These are the most commonly asked questions regarding film issues, but if you have one that isn’t so frequent fire us an email and please include as much information as you can (the image, any lighting conditions points you can think of, what was the camera doing) the more info we have the more likely we can at solving the issue. Remember film photography has been around for over 100 years and we have plenty of experience so chances are we’ve seen the issue before!

Where are the rest of my photos?

Unfortunately they didn’t come out and our scanner skipped them. There are many reasons as to why they didn’t come out but more often than not it comes down to not enough light to expose the film. Film is much less light sensitive than what we’re now used to with digital so where your Smartphone might get a good shot in the dark, film needs a lot more light. This is why flashes are so important on film cameras. If you used a disposable camera then it will almost definity be because the flash wasn’t used when the picture was taken. 

I got an email saying my film was blank...

This isn’t technically a question but we know what you’re saying. Two things at play here; your film hasn’t been through a camera (it happens to the best of us) or your camera is busted and not exposing the film correctly or at all. Pop-in store with your camera and we should be able to rule one of these out.

What’s with these red marks on my photos?

This is when the light sensitive film has been exposed to light (from the back through the film base- hence it being red.) like a blank roll there are really only two options; the back of your camera possibly opened mid roll or you have a light leak (please see here for more info.) Either way we need to see the camera to rule either out.

What’s with these weird white flare marks on my photos?

This is where the film has been fogged from the front. So there's a light leak at the front of the camera. If it’s in a circular pattern then it will most likely be somewhere on the lens. If it’s in a line it will most likely be from the camera body. Like most camera issues, bring the camera in-store and we’ll see what we can do!

Why are my images a weird colour or blurry?

This can be because of your exposure, either the image has had too much light or too little. Colour issues can also be to do with film aging past its “best before date” or improper storage situations.

It looks like my image has other images over it…

Again, not a question but this means you have either shot over the film twice (what we call a ‘double exposure’) where two photos are shot over the same frame. Or the film advance system in your camera is faulty. 

I want my negs, can I get them?
A question! And yes of course they’re yours. At this stage we haven't thrown any out but we are getting close to a point where we are going to have to. So email us (hello@splendid.nz) and we’ll sort them out with you.