# 100-year old negatives found in Antarctica



## Sventek (Dec 27, 2013)

How wonderful: On Ice: 100 year-old negatives discovered in Antarctic


----------



## SnappingShark (Dec 27, 2013)

Just following up on snow/ice stuff and photography....

An undeveloped roll of film from 33 years ago with never-before-seen photos of Mount Saint Helens days before it erupted just resurfaced

http://www.columbian.com/news/2013/dec/26/mount-st-helens-eruption-blackburn-lost-roll-film/


----------



## limr (Dec 27, 2013)

I remember when Mount St.Helens erupted. It doesn't surprise me that they got usable images from either that roll or the one found on ice. Film keeps a lot better than people think.


----------



## EOV (Dec 27, 2013)

Would you say that it would keep better than digital media in ice for that long?


----------



## limr (Dec 27, 2013)

EOV said:


> Would you say that it would keep better than digital media in ice for that long?



I have no idea. Not interested in a film vs digital discussion.


----------



## runnah (Dec 27, 2013)

Antarctica is actually very dry. So things don't rust or rot.


----------



## KmH (Dec 27, 2013)

EOV said:


> Would you say that it would keep better than digital media in ice for that long?


Absolutely. Way longer.


----------



## vintagesnaps (Dec 27, 2013)

Interesting to see. B&W film seems to last indefinitely... Photographers have often kept film in the fridge or freezer, easier than storing it in the Antarctic! seems to do fine in the cold.


----------



## terri (Dec 27, 2013)

Amazing story, isn't it?   These negatives first had to be _processed_, and they were cellulose nitrate negs, to boot!   The deck was stacked against them for anything meaningful, yet there are a couple of surreal images in the bunch.


----------



## ruifo (Dec 28, 2013)

amazing!


----------



## manaheim (Dec 28, 2013)

noooo... link broken!


----------



## timor (Dec 28, 2013)

KmH said:


> EOV said:
> 
> 
> > Would you say that it would keep better than digital media in ice for that long?
> ...


We will never know, maybe our grandchildren. For one thing my 12 years old CF, unused for 10 years, just laying on the bottom of the drawer and knocked around in it, still holds the images fine. Frozen ? In dry conditions ? Maybe the only question is, if in hundred years there will be still around any devices to read it. The beauty of the film is the technological simplicity, could be developed in coffee, and that will be available for centuries to come.


----------



## TJNY (Dec 28, 2013)

limr said:


> I remember when Mount St.Helens erupted. It doesn't surprise me that they got usable images from either that roll or the one found on ice. Film keeps a lot better than people think.



The roll from Mount St. Helens was taken and put aside before the eruption.  Here is the quote under the pic of his recovered camera.  I am sure the images in that camera, had they been recovered, would have been terrifying!

Columbian photographer Reid Blackburn's camera, recovered from the Mount St. Helens blast zone in 1980. The film in it was too damaged to yield images, but an unprocessed roll of film shot by Blackburn before the eruption was recently found in a box at The Columbian.
(Columbian files)


----------



## limr (Dec 28, 2013)

Yes, the roll that could still be developed was not with him when he died. The quote that I was thinking about was how they were astonished at how well 33-year-old film held up. All I could think of was, "33 years isn't that long." 

And I agree that the last pictures taken in that ruined Nikon must have been horrifying.


----------

