When Film goes Bad (expired Ektar 25 film)

Former Edwards High School gymnasium, Magnolia Street, Edwards, Mississippi

I finally used the last of my stock of long-frozen Kodak Ektar 25 color negative film. It was quirky and a bit hard to use, but had a unique color palette. As a test, I bought two rolls from a fellow on eBay who claimed they had been refrigerated. I tried one of the rolls and it was fine. Then I bought two more rolls from another seller who honestly said he did not know the storage conditions. Many of these expired films come from estate sales, where a buyer opens an old camera bag and finds film. This time, the film was clearly ruined. Of a roll of 12 exposures from my Rolleiflex 3.5E, most were grossly underexposed, and I could only extract 5 frames. I used an exposure index (EI) of 12, but possibly if I tried EI 4 or 6, I might have saved a couple more frames. Regardless, I discarded the other roll. Really, it does not make sense to buy expired color film stock unless the seller can guarantee it has been frozen.

Expired black and white film is more forgiving because, of course, you do not have a color shift. I am still using 3-decade-old Kodak Panatomic-X film, which has been frozen all this time.

Crossroads store, Old Port Gibson Road, Reganton, Mississippi

The venerable Crossroads Store in Reganton, on Old Port Gibson Road, has been in business for a century. It is an example of the type of country store that once served farmers and workers who did not have access to a car in an era before strip malls and supermarkets. The day I took this picture, the store was hosting a crawfish boil, and everyone was having a good time. They invited me to eat!

Unoccupied house on Old Port Gibson Road, Reganton, Mississippi

Templeton Grocery, Jack Road, Hazelhurst, Mississippi

Templeton Grocery, Jack Road, Hazelhurst, Mississippi

The old Templeton Grocery at the intersection of Jack and Dentville Roads, northwest of Hazelhurst, is another example of an old neighborhood country store. This one was sheathed with asphalt shingles. These were similar to roof tiles and were equally durable, and were often made to resemble bricks or stone. Asphalt sheathing was popular mid-20th century but now is typically associated with low-income neighborhoods or old industrial or mill towns in the northeast.

Shack-Up Inn, Clarksdale, Mississippi

Finally, we have a frame from the Shack-up Inn in Clarksdale. This is a Blues-oriented inn where the guests stay in old farm silos or shotgun shacks. I had tried a roll of Ektar 25 from an eBay vendor who claimed the film had been frozen. Most frames turned out all right, but some clearly showed that the film had aged. Too many years have gone by since Kodak discontinued Ektar 25. Sadly, it is time to move on to a contemporary medium format color negative film.

These photographs are from a medium format Rolleiflex 3.5E twin-lens reflex camera with a 75mm ƒ/3.5 Schneider Xenotar lens. All frames tripod-mounted. I scanned the film with a Minolta Scan Multi film scanner at 2820 dpi.

This is no. 02e of my irregular series on Abandoned Films.

The Mississippi Delta 12b: Return to Clarksdale (with Ektar 25 film)

Shack Up Inn, Clarksdale, Mississippi, Kodak Ektar 25 film, Rolleiflex 3.5E camera, 75mm Xenotar lens

During an Easter weekend road trip through north Mississippi, my wife and I stopped in Clarksdale.

We stayed at the Shack Up Inn, a blues-oriented inn/motel that houses its guests in cabins, silos, and shotgun shacks. It is quite comfortable, and the shacks have been rebuilt and are well-insulated (which was welcome during the night as a cold front passed).

Shack Up has accumulated a large collection of vintage memorabilia - perfect for the photographer with a Rolleiflex.

An unused warehouse was just north of the property. I looked for barn owls but did not find any.

Jade building on Delta Ave., Clarksdale

Deak's Mississippi Saxophones & Blues Emporium, 3rd St., Clarksdale

Art Deco Greyhound Bus terminal, now visitor's center.

I need to return to Clarksdale again and spend more time looking around. There is a wealth of cultural material to record. On my previous visit, wisps of snow and bits of sleet were falling through the gloomy winter sky. Maybe next winter....

The square photographs with brilliant color are from Kodak Ektar 25 film, exposed in my 1959 Rolleiflex 3.5E twin lens camera with a Schneider 75mm ƒ/3.5 Xenotar lens. Click any one of those frames to see the amazing detail. All of the Rolleiflex exposures were tripod-mounted. The duller and more "accurate" photos are from a Moto G5 phone. 

This is no. 02c of my irregular series on Abandoned Films.

The Mississippi Delta 12: Clarksdale

This is essay no. 12 in my occasional series on the Mississippi Delta.

Clarksdale is the county seat of Coahoma County, the big city in the northern part of the Delta. In the early-mid-20th century, it was a bustling and prosperous agricultural, trade, railroad, and mercantile center. Feeding all this commerce were shops, office buildings, railroad repair shops, warehouses, and a thriving music culture. Many people consider Clarksdale to be the home of the Blues, and many famous Blues musicians either came from Clarksdale or got their start there.  Clarksdale had a thriving Jewish and Lebanese community in the early 20th century.

Today Clarksdale looks sad and beat-up, like many other Delta towns. The downtown commercial center is almost empty, shops are shuttered, and there is almost no traffic on a Saturday. I only spent part of a cold Saturday there, and surely missed many interesting places, but what I did see shows the town's rich cultural and commercial heritage.

First of all, where do you eat when you come to town on a cold, gloomy day, with wisps of snow in the air? You go for a big plate of ribs at Abe's Bar-B-Q at 606 North State Street. Abe's has been in business since 1924 and I suppose the tender ribs I ate have been smoking since then. Other than Abe's and a few other eateries, State Street looks rather forlorn.

Head north on Desoto Avenue and then turn left on 4th Street (also known as Martin Luther King Blvd.), and you head towards the Sunflower River and the old commercial heart of Clarksdale.

Unused railroad shed off Leflore Avenue

Turn right on Leflore Avenue, and you see a red railroad repair shed near the road. I can't tell if it is in use, but the dead locomotive has been sitting there a long time and the office is full of junk

Leflore Ave. has empty lots, abandoned houses, and gin bottles in the grass.

Yazoo Avenue, which is perpendicular to 4th Street, is pretty dilapidated in this area. Most of the shops are shuttered or imploding.

Proceed a couple of blocks closer to the river, and you reach Sunflower Avenue. At the corner was a former shop with the 45-degree corner facing the intersection. The former music center appears to be a lounge now.

Across the street is the historic Heavenly Rest cemetery. This is the resting place of merchants and prominent families - evidence of Clarksdale's wealthy past.

Turn the corner to 3rd Street and Delta Avenue, and you see some older commercial buildings with cheerful paint and some restoration. It is nice to see some degree of revival, but many of the storefronts here are still empty.

These are digital images from a Panasonic G1 camera and the superb Panasonic 20mm ƒ/1.7 Lumix lens. I processed some of the RAW files with Photo Ninja software to render them as black and white.

For older posts on the Mississippi Delta, please click the links below:

• Duncan
• Alligator
• Hushpuckena
• Mound Bayou
• Boyle
• Leland
• Arcola
• Greenville
• Rolling Fork
• Yazoo City
• Mt. Holly

To see the funky Shack-Up Inn, please click this link.