Using Expired Film

I like perusing my collection of photos taken on expired film. Looking at their qualities; their grain, their color tones and of course contrast. There is some magic in these images. Sometimes it’s the enormous saturation of red on a grey field, sometimes it’s a shade of blue, and others simply the dark contrast on white.

I buy a lot of expired film. The age of the film can vary; 5 to 25 years. I process the rolls myself and then I scan my own developed film. Many times I have to seriously tweak using Adobe to bring out what I want from what I’ve taken, correcting their color, saturation, contrast, lighting, etc.

These images don’t really get much attention on my Flickr feed. Yet, there are several groups that use expired film in their photography. And they can produce some very attractive results.

Here are some of the results I like for myself.

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crane

A view of the construction site at the Södertälje Canal.

Nikon F4
AF NIKKOR 50mm 1:1.4 D
Fotolabo Club FLC24 ISO200, expired 08/2007
Digibase C-41 @ 37.8℃
Canon CanoScan 9000F Mark II

 

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💙  blue heart

Some local graffiti found along the lakeside walk in Farsta Strand, Sweden.

Nikon F4
Nikon AF NIKKOR 50mm f/1.4 D
Kodak Ultra 400, expired 2007
Digibase C-41 @ 37.8℃
Canon CanoScan 9000F Mark II

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waiting for the empty cars to drive by

This is a photo of an officer of the Swedish police standing at an intersection in front of the palace in Stockholm.

Behind him you can see a motorcade coming towards the intersection. The cars are empty, because they have just returned from dropping the Prince and Princesses of Sweden off at the palace.

Nikon FG-20
50mm Nikon Series E
Kodak Supra 100 ASA, expired
Canon CanoScan 9000F

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glasses; empty, full

Nikon FG-20
Nikon Series E Lens 50mm f/1.8
Kodak Supra ASA100, expired

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tracks in the seasons first snow 2018/2019

Mamiya M645 1000s
Mamiya Sekor C 80mm f/1.9
Kodak Tri-X 400TX, expired 05/2010
Adonal, 1:25, 7:30 min @ 20℃
Canon CanoScan 9000F Mark II

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chicken wings

Nikon Pronea S
Nikon IX-Nikkor Zoom 30-60mm f/4-5.6
FujiFilm Nexia ISO200 APS, expired

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grass

Mamiya M645 1000s
Mamiya Sekor C 80mm f/1.9
Kodak Portra 400VC, expired 11/2005
Digibase C-41 3.25 min @ 38.7℃
Canon CanoScan 9000F Mark II

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