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What went wrong?

My whole film has a grey veil, even between the frames

Negatives and slides

What you're seeing

The whole strip looks grey, including the gaps between frames and the edge strip, which should be clear. Shadows look veiled and prints or scans look flat.

Check this first

Check this first

Look at the edge strip by the sprocket holes on a light box. On a good negative it is clear with sharp, readable frame numbers.

Likely causes, most common first

  1. 01

    Light reached the film before development

    Common
    How to tell
    Grey or uneven fog over frames, gaps and edge strip. Often from a darkroom that is not fully dark, a changing bag with a gap, a phone screen or watch, or a safelight. Panchromatic camera films need total darkness.
    Test it
    In your darkroom, lay a short strip of unexposed film on the bench, cover part of it with a coin and leave it for as long as film is usually out in the open there, with the lighting you normally use (or none), then develop it. A visible coin outline means your room fogs film.
    The fix
    Load reels in total darkness, with no safelight, no phone and no luminous watch. Seal gaps around doors and windows.

    Sources Ilford Photo (Harman Technology), Common Processing Problems; Ilford Photo, Ilford: Processing your first black & white film (information leaflet, Oct 2003); Kodak, Darkroom Lighting Basics; Kodak Alaris, Kodak Professional TRI-X 320 and 400 Films Technical Data (F-4017, rev. 12-16)

  2. 02

    Old or badly stored film

    Common
    How to tell
    An even grey over the whole roll, often with more grain. Faster films are affected more. Common with expired or heat-stored film.
    Test it
    Cut a short piece of the same batch in the dark and develop it unexposed alongside a piece of fresh film. If the old film is grey and the fresh one clear, the film is fogged with age.
    The fix
    Store film cool and dry. Kodak suggests testing camera film stored longer than six months. With expired film, overexpose a little and expect some fog.

    Sources Eastman Kodak Company, Storage and Handling of Unprocessed Film (TIB 5202, May 2002); Ilford, Ilford HP5 Plus Technical Information

  3. 03

    Chemical fog from contaminated or overworked developer

    Occasional
    How to tell
    Grey over everything, sometimes with stains. More likely if fixer could have got into the developer, or after heavy push processing or a long, warm development.
    Test it
    Develop a strip of unexposed fresh film in freshly mixed developer and another in your suspect developer. Grey on the second strip only means the developer is at fault.
    The fix
    Mix fresh developer in clean containers, keep a separate container for each solution and check your time and temperature.

    Sources Eastman Kodak Company, Processing Chemicals and Formulas for Black-and-White Photography (Kodak Publication J-1), 7th edition; Eastman Kodak Company, Processing KODAK Motion Picture Films, Module 15: Processing Black-and-White Films; Kodak, Kodak D-76 Developer Technical Data

  4. 04

    X-ray fog

    Rare
    How to tell
    Even fog and more grain, worse on faster films, after the film went through airport security, especially in checked luggage.
    Test it
    Think back over the roll's journey. If only rolls that travelled are fogged, X-rays are likely.
    The fix
    Carry film in hand luggage and ask for a hand check.

    Source Eastman Kodak Company, Storage and Handling of Unprocessed Film (TIB 5202, May 2002)

Avoiding it next time

  • Check your darkroom or changing bag for light leaks.
  • Keep phones and luminous watches out of the darkroom.
  • Store film cool and dry and use it within its date.
  • Use a separate container for each solution.

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