r/AnalogCommunity • u/Klutzy_Ice8425 • 15h ago
How Do You Gift A Film Without Ruining It? Other (Specify)...
Hi! I'm new to this sub and film shooting in general but I'm trying to learn more about it so I can craft a Valentine's gift for someone who loves just about anything analog and vintage, including photography.
I've got a question so I don't mess it up:
Part of the gift is some 35mm film for her to shoot. I understand that you should store it in a cold place like the fridge (and I imagine you should keep it in the container)
But when you're on your way to give someone the film with the rest of the gift, how should I transport it to keep it from being ruined until they can get home?
Thanks in advance!
(I will also say thank you later)
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u/grahamsz 15h ago
Film can stay at room temperature for years and be perfectly usuable. If you want to store if for decades it should ideally be cold, but even then lots of us don't really worry that much and it mostly works out (especially if it's black and white).
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u/jec6613 13h ago
As you've already gotten the advice you were looking for (film is very shelf stable), I'll add an anecdote that makes me feel old ... growing up, we never refrigerated film. You bought a 3-pack at the drugstore, each roll would spend a few months in the camera, using a half dozen frames each time it was brought out, then you'd take them all to get developed nearly a year later. The only time you ever really went through fresh film quickly was a vacation where you'd burn through 10 or a dozen rolls. Expiration dates assume being stored somewhat above room temperature.
Also, if cold storing, make sure it's in the original sealed container, and allow it to thaw fully before removing it from the packaging, otherwise you can end up with condensation damage. Now, I cold store the bulk of my film in my basement freezer, but that's mostly so my better half doesn't bug me about it. :)
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u/FriendlyEagle3413 15h ago
Like others have said, it doesn't really need to be kept cold, unless you plan on storing it for years. However, do try and avoid getting it warm - avoid leaving it in the car or in the sun on a windowsill.
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u/that1LPdood 14h ago
It will be fine lol. Don’t even worry about it.
Storing film in a fridge or cool place is for longterm storage — like for decades.
The reality is that film isn’t that fragile. You can leave a roll on a shelf for 2 years and as long as it’s in a normal room temperature room, it will be fine. You can throw a roll in your pocket and carry it that way all day and it will be fine. You can send rolls in the mail with nothing cold and they’ll be fine.
Basically the only time you even need to think about how to store film is: keep it out of direct sunlight or a hot car for weeks — and keep it cold if it’s going to be 10 years before you use it.
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u/Westerdutch (no dm on this account) 7h ago
I understand that you should store it in a cold place like the fridge
Only if you wish to be able to store it past expiration date. For normal use cooling is not required, it does not get shipped in a cooled truck, in the store it also sits on a completely normal shelf at room temperature, in your camera its also not exactly frozen. It will happily survive like that without any problem whatsoever for many years.
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u/electrolitebuzz 5h ago
Unless you are living in incredible hot places like over 90 Farenheit degrees or 30 celsius for a long time, you can perfectly store films outside the fridge. Storing in a fridge is only useful to prolong the film's life for months after it nominally expires, or to prevent it from being damaged by *extremely* high temperatures. Films are not stored in fridges in most stores to begin with, they are simply on the store shelves!
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u/N_F_X 15h ago
if it's intended to be used you can just not cool it for even multiple months. don't sweat it. cooling your film is only for long term storage, especially if the filmstock is rather old. If you buy one that is currently on the shelves it doesn't have to cooled at all!