These strange concentric circles that appear in the first two photos are the result of bromide drag and it’s a byproduct of developing film with little or no agitation, such as when using semi-stand or stand development. Bromide drag occurs during development when bromide builds up around the sprocket holes of the film and then “slowly slides down the surface of the film, inhibiting development and creating drag lines”.^[1]CineStill’s website gives a nice little definition of bromide drag. It can be prevented by agitating film during development.

What confounded me at first was why the drag lines are concentric. I initially suspected that the lines may have been caused by X-ray exposure, but if that were the case, the lines would appear white and not black. Besides, these concentric lines only appear in a few photos and not the entire roll. The reason for the drag lines appearing as concentric circles is actually quite simple. I developed this roll using a Lab-Box. Whereas a standard Paterson tank holds the development reel on its side, Lab-Box holds the reel upright, like the wheel on a car. The film in the reel must have been cupping (curling width-wise across the negative), so that as the bromide slid down the negative, it also slid towards the middle, resulting in concentric circles.

These photos were shot at the Glenmore Reservoir. As I walked around the marina, I came across a grass field covered in small, overturned boats. My favourite is the Unsinkable VI. Presumably, the first five were not unsinkable!