When I print pics from my 35mm film camera they are washed out and dusty. Why is this?

Question

I recently had the body and lens cleaned and checked for light leaks and aperture accuracy and it all came back perfect. I thought it might be old film but even brand new rolls and paper produce this effect. I don't know what else it could be.

Answer 1

When you say "washed out" do you mean that the prints are very light? Could be that your flash is too powerful for your subject. Are you doing close up work with a flash? If you are you may need to bounce your flash off of something else to avoid the "Nuclear" explosion look.

When you say dust, does the dust appear white or black on the print? If it is white, the dust fell onto the negative while it was being printed, if it is black, then it is dust in your camera.

Answer 2

They are over exposed. The next time you take picture do a "step test" with the aperture exposure setting and you when you develop the pictures you will see the range that best suits your desired outcome. You will find the exposure you like best with that camera. Each camera is different.

If it is a digital look at the book and learn how to do a "white balance"

A camera store will be glad to help, Good luck!

Answer 3

In addition to checking to see if they are over or under exposed, try out different labs. I work in a high end lab and it makes all the difference! Some labs dont take care of their machines or chemicals which will lead to lower quality prints. Also, the lab tech may not know how to print properly. Try getting reprints done at a few different labs of the same photo and see which one turns out the best. Good luck!

Answer 4

It's hard to say with out seeing the actual prints, but if by saying dusty and washed out you mean grainy and dark it could be underexposure. But I could be wrong. Like I said, it's hard to say what the problem is with out looking at the actual prints.

Answer 5

What ISO film are you using? Higher ISO could give you a grainy effect.