I love shooting expired film. Expired film stocks offer you unmatched photographic beauty, but you need to know how to handle them.
I shoot expired film on a regular basis. I’ve always got my eye out for anything past its prime from expired black and white film to gimmick disposable cameras from the ’80s.
There is a rush in shooting with the unknown that I want to share with you.
First, you need to know that there are major differences between fresh film and expired film. I’ll take you through what they are plus share a bunch of helpful tips.
This guide will have you shooting expired film like a seasoned Lomo photographer in no time!
What Is Expired Film and Why Do People Use It?
Shot on expired 110 film, which really worked to capture the haunting nature of an abandoned building receding into the fog. One of my all-time favorite shots I’ve taken.
This little fact might have slipped by most modern, digital photographers, but photographic film has an expiration date.
Film is typically set to expire two years after production – but this doesn’t mean you can’t shoot with it!
The expiration date is there for two main purposes. It lets you, the photographer, know how long you can expect the film to retain the speed printed on the box.
The expiration date is also there to protect the manufacturer by effectively saying, “Hey, if you shoot this film past its expiration date, it’s not our fault if it comes out kinda weird.”
The good news is that the drop off in speed and image quality tends to be gradual, with some expired film stocks lasting for decades.
Photographers like myself love shooting with expired film for a variety of reasons.
Personally, I love the unique aesthetic it lends to my photos, the challenge of shooting with something unknown, and the fact that it keeps my work as a photographer in touch with the roots of our art form.
How Long is Expired Film Good for?
Image Credit – Chay García
You’ll often see film photography guides telling you that film goes bad after two years, but – to be honest – they have no idea what they are missing out on!
Photographic film can last for decades with varying levels of decay depending on how it was stored, but more on that later.
I’ve shot 30-year-old film that was only slightly grainier than brand-new film stock – and that might have just been a photographer error!
With that said, it’s time I talked about how expired film will affect your pictures.
How Does Expired Film Affect Image Quality?
Image Credit – Jeehead 999
The first thing to consider is image quality. In a world of crystal-clear digital resolution, there’s something warm and charming about the natural grain of a photograph.
Here are a few major changes you see when shooting with expired films.
- Lower light sensitivity: The most predictable change in expired film is lower light sensitivity. In general, you will lose about 1 stop of sensitivity for every 10 years the film is past the expiration date.
- Shifts in color: Color and tones can shift in expired film. This has a wide range of effects, ranging from color softening to major shifts in tone and temperature.
- Light leaks: Light leaks can happen when the film roll itself is damaged. You might find a little splash of light on a few frames or even solid lines running through your shots.
- Grain: As film ages, the grain becomes more apparent. This gets more pronounced when shooting on smaller film stocks like 110.
- Loss of color: As mentioned before, film socks like Kodachrome 40 can no longer be developed in color, but you might experience a total loss in color when shooting with an especially old or damaged film that can only be safely developed in B&W.
- Damage and decay: The harshest – and sometimes the most fun- change in expired film is damage and decay. This is very rare, but if you’re lucky, you might find holes, decay, or ripples in film that was poorly stored or extremely old.
One thing to keep in mind is that, besides lower light sensitivity, all of these other changes have more to do with storage conditions than age.
It’s just that with age, the odds of poor storage go up.
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How Do You Shoot Expired Film?
I shot this on a Photo Expressions Halloween disposable camera that had been expired for a little over three decades.
Here is the single most important thing to know about shooting expired film. This is true for black and white, color, and expired slide film:
For every ten years the film has been expired, you need to treat it as if it were one stop slower than the speed printed on the box.
For example: An 800 ISO film that expired 20 years ago should be shot at 200 ISO.
This isn’t so much a rule as it is a guideline that will make sure you get the best exposure with your old film.
Shooting Expired Black And White Film
Expired black-and-white film is going to be the most resilient. This is because the developing process for black-and-white photography is less risky when compared to the process for developing color film.
In my experience, black-and-white film stocks also tend to age a bit more gracefully.
Even poorly stored expired black-and-white film tends to render a higher contrast image rather than something that is much more distorted.
Shooting Expired Color Film
Color film tends to encounter more problems with age due to its increased chemical complexity and the more involved developing process.
This means that, in addition to reduced speed, you’re also going to encounter problems like softening of color and even changes of tone.
You might also experience blobs of color throughout your images if the film was exposed to water or chemicals.
The effects tend to either offer a faded, nostalgic vibe or something much more experimental. Have fun with expired color film and get creative to take advantage of those effects.
What About Expired Slide Film?
Image Credit – Markus Spiske
Slide film is notoriously fickle even when it is fresh from the manufacturer. Handling expired slide film requires that much more sensitivity.
Color slide film creates a positive instead of a negative. This means the colors on the developed film are accurate to what your eyes see rather than inverted like you would get with negative film.
My best advice for shooting expired slide film is to really focus on controlling your exposure.
Expired slide film might not be the best choice for shooting in complicated lighting conditions or if you’re not totally sure about what your exposure should be.
Where Do You Get Expired Film?
Image Credit – Jakob Owens
I’m going to level with you. The most difficult part of shooting with expired film can sometimes be finding it in the first place.
This might sound a little counterintuitive, but over the last few years, we’ve seen a surge of interest in film photographers experimenting with expired film stocks.
You used to be able to buy expired film for next to nothing in bulk quantities because no one wanted it. Now that it’s trendy, the prices have gone up accordingly.
