Fogged Film
So you've got your film back from the lab, but there's next to nothing on it. "WHY?!" I hear you ask. There are a couple of reasons your film could have been fogged.
- The film was not wrapped around your spool tightly enough. As a result, when you popped open the back it was exposed to light. Use a couple of folded bits of card under your spools to tension them. See the Loading Film section for advice.
- The film is old and hasn't been keep it suitable conditions. To prolong the life of your film keep it in your fridge. To make it last even longer, pop it in a zip-lock bag and put it in your freezer. Faster film (e.g. 1600 ISO, 3200 ISO etc) fogs quicker than slower film, so bear that in mind if your film is expired.
- Your Holga has extreme light leaks. Some light leaks look like general fogging. Make sure you tape up your Holga well then shoot another test roll.
Fogged film typically has a darker coloured film base than fresh film. As a result you do not see pure blacks, and your overall contrast is limited. You can compensate for this by pulling your film during development.
