Apogee Photo Magazine

SCRATCHED FILM

by John Gerlach

Scratched film has been a problem for me and many of my workshop participants from time to time. I have looked into this problem closely and found five major reasons for scratched film. By carefully avoiding those things that cause scratched film, I have largely solved this problem.

One of the leading causes of scratched film is dirty camera backs. People who don't use a camel's hair brush to clean out their camera back after shooting 4 to 5 rolls of film are likely candidates for scratched film. This is especially true if you are photographing in sandy areas like the desert or on the beach. If wind blows any sand grains into the back of your camera when you are changing film, getting scratched film is almost a certainty. I always have a camel's hair brush wrapped in plastic to keep it clean in my film bag. Whenever the opportunity presents itself, I carefully brush out the back of my camera making sure to remove all grit and checking to see if any hairs from the brush are caught in the shutter mechanism. While scratches are bad, so are hairs from your brush, beard, cat, dog, or anything else that might get caught in the wrong place producing black lines on your processed film.

It's my guesstimate that the second leading cause of scratched film is plastic slide mounts. When I first started processing 35mm slide film for my workshop groups, I tried every affordable ($500 or less) machine I could find to mount the slides quickly and easily. All the machines involved some type of plastic mount that required raw dry film to be slid over plastic. The machines worked great for getting the slide in the mount, but every single one of them scratched the film. I also checked into commercial processing and discovered that every one I tried who used plastic mounts also scratched the film. I no longer allow any film lab to process my film if they are going to use plastic mounts. It's paper mounts only for me.

I don't make my living from going around checking to see if labs scratch film or not. So if your lab does use plastic mounts, perhaps they don't scratch the film, but I have yet to find an exception. Indeed, I have had a number of workshop participants claim their slides aren't scratched. Naturally, I ask to look at their plastic mounted slides and sure enough, there are the scratches. The best way to see scratches is to hold a 6x or 8x loop up to your slide. Now look through the loop and hold the slide up to a strong light. Now rock the slide back and forth so the light comes through the slide sideways. The picture will go dark but any scratches will show up immediately.

Film processing scratches film in other ways as well. From experience, I found that I could not use a squeegee or photo wipe (no matter how carefully) without also running the risk of scratching film. Dried film seems tough but it is incredibly easy to scratch. Handle it with extreme care. The way I avoid water spots on any film I process myself is to dunk the film in photo flow or stabilizer solution. Then I hang the film up in a Jobo film dryer and allow the forced heated air to push the water off the film. Note: To avoid water spots on your dried film, you must use distilled water in the last step. Using regular drinking water contains minerals which causes the water to cling to the film instead of sheeting off. I absolutely cannot emphasize the importance of using distilled water enough. It makes a world of difference!

Bulk loading film is a great way to save money, but it can lead to scratched film as well. Many people blame the bulk loader itself for scratches, but I have never found the bulk loader to be the culprit. Indeed, the film that you shoot pictures on never actually touches anything on the bulk loader if you use the loader correctly. While there are a lot of ways to save money, reusing film cassettes is a poor way to do it. I always load my film into brand new 35mm film cassettes and never reuse them. If you reuse cassettes, eventually the felt on the lip of the cassette will pick up some grit causing the entire roll to be scratched. Do not reuse cassettes if you cherish your photos and don't want them scratched. Beware! Many camera supply companies sell reconditioned cassettes instead of new ones. If you wish to avoid scratches, do not buy these. Use only new cassettes!

Finally, keep in mind that your slides are delicate. They must be carefully handled. I have seen workshop participants push unprotected strips of film all over the table. All their film is scratched in short order by doing this. I always handle film very carefully and protect all of my individual slides by putting each cardboard mounted slide inside a protective acetate Kimac protector. To get Kimac 35mm (2"x 2") protectors, contact: The Kimac Company/478 Long Hill Road/Guilford, CONN. USA 06437 (203) 453-4690.

John and Barbara Gerlach run Gerlach Nature Photography Seminars. Each year they offer a variety of seminars to help you get the most out of your nature photography. Call (906) 439-5991 for more information.