I found an old film roll lying in my storage room. It was a Fuji Reala 100 with the inscription «13/8-2007. #13». This means that on August 13, 2007, I took this film roll out of one of my cameras after shooting 13 images on it, planning to use it again – someday. I never did.

So, it had been lying in varying temperatures in various boxes, drawers, and bags for 18 years. I dropped it off at Oslo Foto. They recommended I push it one stop since it was so old. I said OK.

After a few days I picked up the film. It has withstood the treatment it received over these 18 years. The film and photos looks brand new.

I must have messed up the count when I took the film out in 2007. The first two images were double-exposed. Otherwise, everything looks as if it was shot yesterday.

About the photos

I don’t remember taking these photos. But they are from when I lived in Trondheim and was a student at NTNU. The photos were taken in the area around where I lived in Buran, specifically Svartlamon.

They show a burnt-out wooden house and remnants of firefighting. After doing some searching, I found out it was from a fire during a weekend in 2007. Four people escaped the residence, and a man in his 50s was taken to the hospital for a check-up.

Not my typical film choice

It’s strange that I used that film to take these photos, and I wonder what I actually intended to use them for. At the time, I was a devoted Kodak Tri-X 400 user. I used to buy 30 meter bulk and make my own film rolls, but I must have had a brilliant idea on how to use this slow color film for something. Well, at least I have some memories from that time captured on film.

My storage room was broken into when I moved to Oslo in 2011. The thieves took my suitcase with all my old negatives organized in folders, and with notes. That stung. All my camera equipment – 2 Hasseblads, 1 Mamiya 645 + lots of old lenses – the thieves didn’t touch any of that for some reason.

Here are the photos