Expired film? Yes please.

I'm really happy how this frame turned out. The scans showcased in this blog are pretty bang on to what the prints look like.

Last year, a fellow photographer gifted me a Minolta Maxxum 7000i in mint condition. It came with seven unboxed expired rolls of Kodak Gold. It's hard to pinpoint exactly how dated these films are because Kodak has that date on the box. The camera still held an unfinished roll in it, which I had developed and printed. By the looks of the images I discovered; some kind of family gathering, I estimate these rolls to be at least 20 years old. I didn't put much intention into shooting these films and forgot about them. Instead, I got a few fresh rolls of black and white Ilford film to test out my "new" camera.

There's such a distinctive and unique quality to these images. They really do look like they were captured decades ago and not last month.

Last month, we set up camp in Port Renfrew with our van for the week. I figured this was my opportunity to give these rolls a shot. The thing is, I was already riding the analog wave, feeling high on my renewed sense of awe for film photography. That Minolta blows my mind: it's such a great camera and I'll take any opportunity to get my hands on it. I haven't shot film in over 15 years so I'm like a kid at the playground. There's a strong sentimental and nostalgic appeal there for me: my dad handed me his Minolta in '92 when I was 15 and that's where things really started for me as a photographer.

I had my partner run down onto the beach to get those gulls in flight mode for this shot. This naturally high contrasted scene really works well with aged film.

So what does happen when a roll of film expires?

• Sensitivity to light decreases: underexposure is likely

• Grain becomes more noticeable

• Dyes and contrast fade making images look flat and dull

• Color shifts

Knowing this, the trick is to compensate and work with these attributes. Overexposing is key. Naturally occuring contrasted scenes such as silhouettes, pops of vivid colour or well defined highlights may work in producing aesthetic results, although nothing is guaranteed with expired film.

These silhouettes wrapped in dramatic lighting really suit expired film.

Shooting with expired film is a risk: you're taking a ride into unknown territory and letting go of expectations. The notion of control as a photographer is limited, there's only so much you can do. Most of what I shot so far with these rolls is wasted and cannot be saved. But I knew what I was getting myself into. I'll adapt and learn how to make the best of these films, one roll at a time. And by the time I've nailed it, I won't have any left...

This image originated from the roll of film which had been left in the camera, for probably more than 20 years. There were a few frames left so I captured this shot of my cat. Notice how the dyes have completely faded, making this seem almost like black and white film. The grain is next level too.

I couldn't resist an old school mirror selfie.

Two down, five to go. I was recently gifted a Nikon F80 that I'm testing out at the moment with one of these rolls. But this time around, I'm putting way more intention into finding suitable subjects.

I'm always up for a photography challenge, and I'm definitely here for this one.

Feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section.

Scroll all the way down!

And again, thanks for reading real human writing:)

Photography Workshops

Check out my other blog posts