Film Soup Photography: Soaking Film in Everyday Liquids

Film soup photography starts with a simple act: you soak a roll of film in a liquid and let the emulsion react. Tea, lemon juice, cola, wine and even detergent have all gone into the bath, and the result is colour casts, speckles and stains that change from roll to roll¹.

The practice looks like play, but it raises real questions. What exactly does the liquid do to the film? How do you keep a lab, and your own lungs, safe? And is the result art or an accident? So this article answers them from named practitioners, a conservation guide to film chemistry, an official safety advisory and a 2026 study, and it places film soup next to the older chemigram.

What film soup photography is

Film soup is a lo-fi technique in which the photographer treats film as a material to cook, not only as a recording medium. Patrice Baunov, who calls himself a visual anthropologist, began making film soups in the summer of 2015, a few months after he started shooting film². Moreover, he soaks film at every stage, and he has also tried expired film, photo paper and developers³.

However, practitioners do not share one aim. For example, Baunov wants dreamy, nostalgic documentary pictures that stay recognisable rather than abstract⁴. Meanwhile, Patrick Schopp, a Leipzig portrait photographer, shoots lively social scenes and treats the imperfections as part of the appeal⁵. Also, in 2026, three Indonesian researchers made a body of experimental work to show that soup processes yield scratches and colour spots with an expressive impression⁶.

Where film soup photography came from

However, I could not trace a first inventor, and I did not find a dated founding text. Instead, the earliest dated examples I found are Flickr uploads from 2012, such as the “Film Soup Experiment #3” frame on Redscale XR film⁷. Lomography Magazine then gave the practice a public home. Its cookbook articles of 2021 and 2022 collect recipes from named members of the community⁸.

Recipes from film soup photographers

First, the recipes below come from the Lomography cookbook articles. Their authors are community members, not laboratories, so treat the times as reports and not as standards.

Mild baths

Lars Bauwens revived an old roll that he had dunked in lemon juice years earlier, and he double-exposed it. The acid left speckles, but the images stayed visible⁹. Meanwhile, Elzi Boba soaks film in tea, cola and salt for six to eight hours, or overnight for stronger colour, and she gets subtle pastel tints¹⁰.

Wild baths

Julia Svetlova puts film in hot water for 20 minutes. Then she adds any liquid she likes, from soap and floor polish to vinegar and soy sauce, and she leaves the roll for at least 24 hours¹¹. Also, Anca Pandrea uses espresso and coarse salt, which produces staining, grain and warping¹². Finally, Katie Small combines white wine, lemon juice and detergent, and she develops the film herself because some labs refuse souped rolls¹³.

Rules that practitioners repeat

• Use cheap or expired film, and never your only copy of important pictures¹⁴
• Write down the liquid and the soak time for each roll¹⁵
• Let the film dry completely; Schopp waits at least two weeks¹⁶
• Tell the lab that the roll was souped before you hand it in¹⁷

Before or after exposure in film soup photography

Practitioners disagree on timing. Elzi Boba recommends shooting first, and says souping before or after shooting makes no difference to the result¹⁸. Baunov, by contrast, soaks film at every stage. If you soak before shooting, Lomography Magazine says the film must dry fully so that it does not damage the camera’s interior, and that you should give it plenty of time to dry¹⁹.

Soak, rinse and dry in film soup photography

The numbers below come from one interview and are not a validated protocol. Boba dilutes acidic or basic liquids and soaks for two to four hours, keeps undiluted ingredients under two hours, and leaves tea anywhere from 30 minutes to two days. Her detergent recipe takes one to two hours, and she notes that a more concentrated liquid needs less time. Warm water speeds the reaction, and her recipes use boiled water. She agitates for about a minute every ten minutes²⁰.

