How to Shoot Expired Film
Shot on Konica Centuria 200 with an expiry date of 06/2002, to get a proper exposure this was shot at ISO 50. The degradation of the film over time has given the image a strong magenta cast.
In last week’s blog I mentioned some of the drawbacks of shooting with film, one of those I did not mention is that film has an expiry date. This will typically be a few years after the film is manufactured and after that it will steadily lose its sensitivity to light. What this means is that if you shoot this film at box speed (the original ISO of the film) you will have an underexposed image. It is also worth noting that film has specific storage requirements, that it be kept in a cool location to preserve them. Typically, they will be kept in a fridge (or sometimes freezer for long term storage) and this will make them last for as long as possible. Film exposed to heat (and X-rays) can develop other interesting effects through degradation, where you may see big colour shifts or more prominent grain (see the photo above).
So why would you want to shoot expired film? In the past, expired (or improperly stored) film would have been a real nuisance as you would typically see degraded image quality ruining shots of your holiday or trip to the zoo. However, the person who shoots film today is not the same as the person who shot film twenty years ago. Shooting film is now seen as a more fun, less serious activity and the new younger generation of film photographers (like myself) enjoy using expired film for its often random and unpredictable effects. It can add an extra bit of enjoyment when you really do not know what to expect when you receive your developed film.
A selection of films that have long since expired. Note the Konica on the left has 24 shots on the roll whilst the one on the right has 36. Both have a box speed of 200 ISO. 135 indicates it is 35mm film.
Another key reason to shoot expired film is that many of the film stocks from the old days are no longer manufactured, so this is the only way to shoot them. In addition, you may be like me where you have found some old film in a box that a family member bought and never used. Would be a shame for this film to go to waste!
So, if film does lose its sensitivity to light over time, how do you shoot expired film? Thankfully, there is a simple rule to remember which is to shoot at one stop overexposed for every decade the film has expired. If your film is within two years of expiry, then you are probably ok shooting it at box speed (if it has been stored properly). If it is more than two years and less than ten years, then use the rule of thumb as a sliding scale; e.g. if it expired five years ago then shoot it half a stop overexposed.
The best way to calculate the exposure changes is through changing the ISO. ISO is essentially the sensitivity rating of a film to light – higher ISO film is more sensitive to light (needing less light to get a properly exposed image) and lower ISO film will be less sensitive to light (needing more light to get a properly exposed image). By shooting an expired film at a lower ISO than its box speed you are increasing the amount of light hitting the film and overcoming its lower sensitivity.
The expiry date of a film would be printed on the outside of the box. As it is twenty years expired this would need exposing at ISO 50 to obtain a correct exposure.
Let us go through an example. You have a film stock that is rated at 400 ISO. If you wanted to shoot it one stop under-exposed you would shoot it at 800 ISO and if you wanted to shoot it one stop over-exposed you would shoot it at 200 ISO. If your film was ten years expired you would shoot it at 200 ISO (1 stop overexposed), if it was twenty years expired you would shoot it at ISO 100 (two stops overexposed) and if it was thirty years expired (!) you would shoot it at ISO 50 (three stops overexposed). The key advantage of changing the ISO for this calculation is that your camera’s light meter will function correctly based on the exposure you are trying to reach.
It is important to remember though that when you get the film developed it must be developed at its original box speed to get the desired effect. For example If you shot ISO 200 film at ISO 50 and then had it developed at ISO 50, it would come out as underexposed as you have negated your compensation for the film’s loss of light sensitivity. You would want it to be developed at ISO 200.
Relegated to being a shelf ornament, expired Kodachrome cannot be used as the chemicals needed to process the film are also no longer produced.
If you have found a box of old slides in your parents’ attic, there is a good chance that these slides were shot with Kodachrome. This is perhaps the most famous and influential film stock ever made (unsurprisingly by Kodak), known for its sharpness and vivid but true to life colours. Kodachrome has not been manufactured in over a decade, so in theory this would be a prime candidate to shoot as an expired film and re-create the experience your parents and grandparents had. Unfortunately, Kodachrome required a completely different and unique development process (K-14), and the chemicals for this are also no longer manufactured. This means any remaining rolls, including the one I have on my shelf, are little more than ornaments, a relic from a bygone era. There is some hope this stock will return one day (like Kodak’s other popular slide film Ektachrome, though the E-6 development chemicals for this are still widely available) as there is an uptick in film usage, but it remains unlikely.
However, whilst Kodachrome remains out of the picture there are still plenty of other old stocks to choose from. If you can pick them up cheaply or for free, then do not be afraid to use them. You may not know what to expect but that really is the fun of it. Let me know your thoughts on using expired film in the comments below.
Shot on Fujifilm C200. As this film is less than two years expired the colours remain accurate, though it retains the green & magenta hues that Fujifilm are known for.
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