What are light leaks?
A light leak is a streak or glow of red, orange or pink across part of a film photo. It used to be a fault, a sign that light had got into the camera. Now people add them on purpose. Here's where they come from, and how to use them well.
By the DisCam team ·
Where light leaks come from
A film camera is meant to be completely dark inside. When it isn't, stray light reaches the film and leaves a glow. Worn foam seals around the back, a gap in a cheap plastic body, a door opened before the film was rewound, or loading a roll in bright sun can all do it.
Old, cheap and toy cameras leaked the most. Many people only noticed when the prints came back.
Why they're red and orange
Colour film is made of layers, each sensitive to a different colour. The layer nearest the back of the film records red, so stray light that sneaks in from behind tends to hit it first.
That's why leaks usually come out red, orange or yellow, fading to pink at the edges. A very strong leak can burn almost white in the middle.
Where they show up
Leaks usually start at one edge of the frame and fade towards the middle, because the light comes in from the side of the camera. The first frames of a roll, exposed while the film was being loaded, often have the strongest leaks.
No two leaks are the same. On a real roll, some frames have one and most don't.
How to use them well
A light leak is a strong effect, so use it with care:
- Not on every photo. One or two in a set looks natural; every photo looks like a filter.
- Keep faces clear. A leak looks best across sky, a wall or the edge of the frame.
- Choose warm, bright moments. Leaks suit summer, sunsets and travel more than formal portraits.
- Pair them with a warm or faded film, where the glow fits in.
Light leaks in black and white
On black and white film, a leak has no colour to show, so it comes out as a pale, milky glow. In DisCam the leak goes on before the photo develops, like light reaching the film, so on Noir or Mono 400 it turns into that same pale glow.
Light leaks in DisCam
Turn on Light leak in the camera's Options and every photo gets its own leak, in a different place each time. Its strength follows the film's Intensity slider.
- Turn it on for a whole roll, or only for the moments that suit it.
- Try it with Warm 35, Golden or Fade first.
- To try a leak on a photo you've already taken, use the free online film filter.
