A Jinxed Roll?

I usually do ok. Loading rolls of film into my processing tank ready for development, that is.

Not on this occasion...

The run of bad luck with this roll probably started when I swapped it over from one camera to another mid-roll. I was taking a considerably risky chance with the second camera, an old Praktica SLR that has seen better days, though seemed to work ok on initial inspection.

I should have known better than to think all was well with it after it had sat in the donor's cupboard for many years, maybe even decades. This, of course, didn't stop me from taking it out 'n' about to use without, perhaps, checking it more thoroughly. Looking at the film afterwards, I could see there were potential issues with the shutter (sticky first curtain). There was also the problem of the old fool using it forgetting to stop the accompanying preset type Helios 58mm lens back down to the correct aperture prior to taking the photo. The former issue is potentially fixable, I'm not so sure about the latter. The end result was a strip of negatives with wildly different exposure densities. My woes with this roll of film didn't end there...

Normally I don't have any particular problems loading film onto the spiral from the processing tank. It can be a bit fiddly and stubborn, reluctant to slide into the groove, but usually submits to my endeavours. Not on this occasion, though. Loading this roll took three attempts, with me fumbling around, arms buried in the sleeves of the changing bag. Choosing to carry out this task in the evening before I planned to develop the film (thinking I'd save a little time in the morning) was a mistake, my tiredness fuelling my heavy-handed clumsiness. 

Well scuffed.

I very nearly gave it up as a lost cause and, back in the pre-digital days I would have done, seeing the end result. With the amount of scuffs and scratches, the film would most likely have been consigned to the bin.

Let me say, at this point, that I am most grateful for digital imaging and what comes with it. Without it I might not have come back to film so enthusiastically. As much as I love the look of a traditional silver print (there’s nothing quite like it) I wouldn't have room for a darkroom nowadays. Even back in the day my skills in that environment were limited. Photoshop and similar applications enable a level of control and convenience at a click of a button that can yield superb results. It effectively saved the day with this film.

Views from the Black Country Museum. 'Jerusha' the tilted cottage, Stantons and The Elephant and Castle.

(All images taken on Praktica PL Nova 1B with Helios 44-2 58mm f2 lens on Kentmere 400, developed in Caffenol Delta. Scanned images adjusted and ‘cleaned up’ using the basic clone and healing brush tools in Photoshop Elements 6, a rather dated version of this software.)

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