I’d like to share a unique and serendipitous image my film camera created this Earth Day.

I’d like to share a unique and serendipitous image my film camera created this Earth Day.

British Columbia had a record number of forest fires last year (cbc.ca/news/canada/british…); the 2024 burning season is close.

The fire that appears to consume the Vancouver Island beach forest in this image is a spontaneous and unintended effect of the photographic film’s physical properties.

I won’t stretch the symbolism here (instead, I’ll share a couple of tips on how we, as film photographers, can do better — below). But the way this photo turned out is fascinating, and I’d like to talk about it:

35mm film canisters use felt to shield the emulsion from unwanted light. Their little hairs can leave a pattern on the first frame (unless you or the camera advances 2-3 frames immediately after loading film). That pattern often resembles little flames because of the red dyes, which react to light following the pattern of the tiny hairs.

The Island beach forest in this photo is in the far distance, approximately in the middle of the frame. And it just so happens that the tips of the trees coincided with the part of the frame that was exposed to the light through the felt hairs. The result: it looks like the forest is on fire.

#editorial🔥