Announcement: 2019 Expired Film Day contest winners!

It’s that time again — we have winners to announce from the seven prize categories for 2019. This was a great year, with the second-most submissions in EFD history (and just slightly behind 2017), which made choosing winners difficult for some sponsors. Fortunately, there were tons of great options to choose from!

We’ll dive into the results in the same order they were presented in the original rules and guidelines post. Let’s get going!

Poppers’ Choice

Sponsored by: Old School Photo Lab

Criteria: Whatever catches’ the Lab Rats’ eyes! It could be literally anything!

Prize: Five (5) rolls of miscellaneous expired film.

Winner: Beach day by Michael Tacoronte

Sponsor’s comment: We loved this classic beach scene and the colors of the expired film give us a feeling of nostalgia. This feeling made Poppers choose Beach Day as our winner!

Beach day by Michael Tacoronte
Beach day by Michael Tacoronte

Best Use of Slide Film

Sponsored by: Film Photography London

Criteria: As a die-hard fan of positive film images, Film Photography London will choose a winner for the best use of slide film, processed in E6 chemical of cross-processed. There’s no film like chrome!

Prize: One (1) propack (5 rolls) of 120 format Fujifilm Provia 100F film expired May 2012 (well-stored, but no guarantees), plus surprise goodies.

Winner: Old Gum by David Allen

Sponsor’s comment: From a technical point of view shooting expired 4×5 slide film indoors in a dark scene, David has got the exposure and lighting spot on. And I just love the mood captured here — normally when you see a shot taken in a tattoo artist shop, it is all about the artist at work or their surroundings. This shot for me really focuses on the client deep into their experience.

Old Gum by David Allen
Old Gum by David Allen

Best Use of Multiple Exposures

Sponsored by: David Allen

Criteria: Expired film lends itself to multiple exposures, and David would like to reward the one that best aesthetically serves the medium by awarding a prize to the best example of a multiple exposure image on out-of-date substrate.

Prize: One uniquely handmade darkroom print on expired paper of David Allen’s original multiple exposure image, entitled “Reconstructed Refuse No. 2,” mounted on an A3 sized board.

Winner: Self Portrait 2 by Matt Hoult

Sponsor’s comment: With “Self Portrait 2” I enjoyed how the ‘insanity’ of the multi-exposure worked with the water system. Perhaps I played too much Super Mario Brothers 3 growing up, but there’s something about an insane arrangement of pipes that really speaks to me.

Self Portrait 2 by Matt Hoult
Self Portrait 2 by Matt Hoult

Best Use of Edge Markings

Sponsored by: Adam Paul of Vintage Film Hacker

Criteria: For the photo scan with the best creative inclusion of your film’s edge numbers/codes, regardless of film size or format. This could include so-called “sprocket” images, sheet film scans, etc.

Prize: A specially prepared 100-foot bulk roll of Agfa-Gevaert 561 Cinema BW Print Film, wound emulsion-side out so that the rebate lettering/edge marking reads left to right instead of reversed. This film has no rem-jet layer and develops fine in colder, dilute HC-110 when rated between ISO 1 and 2. With 100 feet you’ll have plenty of chances to experiment with exposure and development!

Winner: Lunch Hour Hustle by Dustin Veitch

Sponsor’s comment: The composition of this vertical works perfectly within the sprockets, spotlighting the multilayered subject matter, while the type elements in the rebate area offer a perfect complement to the overall image.

Lunch Hour Hustle by Dustin Veitch
Lunch Hour Hustle by Dustin Veitch

Best Macro or Close-Up Negative Image

Sponsored by: Marcus Didius Falco

Criteria: As a lover of both macro/close-up photography and color/B&W negative film, Marcus would like to celebrate these two loves. The winner will be the best macro or close-up image using color or black-and-white negative film.

Prize: Five (5) rolls of fresh/new color negative film. Winner may choose 35mm or 120 roll film, in any common stock (think Kodak, Fuji, etc.).

Winner: Ferns in the Sunlight by Cara Henney

Sponsor’s comment: It was tough deciding which photo I liked the most. I picked “Ferns in the Sunlight” because I liked the contrast between the green of the ferns and the shadows at the top and bottom of the photo.

