctly.

Marc B. said:

Nope, I'll bet a bunch, Nick has it nailed correctly.

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Then I was right that I was wrong! So that makes it even more curious to me as to the problem!

I use Type 55, so unspread goop yields black on my darkroom prints from the Type 55 negative.

...unspread goop yields black on my darkroom prints from the Type 55 negative.

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Okay...I'm sure it's probably true for the Type-55 [negative] in the darkroom.

I finally found an example showing 'empty white' on a Polaroid [positive].
However, the post doesn't indicate the specific type of Polaroid film.

Also, If the chemical pods dry out or break on the Fuji pack films available today,
same thing...blank white.


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Ursula,

It would be nice to know exactly what instant film you are using

Incomplete developer spread with Kodak Instant/Fuji Instax type film will produce white areas. Incomplete developer spread with Polaroid SX-70 type films will result in dark areas. With peel-apart films, incomplete spread will result in a white area on the positive print. We need to find out exactly what film the original poster is trying to use.

I have a question regarding my polaroid camera.
its a Land 103...

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Originally, probably using something like Polaroid 669, IIRC.
Polaroid pack film had eight exposures...if memory serves.

...my film has ten exposures, and ive 3 other films of 10 exposures left...

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Fuji pack film has ten exposures.

Today, the 100 - 400 series land cameras can use Fuji FP100c (color),
and FP3000b (B&W), pack film, just like the Polaroid 405 and Fuji PA-145
backs for medium and large format cameras.

Marc

Just a quick and dirty scan of a contact print -- dust and all!

Calder (and carved bear)

Print from a Type 55 negative

Vaughn

The 'tongues' (2 in this case) are typical of developer layer spread problems. If the original poster saw a straight edge, it's less likely to be a spread problem.

I use the fuji film quite a lot and the positive base is white if the chemicals haven't spread. I recently puled one out and the chemical pod ripped off before it opened and spread on the film.

black would be chemicals but no exposure, half a frame does suggest there is something "in the way".

Ursula,

do you have anyway of taking the half used cartridge out - darkroom, darkbag - and then store it in (I use another polaroid or polaroid back) so you can check the camera again? if the problem is so consistent and the same every time you will probably need to do this anyway, it doesn't sound like it's a problem with the film

to be honest, @himself, i dont think it has to do with the film either. cos the black doesnt vary with each print, or even when i changed the film. i can get the film out alright. ill take it out and snoop around the camera.

also, just noticed there that the blackness is actually getting wider. i was looking at a few of all these test pictures in order, and i noticed that about half a centimeter just by the blackness is faded on one pic, straight line and all. the next pic that half centimeter is blacked out with the rest of the black. compared the 2 images and the black has grown that half a centimeter. cant get scans of them, but i did take pictures of them on my phone. ill try put them up here somehow.
yes, it is fp100c colour film im using. the rolls in the camera are clean and the bellows have no holes at all.

also, a bit of an odd thing happens too. i am 100% sure that i do everything correctly with regards to actually taking the picture, and removing the picture, and forwarding on the film.

this has only been happening the last few days and never happened before. a perfect example when i put in the new film. the first picture i took came out just white and pinky. knew i obviously did something wrong, so i take another pic of something else, and when i remove that print, the previous picture i had taken comes out. i get one double exposure, that wasnt meant to be a double exposure (it comes out pretty nice tho!). its kind of hard to explain without actually showing it to you all in action, but hopefully, you do get me . if not ill try explain it better.
the film is put in properly, the tab pulled and everything to bring forward the films. it is done right! its very strange, as obviously its not digital and doesnt store the pictures! has anyone any idea about this too?



i know my explanations are very confusing and probably hard to read, but thats the best way i can describe this problem!

Sorry everyone!!!! i am so stupid!!!!!!!! was reading up the manual online (my own one is in french!) and turns out i have actually been doing it wrong. you know when you havent used something in a while, and you think the way your doing it is the right way, then you read the manual and see one sentence that fixes it all???
well, i was pulling the white tab BEFORE taking pictures, when it should be done after! i am so sorry for troubling you all! im so embarrassed! but its perfectly working now anyway. thanks a million for all the help anyway!!! i really should have known how to do this!!!!

nevermind, we all make mistakes.
good luck with your project.