Weird white ''framing'' of photos on negative

I use a very old Nikkormat and found a weird white ''framing'' on two sides of a few shots (see photo). I am thinking

it might be the back of the camera being crooked and not ''pushing'' the negative flat; the resulting white ''frame'' then

being a shadow. But it never happened before, and the last frames of this film are ok.

Does anyone have an idea of what could have caused this?

Thanks.

Audrey

A shadow in the camera would produce a dark edge, not a white edge.<br><br>

A shadow during the printing process would produce a white edge.<br><br>

My guess is that Larry is right -- it was the negative holder, or perhaps something like easel that held the paper when printing. But ignore me if you're scanning the negative instead of the print, in which case I'd like to see a picture of the unreversed negative all the way out to the sprocket holes to see what's going on.

I think I haven't explained it right.... There is a dark frame directly on the negative, which turned white on the print. I scanned the print, not the negative, so I did not use negative holders. Any other ideas?

Thanks a lot. Audrey

<p>This still isn't clear to me: are you saying the negatives themselves show irregular or uneven margins? And this is inconsistent, not appearing on every frame throughout the entire roll?</p>

<p>If so, there may be a problem with the pressure plate, the film door may not be latching correctly or there may be other problems. Check the pressure plate. But if the pressure plate is the problem it should appear on every frame, not just a few.</p>

<p>Check the film door area - if your Nikkormat hasn't been serviced the light seals may be gummy which can attract debris. I've seen bits of broken film and other gunk lodged into the light baffles of cameras, which prevented closing the door securely. Normally the result is light leak fogging along the edges throughout the roll, but it's worth checking anyway with any older camera.</p>

<p>Are you using commercially loaded rolls of film or bulk loaded? Is there any evidence the film was crimped, bent or physically uneven, especially near the affected frames?</p>

<p>But, again, it isn't clear to me at which point this problem is appearing - on the negatives themselves or only on the prints.</p>

<p>Also, you say this is a scan of a print. How did you make the print? Contact print or enlargement?</p>

<p>If contact print, was the negative in a plastic protective sleeve? Did you use a sheet of glass or heavy plastic to hold the negatives flat?</p>

<p>If an enlargement, what enlarger? What type of negative carrier - glass or glassless?</p>

<p>Thank you Lex. <br>

 <br>

I did the print myself on an enlarger, but the problem is on the negative. A few frames show dark ''margins'' on the top & left sides. 3 shots show that same problem & the rest are fine.<br>

 <br>

I too think the problem was the pressure plate giving an uneaven pressure. Could it have been caused by a pressure of the palm on the back during shooting?

<br>

I checked the sides of the door, and it would need cleaning...But in this case, only a few frames were affected, in the middle of the roll (commercially loaded & seemingly fine).</p>

<p>

I guess a good start would be a deep cleaning... and if the next roll shows problems I will have it checked.<br>

Thanks. Audrey</p>

<p>Audrey,</p>

<p>Just one more off-chance: Possibly your film is sticking to developing reels at the edges preventing complete fixing of the edges, resulting in opaque areas there. Examine them carefully under good light. If there is a milky look to them, this might be the problem. If it is definitely black, developed silver image, then the film was light-struck in camera somehow or, as Lex mentioned, the film edges may have been crimped when loading the reel.</p>

<p>Best and good luck</p>

<p>Doremus Scudder</p>

<p>Doremus,<br>

I see what you mean. I load my films on metal developping reels & there is sometimes whiteish, very thin, opaque areas along the edges. But on the edges only, where the holes are. Probably for putting them on too tight.<br>

Here it is definitely light that affected the film, and only a frame of it around a few shots (in the rectangle) as you see it in positive on the picture. The spaces between the shots are clear, as should be. I just finished a new roll, and will develop it soon, see how it turns out...<br>

Thanks. Audrey</p>