Nightmare.
Shooting film can sometimes be a struggle in this digital age, but getting back blank scans for an entire roll takes the cake.
Not too long ago, I bought a Nikon 28mm f/2.8 AI lens for my Nikon FM2n camera for travelling and wanted to test it.
One morning in June, I rented a GetGo car to take some photos of a closed-down warehouse in southern Singapore. I shot a roll of Kentmere Pan 400 but only finished two-thirds of it. In the late afternoon, I went to HortPark with my brother to expend the rest.
I dropped off the roll at the lab, and as usual, I anticipated the link to the scans.
A couple of days later, I received the link, but this time there was a message attached: "Blank".
My heart dropped. Blank? Partial blank? Full blank? My mind raced as I downloaded the file.
All blank. Not a single exposed frame, no matter how bad. I was stunned.
My first thought was whether there was an issue with the new lens, since it was the only recent introduction. I checked the aperture blades on the lens and whether there was any shutter capping. None.
Was the film loaded correctly? Definitely.
Once, I had exposed almost an entire roll on a single frame. The film had come off the take-up spool, and I failed to notice the rewind knob was not turning as I advanced the film. I recalled being so disappointed in myself that I made that multi-exposure photo my phone's lock screen wallpaper for some time to remind me of the mistake.
Since then, I have always been on my toes to ensure that the rewind knob rotates as I advance the film. I ensured it was the same for this roll as well. Plus, when I reached "37" on the counter, I remembered not being able to advance further. So, incorrect loading was out of the question. For the life of me, I could not figure out what went wrong, and that thought plagued me for a couple of days.
28 exposures :)
Edited into B&W for my phone's lock screen wallpaper
The next day, I called the lab to help me ascertain whether the negatives were exposed at all—they were not. Stumped. Totally stumped.
Later that week, I collected the negatives, and the lab even gave me a partial refund for the blank scans. There were edge markings on the strips, so there was no mistake on their part. I felt defeated. That was the last thing that could have gone wrong.
Days passed, and unfortunately, the annoyance of not being able to determine the cause of the issue continued to tug at my brain. I pulled out the negatives and had another good look at them.
"Kentmere Pan 200".
Wait. What? Mine was supposed to be 400.
Yes, there, on the edge markings, were the words "Kentmere Pan 200".
Clear as day.
How could I have missed it? I had trusted that the lab had delivered the scans correctly, as they always had. Suddenly, a feeling of excitement rushed over me as I then knew my scans were possibly "alive", just under a different customer's name at the lab.
I quickly called the lab about the issue, and they told me to come down to identify mine. The thought of having my scans back was so exciting that I could not wait for the weekend to come. It would be even better if my negatives were still with them and not already collected by the wrong customer.
So on a Saturday afternoon, I spent the longest time ever at the photo lab, together with the lab technician, looking for my photos on their computer.
It did not take very long, but it was long enough for me to start observing details at the lab that I had not noticed before—print samples, a framed panoramic photo of Singapore's skyline, and even a lightbox off to the side for viewing negatives and slides. Usually, I never spend more than 10 minutes there to do what I need, as their staff are efficient in handling counter duties. Plus, my eyes were usually scanning the row of film in stock to see if I needed to restock anything. So, those scenes made for a refreshing feel in a familiar setting.
Next was to find the negatives. After multiple attempts to locate them from the stack belonging to the same processing batch, the technician managed to succeed. He smiled and also heaved a sigh of relief. At one point, I was about to tell him it was okay, but his determination kept me mum. I was ecstatic that my negatives were still with them.
He apologised for the mix-up, which was due to some issues in their backend process, and told me to keep the partial refund (I wanted to return it to them since I eventually got my photos).
At the end of the day, I am content. Got my scans and negatives, my camera and lens are not faulty, and, more importantly, got back my sanity.
