I was dead wrong about using expired film

I always thought expired film was just a gimmick for hipsters to get weird colors. Then my buddy gave me a roll of 2004 Fuji Superia that had been sitting in his hot car for years. Loaded it into my Canon AE-1 last weekend and shot some photos at the park near my house. Those grainy, shifted greens actually gave the pictures a mood I can't get with fresh stock. Anyone else tried old film and been surprised by the results?

2 comments

2 Comments

sage_perry7h ago

Oh man, that's exactly how it went for me too. I'd say just keep it simple - store expired rolls in your fridge and let them warm up slow before you shoot. That way you get the weird colors without the extra grain from heat damage.

jennifer_west18h ago

You were super skeptical too? I had the exact same reaction when someone first told me about expired film. I thought it was just a way to charge extra for messed up photos. Then I tried a roll of Kodak Gold from the 90s that my uncle had in his closet, and the colors were this weird vintage yellow-green that looked amazing. It's like the film has its own personality you can't plan for. Definitely changed my mind about it being just a gimmick.