You can still find great deals on expired film especially when you’re shopping around locally. Manufacturers also offer discounts on their expired film stock since they are in the business of fresh film.
I recommend checking out local listings like Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist in addition to keeping an eye on sales from film manufacturers and local camera stores.
Does It Matter How Expired Film Was Stored?
Image Credit – Annie Spratt
The most important thing when it comes to preserving the quality of any photographic film is to store it properly. Improperly stored film can be aged into oblivion even if it’s only a few years old.
You need to store all of your film and a sealed container away from light, high temperatures, and moisture.
I store all of my film in a sealed container, in ziplock bags, in my fridge. This keeps it in a temperature controlled environment that is far away from light and moisture resistant.
There’s no telling how expired film was stored. The seller might claim that it’s been stored in a climate-controlled environment, but that could only be referring to the time that they’ve owned the film and not the years or decades before they got their hands on it.
If you want to have a little fun, you can see how poor storage conditions can age film by shooting a roll and then soaking it in a film soup.
This emulates the effects of moisture, changes in chemistry, and heat damage in a matter of hours.
Are There Expired Film Stocks That Can’t Be Developed?
Yes and no. There are film stocks, like the once-famous Kodachrome 40, that can no longer be developed using conventional methods. The chemistry needed to develop these film stocks simply isn’t made anymore.
These “abandoned” film stocks can still be developed thanks to how color film is made.
This is a bit of a technical oversimplification, but each roll of color film has a B&W layer hiding underneath. Nearly all color film can be processed as black and white with results that look great even after decades.
Developing in black and white is also a great choice for old and damaged film stocks. I’ve personally developed expired, flood-damaged color film as black and white, and it came out looking great!
7 Tips for Shooting with Expired Film
Image Credit – Markus Spiske
If you’re reading this guide, you’ve probably already got a role of expired film that you’re dying to shoot.
Here are seven tips that’ll help you get the best quality and most beautiful shots out of your expired roll.
1. Adjust Your Speed
I can’t state this rule enough. For every ten years your film has been expired, you want to drop the ISO by one stop.
Film loses sensitivity to light over time which means that you need to shoot that film as if you were shooting with slower films rather than using the box speed.
2. Shoot a Test Roll
If you’re lucky enough to have multiple rolls of expired film from the same batch, then you can choose to shoot a test roll.
This is one of the best ways to give yourself some protection, but to be honest, I’ve only done this once or twice.
Expired film is just too valuable to me to shoot a dedicated test roll.
The results you get from expired film also vary greatly, and it’s hard to be certain that two rolls from the same brand with the same expiration date also had the same storage condition over all these long years.
3. Bracket Your Shots
In my experience shooting with expired film, bracketing my shots gives me better results than trying to shoot with test rolls.
Bracketing involves taking three pictures of the same scene. The first is underexposed by a stop, the second has the correct exposure, and the third is slightly overexposed.
I bracket my shots whenever I come across a scene that I absolutely need to get right when shooting expired film stocks.
I don’t do this for every shot, but I do bracket my shots every time I know I’d be kicking myself if the shot didn’t turn out properly exposed.
4. Store Cold
Film loves to be stored in the fridge or in the freezer. I have an entire crisper drawer set aside for film.
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You can also store your film in a mini fridge, on a shelf in your freezer, or even in a dedicated chest freezer if you have a king’s ransom in film.
Keeping your film cool is the best way to prevent the negative effects that come with film aging.
5. Let Your Film Warm Up
If you’re going the cold stored route, you want to make sure you let it warm up to room temperature before you shoot.
Shooting film that is still frozen or too cold can lead to cracks, breaks, and jams inside your camera.
6. Good Lighting is Key
Expired film is much more sensitive to lighting conditions than fresh film. You want to make sure that you’re always shooting under the best possible lighting and getting the right exposure every time.
I use a Sekonic exposure meter when shooting expired just to make sure I’ve got things right.
7. Don’t Wait to Develop
My last tip for shooting expired film is to get it developed quickly. This film is already aged past its prime and you don’t want to put any more stress on that film than necessary.
I know we’ve all got rolls of film lying around that we haven’t sent off to the lab, but you really want to make sure that you’re sending your expired film to be developed right after it’s shot.
FAQ
Should you push or pull expired film?
Pushing can be beneficial for expired film as it helps to compensate for underexposed shots. Expired film rarely requires pulling unless you’re certain that you overexposed your shots, but this is very rare in the case of film that is past its expiration date.
Can you use 20-year expired film?
You can use 20-year expired film. All you need to do is decrease the ISO by two stops to compensate for the loss of light sensitivity. When properly stored, you can use old film no matter how many decades old it is.
Can expired 35mm film be developed?
Almost all expired 35mm film can be developed. Even color film from manufacturers that no longer make the chemistry needed to develop it can still be developed by using a black-and-white process instead of a color process.
Does expired film look better?
Expired film has its own unique look and aesthetic that many film photographers find beautiful. Your mileage may vary depending on the quality of your expired film, the particular aesthetic you’re going after, and your photography.
Wrapping Up Shooting With Expired Film
You’ve now got all the basic skills you’re going to need to start working with expired photographic film. This is an exciting way to get in touch with the material and chemical process behind all photography.
I’ll often throw a roll of expired film in my camera bag when I’m going out on a shoot. If I’m feeling inspired or something catches my eye, I’ve always got an expired roll of film ready to have some fun with.
Let me know down in the comments if you have any more questions about film photography or expired film, and I’ll get to those in a future guide.
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