Auntie Pearl's Film

We were a close-knit, Japanese-American family growing up in Hawaii. The five kids played reasonably well together, aside from the mandatory tackle football games dictated by the eldest, and we felt loved by our traditional, Japanese-American parents. Love in our family was never outwardly displayed with hugs or kisses, and rarely verbalized. We just “understood” its existence and appreciated having family that supported us when needed. We just never expected support when it wasn't needed. For example, when my wife was diagnosed with breast cancer, family members quickly called to offer support. However, for routine events like birthdays, the phone rings silently; quieter than crickets on a warm summer night. The one exception was Auntie Pearl. Auntie Pearl always called on birthdays, at Christmas, and most often on days with no special significance.

Auntie Pearl passed away in December 2009. After the funeral, the family spent some time cleaning out her residence. I didn't want anything, but I saved her cameras, a Topcon and a Canon, her photos and photography gear, and a few other miscellaneous items.

While cleaning out our garage a few weeks ago, I sorted through the box of Auntie Pearl's stuff and came across a bag of undeveloped film, mostly Fujifilm Superia X-Tra 400. The film expired in 2006 and had been sitting in the garage for the last five years. It likely sat in her hot, humid residence for years before that. Unexposed film doesn't like heat and these rolls were likely stored unrefrigerated in Hawaii and California for upwards of a decade.

I decided to shoot a test roll of expired Fujifilm Superia X-Tra 400 yesterday. Kailani and I walked around Pleasanton, and stopped off at Nielson Park, where she cheerfully participated as my willing model. Here are a few photos from our day. The negatives are under-exposed and the colors a bit muted. I learned that expired film often loses sensitivity, so I probably should have shot the film at ISO 100-200, instead of at the box speed of ISO 400.