Once upon a time I shot a roll of expired Agfa Vista 100 and it was amazing. So amazing, in fact, that I proceeded to buy a buttload of it… Exactly how much a buttload is, I’m not really sure. Let’s just say it was a LOT and for real cheap.
As fate would have it, the next roll I shot wasn’t so amazing. Or, at least, it wasn’t what I was expecting. And if you have any experience with expired film, you know the biggest no-no you could have is expectations. Of any kind.
So this was it. My gravy train of amazingness at the low cost of $2.50 was coming to a screeeeeching halt. I shot roll after roll of this stuff, and each time the color shifted into a spectrum of post-apocalyptic yellows and greens. Kinda cool, until I tried to take some portraits with it.
But the photos I shot while snooping around the Harlowe House? Well, those turned out pretty amazing afterall.
Big thanks to the Harlowe dudes for not being weirded out by my love affair with their home.
Anne
on April 9, 2012 10:23 amOh yeah, those tones are amazing for interior shots! Do you have any rolls left I could buy from you? #4 and 5 turned out awesome!
Kim
on April 9, 2012 12:31 pmThanks Anne! I have one roll left, but you don't have to buy it from me, you can just have it! It cost me less than $3 for Pete's sake. :)
Anne
on April 21, 2012 10:39 amAh, I just saw this reply. I'm bad at going back to check replies. Thanks, if you still have it, that would be awesome!
Are we neighbors yet? The grey cat is waiting for someone besides me to take his photo.
Kim
on April 23, 2012 11:20 pmYES! We are! We just got over the moving hump today and are all moved in -- we just have to go clean the old place by Sunday. Also, while packing I found another roll of the expired Agfa for you! We will have to have a Crema date soon, after things settle back into 'normal.' :)
T.
on April 9, 2012 1:51 pmAmazing :)
I have some expired Kodak film I was thinking of using, now you have inspired me :) T.
M.
on April 9, 2012 10:36 pmI like the yellow, it sets the mood :)
Jenny from the Bluff
on April 10, 2012 1:35 pmIt just so happens I have a TON of expired film in my fridge. We (my boyfriend and I) have an Olympus OM1 and play around with it from time to time. We have about 11 roles of film that we shot in Spain and can't bring ourselves to develop them. Why, you might ask. It's simply because I don't want to hand them over to Walgreens or Walmart and have them destroy them. Do you have any suggestions on where to get them developed? I'm a little tempted to buy the developer and do it myself but the film scanners are expensive and I don't have the room (or level of awesomeness) to make my own black room. And I love your pictures (but that's not new). My favorite is of the mustache coffee mug and soap. The grain is gorgeous and gives it an awesome feel. Superb. Thanks for being you and posting awesome stuff to your blog.
Kim
on April 11, 2012 12:53 pmHey Jenny! 11 rolls from Spain... Dang. That sounds AWESOME! And I totally understand your trepidation. The only time I put my film in the hands of a drug store lab is when I'm testing a new camera and crank out a roll just to make sure the camera works. And usually it turns out fine (USUALLY) but when it comes to photos you might cherish forever, you definitely don't want to take any chances.
There's a lab up here in Portland that I go to sometimes called Blue Moon Camera & Machine. Everyone there is deeply in love with film and very serious about being professional. They have a mail-order service where you can send them your film to be developed/printed, it's what I would recommend from my own personal experience with them (but also noting that I don't have any experience with any labs outside of Portland). You can check out the info about their mail order service here: https://www.bluemooncamera.com/send_film.php They also have great customer service in case you want to shoot them any q's beforehand -- I've emailed them questions about special types of film and got an answer back same-day!
A couple other mail-in labs I've heard good things about but never tried myself are:
https://www.richardphotolab.com/
https://www.prophotoirvine.com/
Good luck!!
Laney Butler
on April 17, 2012 8:12 pmNice mood to these!
Katie
on April 18, 2012 1:07 pmLovely golden light. Really adds to the nostalgic feel that film gives!