How to safe exposed films for one year?

[jochen resch]

Hi!

I am using Ilford FP4 and HP5-films (35 and 120mm) for my one-year-

fieldtrip in Micronesia! Is it better to safe exposed films after

sending them back to Germany in a freezer or in a fridge for a

period of 1 year?

[chris_waller]

For safety's sake it would be better to process in the field. I believe that Sebastiao Salgado uses Rodinal, reknowned for its robustness and reliability.

 

Failing that, put the film in a fridge, wrapped in polythene bags.

[patrick_gainer]

Cold slows everything, including me.

[david_carper]

It would be best if you could find some way to develop the film (or have it developed) within a shorter time period.

 

Freezing film will slow down any loss of latent image, as well as help prevent other problems associated with storing exposed film. However, it is nearly impossible to be sure that there will be no damage to the film due to moisture issues, especially if the film is sent through varied temperatures.

 

If the film is not frozen, there are three risks. On all of the film, you will tend to have a loss of latent image. You will also possibly have an increase in fog level, although this is probably not a major issue. Lastly, on the 120 film, there can at times be an interaction between the wrapper paper and the latent image. In severe cases, I have seen samples where the numbers printed on the paper left an image in the film. While there have been changes made to the backing (mostly with the use of a lighter ink), there is still the slight possibility of this causing a problem.

 

So my primary recommendation would be to process the film within a month or two of shooting. If that is impossible, then the best bet would probably be to double (or triple) bag the film in plastic bags, with a small bag of silica gel in each bag, and freeze until ready to process. When removing from the freezer, be sure to allow 24 hours to warm up before opening the plastic bags to avoid any moisture problems.

 

David Carper

 

ILFORD Technical Service

[jochen resch]

Thanks for your answers, that really helped! I can't develop the films here because I will stay on a little island with no fluent water and electricity for one year. So I will send them back to germany, put them in ziplock-bags with Silica-Gel and put them in a freezer. Tanks all of you.