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Film photography can be unpredictable. This bit of uncertainty is one of the pleasures winning over users from the sameness of crisp digital ubiquity. Using expired film takes this unpredictability and compounds it. Embrace the adventure.

Why does film expire?

Why film expires helps in understanding what kind of results to expect. When produced, film stock has a set sensitivity to light. This is measured in ISO or ASA for older films, and is a measurement of sensitivity to light… a film’s speed. The expiration date is when the manufacturer can assure the film has not lost it’s set sensitivity to light or ISO. Temperature, lighting, and humidity can affect the film and properly stored film can prolong the film’s rated ISO. Simply put, an expired roll of film rated 800 ISO may have a 400 ISO. With fresh film you can trust the film’s ISO value and you can’t when using expired film.

What to expect.

Properly stored film will degrade much more slowly, so film stored in hot environments will have significantly different results to film stored frozen. The primary effect of age on film is decreased sensitivity and contrast, increased grain, and color shifts.

Black-and-white film holds up much better since it has only a single layer emulsion, and no color dyes.

Color film dyes age and degrade differently, shifting colors in different ways, skewing towards blue and others toward magenta or yellow. Saturation can also be reduced, ranging from slightly muted colors to extreme desaturation bordering on selective color.

Also, film can be uneven with inconsistent grain, streaking and spotting. With paper-backed roll film, occasionally with paper-backed roll film, the paper marks can soak into the emulsion, leaving hints of the actual marketings and type from paper backing in the the finished images.

Tips for shooting expired Film

Pay attention to the film speed—slower films tend to fog less. High speed films (ASA 800 and up) may age very rapidly and even be unusably fogged after only a few decades.

Because expired film will be less sensitive to light, it is possible to simply rate the film slower. For example ISO 400 film can be shot at ISO 100. consider overexposing by one stop or compensating with more light than stated.

The rule of thumb for color negative film is to rate it one stop slower for every decade since it expired, assuming you don’t know the storage conditions. Every expired roll is its own unique beast, so results may vary.

I usually round down from the 1-stop-per-decade standard, meaning that I would expose ASA 400 for that expired 35 years ago as ASA 50, which is three stops slower. If I knew it had been frozen all that time, I’d probably rate it down one stop to ASA 200. If it was stored in a fridge or other cool, dry place, I’d split the difference and rate it at ASA 100.

Black-and-white film holds up much better since it has only a single layer of silver halides, and no color dyes. I would rate it down one stop for every two decades, meaning all of the above is basically halved. Under 20 years old, I’d likely expose it only one-third of a stop over or at box speed (the manufacturer’s recommended speed) if I knew it had been stored cold or frozen.

Slide film has less latitude than negative film, generally speaking, so nailing exposure is even more important for fresh or expired film. While I have had good luck with expired slide film, most avoid it.

“The blacks go to nothing. You can push it, you can pull it—it’s just bad,” says Frank. “I would steer anyone away from it if its origins and storage are unknown.”

Trial and error can help, though. If you can get multiple rolls of the same expired film, (same source, similar age, likely to have been stored together in the same conditions) you can experiment with one roll and refine.

Bracketing your shots on the first roll may give you a better chance of getting pleasing results on subsequent rolls. For expired film, bracket around the speed you plan to rate the film, or use normal, one stop over, and two stops over (instead of one over and one under).

When in doubt, overexpose. Negative films can handle quite a lot, and slide film generally tolerates overexposure better than underexposure.

Can I compensate with developing?

You sure can! Instead of overexposing the film, you can push it in development, and especially with extremely old film, you may want to use a combination of overexposure and push processing. Extremely old film is likely slow to begin with—ASA 50, 25, or even lower—so rating it down more than a couple stops might be difficult depending on your meter or camera.

Note that pushing can exacerbate grain and the effects of heavy fogging. Using developers with strong restrainers, such as HC-110 or Microphen, can help reduce the effects of fogging. Microphen may also be able to compensate for a half-stop or more of lost sensitivity.

The active ingredient in Kodak’s discontinued Anti-Fog No. 1 was benzotriozole, and if you can get your hands on some from a lab chemical supplier, you can mix a 0.2 percent solution and add 10–15 milliliters per liter to your developer to boost its restraining characteristics.

Some photographers swear by Diafine for very old films. Diafine is a two-part, self-arresting developer that will protect highlights while continuing to act on shadow detail. The effect is similar to that of stand developing in very dilute developer, but faster. Both techniques may increase grain and decrease contrast.

Presoaking your film a minute or three may also help developer penetrate the emulsion more quickly and evenly. You may also want to do a clip test on a thin strip cut from the end of the film.

Kodacolor II, ASA 80, expired 7/1977, storage unknown. I will probably rate this film at about ASA 10 when I expose it.

Daniel J. Schneider, used with permission

All of the above applies to black-and-white film or to developing color as black-and-white. For C-41 or E-6 films, you can ask a lab to push process, though most labs will only push by one or two stops. At home, consult your kit’s guide for push processing.

