I think one of the most disappointing things that could possibly happen in film photography is getting your photos developed and finding out that they have been ruined by light leaks. This happened to me when I traveled to a few cities in Europe back in 2018. I brought my flash Fujica AF which is a not a focus point and shoot camera from the late 70s. I used it a few times before and there wasn't anything wrong with it. It was only after I got home from a trip when I found out that the camera's light seals have deteriorated a lot which caused some of my travel photos to have light leaks. I no longer feel bad about it though. This wasn't the only camera that I brought back then with me and it was only supposed to be a fun walk around type of camera in addition to my Minolta SRT202 and digital camera. Plus, in the times when it worked properly, I still got some pretty nice photos. I have since retired this camera and replaced it with a newer version, the Fujica Auto 7 QD which is currently my go-to point and shoot camera. Light leaks are somewhat inevitable when it comes to film photography. This is because images are captured on film by means of exposing light sensitive material to light. Briefly speaking, to get a properly exposed image, we controlled the amount of light that hits the film through the lens aperture and camera shutter speed. Any uncontrolled light that hits the film will result in this burnt look which was generally frowned upon. However, as film cameras get damaged, older and deteriorate over time, they become more prone to light leaks. While I was traveling in London in 2019, I bought this old Soviet camera called the Lomo 135 BC from Mr. Cat because I found it quite interesting. It is a fully mechanical camera produced in the late 70s which was around the same time when cameras like the Fujica Auto Focus cameras were being produced. Both have automatic film advanced systems, however, while the Fujica Auto Focus cameras use the motorized film advanced system powered by 2 AA batteries, the Lomo 135 BC does not use any batteries at all. It advances its film by means of clockwork. I mean how steam punk is that. Basically, you set the camera's driving gears by winding this knob on the top until it stops. This then lets you take photos while automatically advancing the film to the next frame. This happens until the gears fully unwined, then you just have to wind the knob again. Every time I get a new camera, I see to it that I tested first before I do anything serious with it. Usually I'd load it up with cheap film and just take random photos. So I loaded my Lomo 135 BC with a roll of Fujifilm C200 which is currently one of the last surviving budget film stocks. However, since I was traveling, my test happened during a photo walk down Greenwich which didn't really feel like a test at all. Again, don't worry though, this wasn't the only camera that I took with me just in case. Anyway, it turns out that the camera had some weak parts in it where the light can come in and cause light leaks. I also filmed cameras for possible light leaks. If you have access to a camera repair shop, get it CLA'd, or perhaps use tape to block openings that could cause light leaks. Unless, you deliberately want your photos to have light leaks. A lot of the photos that I took that have light leaks still look great to me and I'm not the only one who might think this way. If you search Instagram for the hashtag light leaks or light leaks, you'll come across hundreds of thousands of photos that have light leaks in them. Heck, there are camera apps that offer digital filters that alter images to have light leaks. It's quite amusing to think that camera designers and engineers have poured so much effort into mitigating light leaks that they have since become unheard of in modern digital cameras only to have people adding them back again as edits and posts. Light leaks, dust, grain, color shifts, these have since become part of the film aesthetic which many try to recreate in their digital images. Perhaps to give character to the sometimes clinical look of digital images or just to appear hip and cool. Perhaps it could also be from wanting our photos to have the same nostalgic feeling we get from looking back at our childhood film photos. Who knows? What I like from this is the message that some of us can still appreciate the beauty in what others may view as damaged things, that something imperfect can be desired, and flaws are only flaws when labelled as such. So go ahead, pick up that old film camera and charge its unpredictability. Hello everyone, it's Bon and thank you very much for watching my video, especially if you've reached this far. Thank you very much. If you liked it, please go ahead and give it a thumbs up. And if you haven't subscribed yet, please do. I will try to make more videos I promise. We just reached a thousand subs in this channel and it's not a lot but hey, it motivates me to make more videos. So I really appreciate you, especially if you are one of my subscribers. So what do you all think about light leaks? Have you ever taken a photo that you think was ruined by them? Let me know in the comment section below. For myself, I think I'm starting to warm up with the idea of light leaks. I mean, as long as they don't fully destroy the image or anything like that, if you know what I mean, everything in moderation, right? So let me end this video by saying thank you and happy holidays. I wish you all the best and I'll see you all in the next video. Cheers. Misha, you're on my table. Thank you. Thank you.