Did you know that where you live can affect your film? We are lucky enough to have film shooters send us film from all around the world! We thought it would be helpful to talk about shooting film in humid or wet environments.
You can see in the image below that there is faint writing and numbers imprinted onto the film. This happens when the ink from the backing paper rubs off onto the film when it gets wet or damp. You don’t see this very often with 220 film since it has little backing paper, and you don’t see it at all with 35mm. It is most common with 120 film.
So, how can you prevent this from happening? It helps to keep your film in the wrapper until you are about to shoot. If you live in a humid climate, we recommend using a dehumidifier wherever you store film. The image below sat in a humid environment for a week before being shot.
Be sure to keep your film in a cool, dark place. Remember film needs to acclimate to your environment before shooting – take it out of your storage and let it adjust to room temperature out of the wrapper before putting it in your camera. Keeping it out for about an hour should do the trick if your film is stored in the fridge. If your film is stored in the freezer, it is beneficial to leave it out for at least 24 hours before putting it in your camera.
In the end, just remember these tips and don’t “sweat” the small stuff! We love to see your beach photos, so keep them coming!
Jonathan Canlas | Ektar 100 | Rollei
