Topic: light leak / fogging happy accident question

[hookstrapped]

So I took this 4X5 pic and there are so many things technically wrong with it -- it's fogged because I put the film holder in wrong and it didn't set in place; the focus is off on her face (but is on her hands); it's an inverted reflective scan instead of a negative scan because my scanner can't do 4X5... but I like it.  I especially like the soft aura of light that is most prominent around the sofa arm but also around the model.  I'd like to replicate this without necessarily putting the film holder in the wrong end.

Can someone explain to me what's going on with that "aura"?  Thanks.

[jojonas~]

I don't have any technical expertise but I've got an example from when I experimented with scanning film as reflective meterial instead of using a film holder and backlighting.

I rather liked the look from scanning as reflective, you can see an example of that on the right here. the left was scanned as usual.


link with larger image:
http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6169/6202157256_b44ec5ecf4_b.jpg

hope this is of any help in finding out what this is

[hookstrapped]

I think I have it figured out, where that aura effect comes from. I knew I had a light leak around the edges because the film holder wasn't set in place properly, and when I lift the dark slide prior to exposure and leave it up for a second after exposure, light was leaking in and fogging the film. It has the characteristic low contrast and more shadow detail of fogged or pre-flashed film. But in all I read there was no mention of this aura or glow. Then I looked up a piece on halation because I realized this must be what was going on.

http://chestofbooks.com/arts/photography/The-Fundamentals-Of-Photography/Chapter-XI-Halation.html

Halation is basically the incoming light bouncing around within the emulsion layer, scattering the light. So that must be it. But why did I get that. All film has this anti-halation coating on the back to absorb the light and prevent reflection and scattering of light. So why did the light leak and fogging lead to halation. Then I read in that link how light coming in at shallow angles and reflected back at shallow angles is more likely to not escape the emulsion layer and so will bounce back down and cause the silver grains to do their photochemical thing. AND my light leak was coming from around the edges of the film at an extremely shallow angle. Eureka!

Cool