Is keeping the film in the fridge a myth?
I’m a latecomer on Substack but regarding photography, I discover more and more people using film. Some of them like
or are people with experience; some like are new to this craft. I’m happy to see new people having an interest so here is an advice about storing film.
Everybody is saying that storing the film in the fridge is a good thing. That’s ok but when buying film from a shop, the roll is handed to you from a normal shelf, not from a fridge. So what’s the story?
It is proved that by storing film in the fridge, will keep it fresh and significantly increase its lifespan. There are few scenarios here:
1. If you buy a roll of film with the intention to use it within a week, there’s no point in keeping the film in the fridge.
2. If someone will offer me a Tri-X, HP5, Neopan or even an APX for 5 euro a roll, I will buy 20 rolls straight away without blinking. But September is knocking at the door and that means the rugby season will start soon, so I will switch to digital camera and I will have less time to mess around with analog cameras. So what should I do with all that film? I will store it in the fridge until time comes to use it.
Few tips about keeping film in the fridge:
- Keep the film in its original case, store it unopened to protect against humidity;
- Make sure the temperature is 13 degrees Celsius or lower;
- Keeping the film in the freezer is possible (especially if you want to keep it for longer than 6 months) but it is recommended to be in a tightly sealed container or a ziplock bag together with a silica gel that absorbs humidity;
- If you take the film out the freezer, it is best to keep it in the fridge for minimum 24 hours before using for a safest warm-up;
- It is recommended not to use the film straight from the fridge but let it at room temperature for few hours before use to avoid condensation.
All of the above are valid for unexposed film. If film is exposed but unprocessed it can be kept in the fridge for up to 6 months, personally I wouldn’t keep in the freezer.
A final note: I used expired film that was kept in the fridge for 2 years and had no problems.
Cool post and good advices! I personally haven’t kept any of my rolls in the fridge so far. It’s also true I don’t shoot analog so often, unfortunately. I think I just have a couple of Fomapan (probably expired) I will try to use as soon as possible
Huh, that’s so useful, I had no idea. Thanks for sharing