The Accidental Archivist

I scan all my negatives at home, and this video shows the process I currently use for medium-format film from the 1930s.

It’s taken a lot of trial and error, and this definitely isn’t the way, just what works for me right now.

If you scan your own negatives, I’d love to hear how you approach it.

3 days ago | [YT] | 0

The Accidental Archivist

I’ve shared a new short from the archive.

These photos were taken in New York in 1968 by my great-grandfather and grandmother. Decades later, while scanning the negatives, one skyline view raised more questions than answers.

Sometimes the photograph tells you where.
The rest, you have to imagine.

5 days ago | [YT] | 2

The Accidental Archivist

91 years ago, someone likely made a mistake in a darkroom… and it left its mark on my grandmother’s childhood memories.

I found these 1934 negatives in my attic and noticed a strange “lizard-skin” texture. This is commonly called reticulation: a physical stressing of the film emulsion, often caused by temperature shock during development nearly a century ago. I've been scanning negatives for weeks now, and this is the first time I've seen this.

Some photographers may recognise this as micro-reticulation or age-related emulsion stress; either way, it’s a physical trace of the film’s journey.

It’s a reminder that sometimes the 'flaws' tell a better story than the perfect shots.
Which makes me wonder: in an age of digital perfection, do we lose the beauty of the “shattered” moments?

🎞️ Like & subscribe to follow the journey as I uncover more rolls, scan century-old negatives, and explore the cameras that captured them.

#filmphotography #foundfilm #analog #photography #filmisnotdead

3 weeks ago | [YT] | 1

The Accidental Archivist

While scanning the 700+ rolls of film I found in my parents’ attic, I came across a roll of 120 film from France, 1949… a trip my grandfather never mentioned.

The first photo was so underexposed I almost skipped it. But after restoring it in ‪@Lightroom‬, a person began to appear… then my mom recognised my great-granduncle, Alf, waving from the harbour.

That moment, frozen in time for 75 years, opened the door to a story we never knew existed.


From war-damaged Calais to the streets of Paris — Arc de Triomphe, Place du Tertre, Sacré-Cœur — these photos brought 1949 back to life in the most unexpected way.

The new Mystery Roll episode is out now.
This one is special.

🎞️ Scanned in 16-bit Greyscale RAW
🧾 Film type: Medium Format
📍 Location: France
📆 Year: 1949

#foundfilm #120film #filmrestoration #analogphotography #paris #familyhistory #streetphotography #ww2 #history #scanningfilm ‪@Kodak‬ ‪@epsonamerica‬

1 month ago | [YT] | 3

The Accidental Archivist

In this week’s Mystery Roll episode, I’m scanning a roll of ‪@Kodak‬ Plus-X Pan, captured by my grandfather during a road trip in 1954, taken in his very first car, the Pobeda M20. Developed by my grandfather in his basement darkroom.

These photographs offer a rare look at the Pobeda itself: its distinctive curves, its rugged Soviet-era design, and the small everyday moments framed from inside and around the car. These images haven’t been seen in over seventy years.

Plus-X was introduced in 1938 and discontinued in 2011, and every time I scan one of these old rolls, I’m reminded of just how beautiful this film stock was.

Join me as we bring this forgotten 1954 Pobeda road trip back to life. One roll at a time.

🎞️ Scanned in 48-bit RAW
🧾 Film type: Kodak Plus-X Panchromatic
📍 Location: Norway
📆 Year: 1954

I’m using the ‪@epson‬ V850 film scanner, together with ‪@LSI-SilverFast‬ software and the ‪@JJCPhotography‬ 35mm film cutter to bring this roll back to life.

🎞️ Like & subscribe to follow the journey as I uncover more rolls, scan century-old negatives, and explore the cameras that captured them.

📸 New episodes every week!

#35mm #filmisnotdead #filmphotography #analog #norway #pobeda #classiccars #vintagephotography #photography @epsonamerica

1 month ago | [YT] | 4

The Accidental Archivist

In this week's Mystery Roll episode, I’m scanning a roll of ‪@Kodak‬ Plus-X Pan, captured by my grandparents during their honeymoon in London, 1954. Developed by my grandfather in his basement darkroom, these photographs reveal a stunning glimpse into mid-century London — from Piccadilly Circus at night to the crowded stalls of Petticoat Lane Market and Speaker's Corner in Hyde Park. These images haven’t been seen in over seventy years.

