There are many factors that can affect the quality of a Polaroid film , but the two most important ones are the age of the film and its proper storage. A Polaroid film is considered "fresh" for one year after the production date, which you can find on every packaging. The date printed on the film package is not an expiration date – it’s the date when your film was produced at the Polaroid factory in the Netherlands. In other words, don’t forget to use your film before its first birthday!
Production Date
The production date is an important distinction to pay attention to, as until 2008, when film production was completely halted, Polaroid Corporation actually printed the expiration date on each film package. This can cause confusion if someone does not know the difference between the new film package (production date) and the old package (expiration date).
When the expiration date of Polaroid film expires, various technical problems or defects can arise with your photos, but this does not mean that you should immediately throw away the film after the expiration date. Of course, the film loses its sensitivity over time, so the more time passes after the expiration date, the higher the chance of getting unexpected results during the shoot.
What You Need to Know
Several general things you might notice during the aging of the film:
- The chemistry that develops your photo does not spread evenly across the image, resulting in uneven development of your image;
- Reduced color saturation and/or contrast in your images;
- Overall "foggy" appearance; problems with color balance (e.g., your whole image might have a sharp tint);
- Combination of all of the above.
While shooting with expired Polaroid film can create some unique images, we recommend doing this only if you are well aware that the film is unstable and unpredictable by nature. Your final images are likely to not turn out as you expect, or may not turn out at all. For some, this may be fun and exciting, but for others, it can be an extreme disappointment.
It is also worth noting that the battery in each pack gradually loses charge over time, which may cause cycle malfunctions/film feed failures, and age can also lead to drying out or rupture of the chemical bags inside the pack, causing problems with ejection or damaging the rollers of your camera. It all depends on storage conditions.
Possible Results
But if you really want to shoot with expired film, we have prepared some useful information for you. Again, there are no clear boundaries, everything depends on storage conditions, but still, here are some periods:
- If the film is expired for more than 10 years (original Polaroid films, first Impossible project films), the chance of getting any result is rapidly approaching zero;
- If the film is expired for 5-10 years but has been stored properly, you might get very specific yellow-orange images, and there are also very frequent issues with chemical distribution;
- If the film is expired for 2-5 years, it can give you quite interesting results, unexpected colors and artifacts on the images, often such photos have low contrast and lose saturation (the best option for those who want to shoot with expired film);
- If your film is expired for up to 2 years, with proper storage, you may not notice any difference from a fresh pack, but only if it has been properly stored in the refrigerator.
In fact, shooting with expired film is quite an adventure, whether it’s worth it or not — it’s up to you to decide.
