What’s the matter with my film?

Question

I just received my photos from the developer and there are these light colored streaks/ lines on my film. I’m new to analogue photography and this is the first time I’ve experienced this problem. Could it be because I went through airport security?

Answer 1

Those stripes and areas look like light leaks to me...

The well defined line looks like a hole in the back plate that probably was exposed during film transport.

The wide, less defined light stripe could either be a problem with the lens or a light leak in the front part of the camera, but those are just guesses.

If this is 120 film it could also be that it was exposed to very bright light while handling the film (for example inserting or removing it in bright sunlight).

Answer 2

The large light leak in the middle looks like a problem on the take up spool side of the camera to me. These leaks will vary slightly in position because the wound diameter changes as film accumulates on the spool.

They vary in severity because film rests in the outside layers of the take up spool for an arbitrary amount of time and the intensity of light falling on the camera also varies with orientation, location, and time of day.

On the other hand, the consistent location of the thin line suggests a possible issue prior to exposure. Possibly a window in the film back that allows viewing the loaded film cartridge.

In any event, the first step is replacing all the light seals.