Whether you find it in an attic at home, flea market, or even at online vendors, expired film is out there and ready to be used. Although the word ‘expired’ might give some photographers pause, there are advantages to shooting and developing it that newer films can’t provide.
Digital photography has now almost entirely replaced film for everyday use, and film production has shrunk as a result. But stragglers from this era, unused and expired, preserved in their original packaging, have survived. These unused rolls, stuffed in the back of a closet or expiring in a warehouse, are still there, waiting to be found at a relative’s or estate sale.
Wherever you go to find them, it’s best to have an idea of what year the roll was made in. This makes it easier to compensate for the expiration. For the same reason, buyers should also learn the conditions under which the film was stored. Both of these things will affect the degradation and eventual image of your expired film. The older the roll is, and the hotter its storage conditions (frozen is ideal), the more the film will have degraded before being loaded in your camera.
Despite being expired, it’s important to note that this film is not necessarily spoiled. If you don’t know any of the above, you won’t know be able to predict the result. But once it’s developed, you will get one. Remember, what makes expired film fun and worthwhile are the changes put on by age, not the clear photo it would’ve produced decades ago.
How do I shoot expired film?
Although it sounds daunting, the process itself is quite simple. Generally, film loses one stop of exposure for every decade it’s aged, meaning you need to compensate for the reduced sensitivity. You can do this one of two ways: shooting at a slower speed or pushing in development. If a roll of film is 200 ISO and a decade old, treat it as if it were 100 ISO instead. Or, shoot it normally and leave it in the development tank for longer. This is a general rule, but there is some dispute about its effectiveness and precision. Ultimately, experimentation is your friend.
Beyond that, there isn’t much more you can do. Over time, the dyes in the emulsion layer that, in the case of C41 color film, “contains” your photo will have broken down. Magenta, cyan, or yellow will be favored as one or both of the other two fade away. If you don’t know much about your expired roll, it’ll be hard to predict the final result. These variables can be fun for their own sake, but don’t do much if you’re looking for something reliable. Bring your expired roll of film to picnic day with friends, not your sister’s wedding.
I’ll be talking mostly about expired color film (C41), and all photos here are my own C41 developments. However, aging applies to black-and-white as well, albeit less dramatically, and can produce novel results even without a change in color dyes.
Experimenting with old film
This brings me to the first pro of expired film: it’s great for experimentation! I first got my hands on expired film (20+ rolls, courtesy of my grandmother) as I was learning film development. These rolls were free and, due to their storage, not expected to have kept their original quality. So, any potential mistakes as I learned how to develop were of much lower consequence.
This is especially true for home development. I developed my film in my basement, which is far from a clean and sterile environment. Once, I even did it in my bathroom! I use a kettle to heat the water bath, which warms my developer, and the ventilation is questionable at best. All of this leads to a less precise development, which makes C41 film very unhappy.
If properly furnished spaces and facilities are not available, quality will suffer as you figure out how to make do. I’m thankful for all the rolls of old film that suffered for my gain.
Pushing film to compensate for lost sensitivity is another potential complication. Although this process is similar to regular development, the extra time in the development tank is an extra variable that brings its own opportunities for failure or mistakes. Pushing also makes the film’s “grain” more prominent, which is important to keep in mind whether or not you see it as a plus.
For the most adventurous among us, degradation from age is a potential complement to souping your film. I haven’t gone down this route myself, but the color shifts, skewed lighting, and fragility of the expired film will inevitably compound with whatever you’ve cooked your film in.
The cost of film
As said above, I got my expired film from my grandmother. Odds are, someone in your life who was taking photos before the digital era may also have some lying around. If not there, estate sales or even junk stores could have some. Facebook marketplace is a good place to find people looking to get rid of old film stock, and some online retailers specialize in it.
Let’s face it, film is expensive. Anything to curtail the cost is welcome. Instead of coveting every frame on a roll, the expired film gives you something that regular film does not: expendability. With the lower price point and unreliable quality, you’ll feel a lot less guilty taking that extra photo or even getting the focus, exposure, etc. wrong. Your wallet will thank you. Or you can just spend the money you saved on more films.
The look of the photos
Whether taken as a pro or a con, your photos shot on expired film won’t look like photos taken on a fresh roll. If the color hasn’t shifted dramatically, you can still bet on a weaker capture of light. But just as film photography has its own quirks in relation to digital, the aging effects are there to be embraced!
The look that comes from these photos is incredibly nostalgic. Let’s forget for a second that people weren’t using expired film in the 80s and that the film I’m using is actually from the 2000s. Instead, focus on the photos themselves: the flatter wash they produce and their blown-out blacks and whites are all reminiscent of older, poorer technology. These images look like something recovered from a basement, sealed off long ago. If you’re still learning the specifics of at-home development, like me, they could be covered with accidental scratches. But try and avoid the scratches.
If you’re lucky, you may even find some with enough damage that the color shift makes your image hard to see at all. Sure, it may not produce the photo you had in mind, but that near-abstract, all-green photo will draw eyes from across the room.
So, expired film?
In the end, whether or not you shoot with an expired film is up to you. If you’re looking for a precise, crisp image, exactly as you saw in your viewfinder, then all of these pros are cons. Don’t expect one to behave like the other. There are also some things to watch out for in your shooting and development. If it’s old enough, film speed might be rated with a different system than ISO, which will require some conversion. The older color film might not necessarily be C41, either. ECN-2 film, which can be confused with C41, has different development needs that can damage your developer chemicals.
Ultimately, if you’re dealing with anything out-of-production, you’ll need to do your research. This isn’t a reason not to shoot expired film, but it is a reason to be careful.
So if you have expired film, shoot it. Then, develop it. If you don’t, go find some and repeat the two steps above. Keep an open mind, and don’t be afraid to waste a few frames, or even a few rolls, on testing. I know this is hard for photographers, but if you can embrace the unpredictability of expired film, you’re set to make something really unique.