Plus-X was introduced in 1938 and discontinued in 2011, but seeing how beautiful this roll looks makes me wish I could still shoot with it today.

Join me as we bring street photography from 1954 London back to life — one forgotten roll at a time.

🎞️ Scanned in 48-bit RAW
🧾 Film type: Kodak Plus-X Panchromatic
📍 Location: London, UK
📆 Year: 1954

I’m using the ‪@epson‬ V850 film scanner, together with ‪@LSI-SilverFast‬ software and the ‪@JJCPhotography‬ 35mm film cutter to bring this roll back to life.

🎞️ Like & subscribe to follow the journey as I uncover more rolls, scan century-old negatives, and explore the cameras that captured them.

📸 New episodes every week!

#35mm #filmisnotdead #filmphotography #streetphotography #london #photography #analog ‪@ExtraOfficialUK‬​ ‪@epsonamerica‬

2 months ago | [YT] | 6

The Accidental Archivist

This week’s Mystery Roll takes us back to the late 1920s, a 100-year-old negative.

Captured on 120 film, it has no markings or brand names, which wasn’t unusual at the time, so we can only guess who made it.

I’m using the ‪@epsonamerica‬ V850 film scanner, together with ‪@LSI-SilverFast‬ software, to bring these forgotten frames back to life.

🎞️ Like & subscribe for more mystery rolls, restored negatives, 100-year-old film, and the cameras that captured them.

#35mm #filmisnotdead #filmphotography #streetphotography #london #photography #analog‪ ‪@Kodak‬

2 months ago | [YT] | 3

The Accidental Archivist

This mystery roll felt special to make.

The photos were taken by my grandparents in London in 1954, and they’ve been sitting in a box for nearly seventy years.

Bringing them back to life was a reminder of why I started this whole project in the first place.

Captured on ‪@Kodak‬ Panchromatic PlusX black and white 35mm roll of street photography from London, 1954. These turned out to be some of my favourite photos yet, especially the shot of Piccadilly Circus, ‪@ExtraOfficialUK‬.

I’m using the ‪@epsonamerica‬ V850 film scanner, together with ‪@LSI-SilverFast‬ software and the ‪@JJCPhotography‬ 35mm film cutter to bring this roll back to life.

🎞️ Like & subscribe for more mystery rolls, restored negatives, 100-year-old film, and the cameras that captured them.

#35mm #filmisnotdead #filmphotography #streetphotography #london #photography #analog‪@britishpathe‬


Watch Mystery Roll #5 here.

2 months ago | [YT] | 4

The Accidental Archivist

This week’s mystery roll is a forgotten film from 1957, revealing glimpses of life in Norway from nearly seven decades ago.

Captured on Gevaert Panchromosa Microgran 27, a fine-grain, panchromatic black-and-white 35mm film produced in Belgium in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Later discontinued in the 1960s.

This roll held so many good moments that it was hard to choose just a few to share.

During the summer of 1957, my grandparents took a road trip from Bodø to Stryn in my grandfather’s Pobeda M-20, visiting friends and family along the way.

The first image was taken outside Stiklestad Church, with my grandfather’s beloved Pobeda M-20 — a car he bought in 1954 and one that appears in countless photos. The third frame shows their campsite along the journey, a quiet reminder that a road trip like this would have taken several days to complete.

I’m using the ‪@epsonamerica‬ V850 scanner, together with ‪@LSI-SilverFast‬ and the ‪@JJCPhotography‬ 35mm film cutter.

🎞️ Like & subscribe for more mystery rolls, restored negatives, 100-year-old film, and the cameras that captured them.

#35mm #filmisnotdead #filmphotography #photography #analog #epson

3 months ago (edited) | [YT] | 3

The Accidental Archivist

Let me know which decade you’d like to see next!

3 months ago | [YT] | 2