Steve M.
Veteran
A few months ago, when we were packing to move, I went through my "photo box", a very large box full of negatives and 4x6 prints. The stuff from our Hawaii times, which was when I really started photography as more than an occasional thing, was mostly cheap color film from Walgreens.
I was taken aback at how much the negatives had faded in 7 years! The few boxes of Kodachrome slides I'd taken looked as good as the day I'd made them. Fortunately, most of the color negs were really of little value so I threw them out. The box was nearly always in a dark closet at normal room temperatures, but I'm sure there were times it had seen 90 degrees or more at odd times. Just thought I'd mention this to others. Might be a good idea to scan color work if it means anything to you.
I was taken aback at how much the negatives had faded in 7 years! The few boxes of Kodachrome slides I'd taken looked as good as the day I'd made them. Fortunately, most of the color negs were really of little value so I threw them out. The box was nearly always in a dark closet at normal room temperatures, but I'm sure there were times it had seen 90 degrees or more at odd times. Just thought I'd mention this to others. Might be a good idea to scan color work if it means anything to you.
TXForester
Well-known
I've hear that film probably has better archival qualities than digital. My guess is digital that is copied from time to time on newer media so you don't find yourself stuck with media that can't be read in the future can last a long time. You would have to use a lossless file type.
Of course the right type of prints can outlast all of us if kept under the right conditions.
Of course the right type of prints can outlast all of us if kept under the right conditions.
Vickko
Veteran
Well that blows away my belief, that negatives are much more durable than digital memory.
My negs are mostly stored in their glassines, at roughly room temp.
I now wonder how they are doing.
I do have some photos around the house, and only one colour photo has shown fading.
My issue is how to find a specific negative, in the mess of boxes.
Vick
My negs are mostly stored in their glassines, at roughly room temp.
I now wonder how they are doing.
I do have some photos around the house, and only one colour photo has shown fading.
My issue is how to find a specific negative, in the mess of boxes.
Vick
Archiver
Veteran
That's a bit scary! Our family has a fair number of prints and negs from decades ago. I'm going to have a look at them and see what they are like.
Keith
The best camera is one that still works!
I have a shoe box full of C41 colour negatives and prints from the seventies and eighties. I went through them one night hoping for a pleasant trip down memory lane and was shocked at the deterioration of the negatives and particularly the prints! 
I can see why digital has really stamped it's authority over colour film more so than traditional black and white!
I can see why digital has really stamped it's authority over colour film more so than traditional black and white!
Steve M.
Veteran
It's certainly a good reason to shoot real, silver B&W. Trouble is, I started to like the Kodak C41 B&W film a few years ago, especially for portraits. Walgreens does a good job developing and scanning this for me, so I figured I'd go back someday and either rescan them w/ a real film scanner or try printing them in the darkroom. Now I see that if I keep procrastinating there may not be anything to scan or print.
kievman
Kievman
Sounds like someone is crying WOLF!!!!!!!!!! After reading thru this thread earlier, I decided to go take a look at some of my color negs from the early-mid ninties. I shot a lot of color neg film for newspapers all thru the Ninties starting in 1993. since I mostly worked freelance, I could keep property of the negs and the images. Anyways 99 percent of the color negs looked fine!!! I shot mostly with fuji and some 3M film (later imation) I don't know about cheap Wallgreen's film from early 2000's but I do know that fuji and kodak have stated in the near past that the Archival life of their processed C-41 film is about 40 years if stored properly. That means in dark place at room temperature with normal humidity, and Corbus, which used to be one of the largest photo stock agencies in the U.S. discovered a few years ago that if you store color and B&W negs and prints in deep freezers at at 0'f the will keep forever...... All the best - kievman
Ezzie
E. D. Russell Roberts
Can't sat I've gine through all of mine from the eighties and nineties, but I delved through quite a few in order to find a specific negative, and mine still looked fine. Mostly Kodak and Fuji films I might add.
George Bonanno
Well-known
My Kodak, Fuji, 3M, Agfa, etc. color negatives going back to year one are picture perfect.
pinafore2
Established
Im impressed, how did you do that, with the negatives ? - all of mine, going back about 30 years, and dad's slides going back another 20, is all OK !
mugent
Well-known
The great thing with digital, is that you can backup n times, for minimal cost.
One flood or fire in the wrong place and your negs are permanently gone. If you move house, stuff inevitably goes missing.
I shoot 100% film, but consider negs as a last resort backup if all else fails.
One flood or fire in the wrong place and your negs are permanently gone. If you move house, stuff inevitably goes missing.
I shoot 100% film, but consider negs as a last resort backup if all else fails.
Keith
The best camera is one that still works!
I think the perfect storage for negs would be 'cloud' based ... incorporating the best of both worlds.
I intend packaging up all my negs into a sealed container and launching them skyward via a trebuchet where they will reside safely in 'the cloud' until I need them!
I intend packaging up all my negs into a sealed container and launching them skyward via a trebuchet where they will reside safely in 'the cloud' until I need them!
Shane Guthrie
Member
This week, I've just packed up 11 years worth of negatives and prints as I'm moving back to Australia from Indonesia. Most of my negatives seem fine, but some that have lived in various parts of this tropical country, in far less than appropriate storage conditions, are ruined. Will have a lot of cleaning and scanning to do back in Australia over the next few months. Using Aperture to organise photos has been brilliant, and as I often want to go back to an old photo, it seems a great solution to the finding-a-negative problem.
Curiously, some of the negatives look melted or as if a solvent has acted on them. Some of them were kept in dusty conditions, while the ones that are still fine have been in plastic boxes. I don't recall any contact with solvents, so I wonder if heat, mould, humidity, or a combination of these, has 'melted' the emulsions. Any hints anyone?
Curiously, some of the negatives look melted or as if a solvent has acted on them. Some of them were kept in dusty conditions, while the ones that are still fine have been in plastic boxes. I don't recall any contact with solvents, so I wonder if heat, mould, humidity, or a combination of these, has 'melted' the emulsions. Any hints anyone?
rxmd
May contain traces of nut
Yeah, some people keep their film in the freezer, others keep it in low earth orbit.
mfunnell
Shaken, so blurred
mfunnell
Shaken, so blurred
Sparrow
Veteran
Are you mad!? think of all that comic radiation out in space ... not to mention the neutrinos ... salt mines are the answer my friends; that or a shoe box under the bed
rxmd
May contain traces of nut
Not that straightforward from Australia though, it might be easier to choose an orbit with some loiter time over the continent and just deorbit your film when you need it in some kind of controlled orbital bombardment.