Lastly, cross-processing (developing color slide film as color negative and vice versa) may be an option. Color shifts are guaranteed (even with fresh film), but cross-processing can add contrast, particularly to expired slide film.

Tip #1 – Ignore that “best by” date and go out shooting

Well, you get more contrast and intense colors. Also, the colors can change a little bit. For example, If you had a light blue it can get a bit of purple; but this isn’t always true, they can change in different ways or they can stay the same. This is what makes expired film so exciting, the results may vary from one to another and the results can really surprise you!

When shooting with expired film, you never know what you’re going to get. You may even find your own unique style in photography. If you’re new to shooting expired film, here are some tips that could help you ease your way into it!

Storage
If you are not going to use the expired film yet, it is best to store it in a freezer until you’re ready to shoot. Storing expired film in cold temperatures will slow down the degradation process. For a quick guide, see the information below:

Low temperatures slow down film degradation.
High temperatures speed up film degradation.
Freezing stops the film degradation.
Humidity speed up film degradation.
Dry storage minimizes film degradation.

Load Immediately
Load the expired film into your camera immediately after removing it from its package. If the film is expired, there is a greater risk in exposing it and you may end up with blank prints. If your film came from the freezer, thaw it in room temperature first before loading it in the camera.

Some Tips
There may not be much difference between using fresh film and expired film as long as the expired film was stored properly. Expired film stored in the freezer can last for decades and you can still have great images. Below are some tips that you could use when shooting with expired film:

Use expired film with slower film speeds as they do not degrade as fast as higher film speeds. If you want an extreme outcome, higher film speeds are your best bet.
Avoid harsh lights when shooting since this can lead to distortions or light flares on your photos, unless that is what you’re after.
Cross-process for magical results!

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Before buying or bidding on expired film, lets talk about film type. Color Print Film (processed in C-41), Color Slide Film (processed in E-6) and BW film (traditional BW processing) are the most common auctions. You will see auctions for instant films and for unique stocks like infrared film. Use “The Google” to look up stocks you might not of heard of before to make sure that processing is still available.

Door # 1
What to look for when buying film on “the bay” ( http://www.ebay.com/ ) are professional photographers that have switched to digital and are cleaning out their fridges & freezers. These auctions are GOLD. Film could be 15+ years old and still great because these guys stored it properly. Most of these films were also “batch tested” by the seller. As I mentioned, these are the best auction for purchasing expired film.

Door #2
The 2nd type of auctions I look for are guys selling bulk CVS, WALGREENS or other off-brand films. Most big pharmacies are liquidating their 35mm film and are selling for well under the $5. per roll sticker price. Most of these films are stored at room temperature so, don’t buyer beware if the expiration date is pre-2007.

Door #3
The 3rd type of e-bay seller is the “I don’t know nuthin” guy. These sellers state that they know absolutely nothing about the product and have no idea how it was store or where it came from. This film was most likely stored in basements, attics and sock drawers and probably tortured in high temperatures. Buyers beware!

Regardless of what type of auction, don’t be afraid to ask the seller questions and/or try to find how the film was stored. If your into weird or funky film and want to take a chance on the “Type 3” e-bay seller, you might find that tortured film yields a desired effect!

The Final Door
The final door also happens to be The Best Door! Why? This is the door to the FPP Store where I’ve been compiling lots of expired film just for you! Not only do you get film batch-tested by yours truly, but you are also helping support the Film Photography Podcast by making this purchase! So, sashay over to the FPP Store to check out the current inventory! Expired 35mm (and fresh-dated) film https://filmphotographystore.com/collections/all/35mm-film

http://expiredfilmday.com/

@mgferrer it will need a lot more light than it is supposed to, but i can bet it’ll work properly… try to shoot it in a very sunny day or in a situation with a lot of light… you’ll probably need 2 or 3 iso steps lower… what’s its iso value?

but i’m sure it’ll work, look… @parky shot a 35 mm film that expired over 40 years ago! www.lomography.com/homes/parky/albums/1764455-the-spirit-of… and that’s a lot! that’s why it looks so grainy… but your film will look ok! 😀

Just about to start using some b&w and colour film that expired in 1959 & 1960. 400iso & 100iso speed. And how on earth do it drop it a few stops. I read you sould drop an f stop for each decade that the film expired??? So five f-stops.
Should i just hold out on using the film until the sun is shinning better and maybe just use it at its original iso setting, or half it????

Well, yeah you should use it in a very sunny day… About the one stop for every decade, it is an estimate and sometimes it may not be very accurate because it also depends on the conditions the film was storaged… You could use it with its original iso setting but you’ll need to remember to drop a few stops in every shot and never use the time and f number that your exposimeter says as it would give a dark picture…. That’s why it is easier to just set a different iso setting directly to your camera in order to shot as your exposimeter says… If you camera can’t do with low iso settings you’ll have to remember to drop stops in every shot… 5 stops seems to be ok, but you can experiment with 3 or 4 or even 6 in different shots and see what happens

What type of film do you have?

Your photos on cool stuff.