| Author | Message | ||
     Rj_ Tinkerer Username: Rj_ Post Number: 53 Registered: 08-2007 Rating: N/A |
Hi Olly, I can grasp this issue, if only because I regularly shoot with a 1 year delay in processing my personal work. Also, working overseas, but with a darkroom in another country, it becomes inevitable that film needs to be stored safely, particularly in humid or very warm countries. Mostly I gather other photographers store film this way due to time constraints from putting commercial work first. Storing film in a freezer can be a perfectly safe, however there are risks. The film base being celluloid, needs to be shifted from one temperature to another in stages. For instance, if you have a freezer capable of -40 degree Celsius, then a move from room temperature to -40C would also certainly cause the emulsion to become rapidly brittle, if not fracture. Assuming your film is is dry, seal in its canister and in a sealable plastic bag. and expel the air from the bag. Refridgerate overnight until the temperature of the film drops to +1 - <+5 degrees Celsius and then transfer to the freezer compartment (-5C). If you envisage not processing the film for some time, then the film should be moved to the coldest compartment in your freezer. Similarly, when the film is due to be processed, the film should be dethawed sequentially, and not taken out from a freezer of -40C to +20C straightaway. I usually accomplish this step in 48 hours. It might seem odd or rarefied to read this, however freezer management is important, particularly if you work with larger volumes of photographic film. Hope that helps. Kind regards, RJ |