If Malta is known for one thing, it’s the heat, specifically that relentless heat that rolls in from June to September. It is the kind of heat that radiates off limestone walls, sits heavy in the air by midday, and turns a parked car into an oven.
For us film photographers, this can cause a few problems. Not just because you’ll be sweating so much that you can’t read your light meter without wiping your face 200 times, but because high temperatures change the way we need to handle, store and choose our film.
Why Heat Matters to Film
Film is not inert. It is a light-sensitive emulsion suspended in gelatin, and both light and heat can cause chemical changes. Under normal storage conditions, these changes happen slowly, which is exactly what helps keep film predictable and reliable. Push the temperature up, however, and those processes begin to accelerate.
Heat can speed up the natural fogging and ageing that all film experiences over time. Colours can shift, contrast can change and, in more extreme cases, you may notice increased base fog or unusual colour casts that were not there when the roll went into the camera.
None of this happens instantly. A few hours in a warm camera bag will not automatically ruin a roll. But a Maltese summer offers no shortage of opportunities to leave film somewhere far too warm for far too long.
The Car Is the Enemy
If there is one habit worth breaking this summer, it is leaving film in the car.
The interior of a parked car sitting under the Maltese sun can become considerably hotter than the temperature outside, even when parked in the shade. That is exactly the sort of environment you do not want for photographic film.
This applies to both fresh and exposed rolls.
If you are heading out for a day of shooting and know you will be in and out of the car, keep your film with you rather than leaving it behind glass and metal. A camera bag carried with you is a much better place for it than a glovebox or car boot baking in the sun.
Shooting Through the Heat
Heat does not just affect the film in your bag. It affects the conditions you are shooting in too.
The light in Malta at midday during summer can be extremely intense and harsh, producing deep shadows and a huge amount of contrast. That can be a look in itself, but it is not always the easiest light to work with.
Shifting your shooting hours earlier or later in the day can make a huge difference, both for the quality of the light and your own comfort. Early morning and the hour or two before sunset tend to offer softer, more forgiving light while avoiding the worst of the midday heat.
Of course, if harsh Mediterranean sunlight is exactly what you are after, embrace it. Just remember to bring water.
Choosing Film Stocks
With the sun being as strong and unobstructed as it often is during a Maltese summer, film speed becomes an important consideration.
Slower stocks are particularly at home here. Think Kodak Ektar 100, Kodak Gold 200, Kodak ColorPlus 200, Kodak Portra 160, CineStill 50D, Fomapan 100 or ADOX HR-50. All of these sit at ISO 200 or below, giving you plenty of room to work with when shooting under bright Mediterranean sunlight.
That does not mean ISO 400 film suddenly becomes useless. Far from it. Stocks such as Kodak Portra 400 or Ilford HP5 Plus remain incredibly versatile, particularly when moving between direct sunlight and shaded streets. Just keep an eye on your shutter speed and aperture when the sun is at its strongest.
And for my high-ISO lovers, particularly those carrying Portra 800 or CineStill 800T, worry not. Once the sun disappears and Malta starts to light up for the evening, these stocks come back into their own.
For blue hour, night photography and Malta’s artificially lit streets, there are few things I would rather have loaded in my camera.
Storing and Transporting Film Responsibly
A few simple habits go a long way during the warmer months.
Keep unexposed film out of direct sunlight and away from hot surfaces. For longer-term storage, keeping film refrigerated is a good option and can help slow the ageing process.
When taking film out of the fridge, however, give it time to warm gradually to room temperature before opening its container or loading it into your camera. Around one to two hours is a sensible precaution. This helps reduce the chance of condensation forming on the film or inside the packaging.
Once a roll is shot, treat it with the same care.
The latent image is now sitting on that film waiting to be developed, so there is little benefit in leaving an exposed roll sitting around in the summer heat. Getting your film developed reasonably soon after shooting is a sensible precaution, particularly if it has already spent time in high temperatures.
If you cannot bring your rolls to the lab for a while, storing them in the fridge is perfectly reasonable. Keep them sealed and protected from moisture, then allow them to return to room temperature before handing them over for processing.
If you are stocking up for a trip or large shoot, proper storage matters far more than simply buying everything at the last minute. Film stored correctly in a cool environment can remain perfectly usable for a long time. Film left in a hot car boot for a fortnight is another story entirely.
The Upside
None of this is meant to put you off shooting through summer.
Malta in the warmer months offers some of the most distinctive light of the year, and there is a reason photographers are drawn here specifically for it. Brilliant blue skies, hard shadows against limestone, long evenings and warm sunsets are all part of what makes photographing Malta during summer so rewarding.
Understanding how heat affects your film simply means you get to enjoy all of that without any nasty surprises when the negatives come back.
A little awareness goes a long way.
Keep your film cool, keep it out of the car, and get it developed promptly. There is no reason the Maltese heat should get in the way of a good roll.
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