expired film
reticulation studies
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Reticulation Studies
(noun) An irregular, net-like pattern of lines.
(photography) Typically considered as a defect resulting from dramatic temperature changes during development. The film emulsion absorbs too much water and cracks upon drying. Reticulation is more common with older film stocks, as newer films have been designed to resist the effect.
These photos were shot on an expired roll of Velvia 50 and reversal processed for three hours using leftover coffee grounds. [A reversal analog process produces a positive image on a transparent film base, instead of the negatives we typically tend to associate with film developing.]
After developing the film as usual, I submerged it in a lemon peroxide solution made from my neighbor’s extra lemons. It was in the mid 90s that day and I had left the solution out to heat in midday sunlight. When I re-exposed the film to the day’s light, I noticed the texture on the film base. After re-developing to produce a positive image and drying the film, I had cracked, pixelated-looking photos (left). I then digitally inverted the image to better see the effect (right.)