Ferns in the Sunlight by Cara Henney
Ferns in the Sunlight by Cara Henney

Best B&W Portrait or Self-Portrait

Sponsored by: James Cockroft

Criteria: Portraits are something James struggles with, so give him some inspiration! Think Francesca Woodman disappearing into the wallpaper,  or Saul Leiter’s friends, maybe. Or channel Alec Soth’s airplane man in black and white. The more evocative, moody and mysterious, the better. Please try to keep it work-safe.

Prize: Five (5) rolls of miscellaneous black-and-white roll film (may include 120 or 35mm film, fresh or expired).

Winner: Shadow Selfie by David M. Bloor

Sponsor’s comment: I just love the “fern-like patterns” and the grain in ‘Shadow Selfie’ and applaud the use of one of the older films in this year’s event.

Shadow Selfie by David M. Bloor
Shadow Selfie by David M. Bloor

First Runner-Up: Kestrel by Julius Miller

Sponsor’s comment: Due to the mass of film I have in the fridge, I’ve decided to award some additional prizes, and the tones and light and cute little dog just make me smile..

Kestrel by Julius Miller
Kestrel by Julius Miller

Second Runner-Up: Watching by David McGookin

Sponsor’s comment: Yes, I know (or suspect) “Watching” is a statue, but still… The composition, perspective, blotches, all just work for me.

Watching by David McGookin
Watching by David McGookin

Best Color Night or Interior Photo

Sponsored by: James Cockroft

Criteria: Think Khalik Allah or Saul Leiter’s color work. Wet neon reflections, maybe. Color dripping, oozing, floating, bursting. Light leaks, color shifts and processing errors are welcome — if hard to harness. James reports @chichic is ineligible as she would win almost automatically.

Prize: Five (5) rolls of miscellaneous color negative roll film (may include 120 or 35mm film, fresh or expired).

Winner: BloodyJellyfish by Bruno Roch Pelletier

Sponsor’s comment: “Bloody Jellyfish” reminds me quite a bit of a Serrano photograph, and I love the motion blur and all the reds. It’s really a great photograph that I’d love to have a print of..

BloodyJellyfish by Bruno Roch Pelletier
BloodyJellyfish by Bruno Roch Pelletier

First Runner-Up: Mona Lisa Junior (The Piano Girl) by Peter Mol

Sponsor’s comment: Due to the mass of film I have in the fridge, I’m awarding some additional prizes. Peter’s niece’s inscrutable expression and gesture, along with the antique-looking colors and grain, make this a no brainer.

Mona Lisa Junior (The Piano Girl) by Peter Mol
Mona Lisa Junior (The Piano Girl) by Peter Mol

Second Runner-Up: Artificial Sunsets by James McFarlane

Sponsor’s Comment: For me, it was really a toss-up between James’s “Fantasy Castle” and his “Artificial Sunsets.” In the end, I went with the latter. The color of the various light sources, the clouds in the dusky sky, and that slightly tilted Ferris wheel somehow won out.

Artificial Sunsets by James McFarlane
Artificial Sunsets by James McFarlane

Best Man-Altered Landscape

Sponsored by: EFD Founder Daniel J. Schneider

Criteria: Hit me with your best man-altered landscape shot. This means anything that would qualify as a landscape photograph but which includes as a central, or at least important, element evidence of mankind’s relentless alteration of our environment. 

Prize: A grab-bag of expired film! Will include 120 and/or 35mm roll film; no guarantees what film stocks you’ll get, but they will be old — and could total 8-10 rolls!

Winner: Hills, Tree and a Wall by Tim Dobbs

Sponsor’s comment: The moody scene created by what looks like the remains of some sort of ancient dry-fit stone wall and the dormant trees against bleak hills is only accentuated by the grungy grain of this 60-year-old-plus film. One imagines it as a scene from some noir thriller.

Hills, Tree and a Wall by Tim Dobbs
Hills, Tree and a Wall by Tim Dobbs

That’s it for 2019’s winners, folks. Come back to the site in early 2020 for news of the next Expired Film Day and its prizes!