I finally caught my mistake with expired film after 4 years

I've been shooting expired film for years, mostly stuff I grab at garage sales in Portland for like $2 a roll. Last month I developed a roll from 2007 and every frame came out way too dark, even at box speed. Then it hit me: I never adjusted for the age, I just shot it like it was fresh the whole time. I checked my notes from all those other rolls and sure enough, same issue. Anyone else make this classic blunder or just me?

2 comments

2 Comments

sage523d ago

Did you ever check the battery in your camera during those four years? A weak meter would make you underexpose everything, not just the old rolls.

river_bailey23d ago

Hitting the nail on the head here, but it makes me wonder about all the other little things we blame when the real issue is staring us in the face. Like, how often do we swap out a part or change a habit before checking the simplest explanation first? I've seen friends replace whole cameras over a dusty lens, or toss a pair of shoes because the laces kept breaking, when a fresh pair of laces would've done the trick. It's like we want the big dramatic fix instead of just doing the boring maintenance. But hey, at least you didn't end up with four years of blurry family photos like some people I know!