Afterwards she washes the film in cold water for 10 to 20 minutes to stop the reaction and remove leftovers, and repeats the wash for concentrated liquids. She then dries the roll out of direct sunlight for one to two weeks or longer²¹. Lomography Magazine adds a warning about heat: soaking film too long in boiling water can melt it²². Because these figures differ from the recipes above, such as the 24 hours or more for Svetlova’s bath, treat every time as a starting point for your own test roll.

Development and labs

Development is a separate step. Lomography notes that ECN-2 cine film carries a remjet layer, and that cross-processing it in C-41 chemicals is possible only if that layer has been removed²³. I found no source on souping cine film, so ask the lab before you hand it in. In addition, Boba reports that labs have generally accepted souped rolls, though some staff assumed the soaking was a mistake, and that developing at home avoids the question²⁴.

What the liquid does to the emulsion

First, film is a gelatin layer on a rigid base. Gelatin is the binder that holds the silver halide crystals in place, and it reacts readily to water²⁵. When the pH moves away from about 4.8, the protein chains uncoil, and the gelatin swells and softens²⁶. In addition, high humidity or sudden temperature changes can make the film warp²⁷.

This may explain why acid baths such as lemon juice leave speckles, and why some recipes warp the film. However, the sources I found describe the effects as outcomes, not as measured chemistry. I did not find a study that links a given liquid to a given colour. Moreover, the Royal Society of Chemistry volume Lo-Fi Photography (2024) covers silver gelatin chemistry in its chapter “The Chemistry of Photography”, which is the place to start if you want the theory²⁸.

What gelatin studies add to film soup photography

Researchers have studied gelatin films outside film soup. A 2023 study in Heritage Science tested how a cross-linking additive affected the dimensional stability and flexibility of photographic gelatine films under dry–wet cycling²⁹. A second 2023 study, in the Journal of Cultural Heritage, attributes the curling and fracture of historical photographs mainly to changes in the gelatin surface under alternating dry and wet environments³⁰.

A 2022 paper in Frontiers in Chemistry found that gelatin made by alkaline hydrolysis swells more and collapses faster than enzymatically made gelatin, and links this to molecular weight distribution and electrostatic repulsion³¹.

A 1986 pharmaceutical study of plain gelatin strips found that swelling rose most strongly when the bath temperature went from 20 to 25 °C, and that thickness governed the rate of swelling³². None of these papers tests film soup, and none uses a camera film. Still, together they show that gelatin swelling depends on the gelatin, the liquid, the temperature and the wet–dry history. That is consistent with the warping and staining that soupers report, but it does not prove any single mechanism.

Safety rules for film soup photography

In fact, many household liquids are harmless alone and dangerous together. For instance, Health Canada warns that bleach mixed with ammonia, with acids such as vinegar, or with toilet bowl cleaners can release toxic gases, including chloramine. Exposure can burn the eyes, cause light-headedness and can be fatal³³. Therefore, the advice is to read labels, never mix products, ventilate the room and wear goggles and rubber gloves³⁴.

Also, some film soup recipes use detergents, vinegar and wine. Therefore, test one liquid at a time, keep the baths away from children and pets, and do not store leftovers³⁵. Finally, tell the lab. Staff do not expect sticky or wet film, and some labs refuse it³⁶.

Film soup photography and redscale

Redscale is often confused with film soup. Lomography’s RedScale is a pre-loaded 35 mm colour negative film that is “spooled on the wrong side”. Light reaches the emulsion through the film’s semi-transparent backing layer, which gives a reddish-orange cast that is close to a filter but less predictable. Labs process it like any standard colour film³⁷. Film soup differs because a liquid acts on the emulsion. Lomography Magazine groups film soups with other experimental techniques, such as cyanotypes, exposing both sides of the film, pinhole photography and physically altering prints³⁸.

Film soup photography and the chemigram

In fact, film soup has an older cousin. Indeed, Pierre Cordier, born in Brussels in 1933, invented the chemigram on 10 November 1956. It combines painting materials such as varnish, wax and oil with photographic chemistry, and it needs no camera or enlarger³⁹. