Loaded a roll of Tri-X backwards at sunrise in Yosemite and only noticed after 12 shots

I was fumbling with cold hands near Half Dome, put the film in with the spool facing wrong, and now I have a whole roll of blank frames with cool light leaks on the edges - has anyone else gotten salvageable images from a mistake like this or should I just toss it?

2 comments

2 Comments

bettyhunt17d ago

12 shots in before you caught it? That's rough buddy. How cold was it exactly cause I've done dumb stuff with film in freezing temps too but never that far in. Did you at least get a few cool light leak patterns or was it just completely washed out on those first frames?

maxm5017d ago

Keep shooting the rest of the roll anyway, the light leaks from the backing paper can actually give you some wild orange and blue streaks that look nothing like normal camera leaks. I'd develop it normally and just see what happens, worst case you get a roll of nothing but at least you'll know for next time. Some of my favorite shots came from a roll I loaded wrong in a rush, the imperfections gave them this weird dreamy look that I couldn't replicate on purpose.