how to make LIght-leaks on film | Alison Hatch Photo

There’s something truly magical about light leaks on analog film. These happy little accidents bring warmth, spontaneity, and a dash of unpredictability to your images. If you're like me and love infusing creativity into your shots, intentionally making light leaks is such a fun way to experiment with film. It’s easy to do and adds a personal, artistic touch to your photography. Let’s talk about how you can make your own!

Full Sunlight Light Leaks

For the boldest, most dramatic leaks, use full sunlight. After you’ve loaded your roll, take a second to open the back of your camera just a crack—yes, on purpose! A quick flash of sunlight will dance across your film, creating vibrant bursts of orange, red, or yellow. You don’t need to overthink this—just a couple seconds, and you’re good! Remember, the longer it’s exposed, the more intense the leak will be. If you’re feeling extra creative, you can even try this after you’ve finished shooting the roll, for an even more unique blend of colors and patterns.

Light Leaks with Lamp Light  

If you want to experiment in lower light or at night, try using a lamp. Find a warm, soft light source and slightly expose your film to it, either before or after shooting. Lamp light tends to create softer, more subtle leaks—like faded washes of gold, pink, or even lavender. You can play with different lamp intensities and colors to see how the tone of light changes your leak. It's almost like painting with light, so have fun with it!

Pre- and Post-Shooting Leaks  

To pre or post leak a roll of film you will need to have access to the leader of your roll. If you have a setting on your camera (usually Canon) you can have the camera leave the leader out when the film is wound back into the roll after shooting/leaking. If you are a Nikon shooter like me, then that isn’t an option, and will have to manually extract the film from the roll. I like to use this FILM RETRIEVER. It’s under $10 and is pretty simple to use once you get the hang of it.

Light leaks pre-shooting give you an unpredictable, wild energy—big splashes of light that interact with your subject. If you leak after shooting, you’ll layer soft textures over your final frames, often resulting in whimsical, dream-like blurs of color at the edges. Try both methods and see how the timing affects your results!

What Light Leaks Look Like 

Light leaks can range from fiery, intense streaks to soft, gentle glow. Sometimes, they appear as colorful flares, while other times they can bleed into your image like a delicate watercolor painting. You never really know what you’ll get, and that’s half the fun. You’re not just taking a picture—you’re creating art in the moment.

HERE is a quick how-to video of light leaking a pre-exposed roll of film by lamp light that is really helpful.

Give it a try! It’s all about being playful and letting go of perfection. Happy shooting!

—Alison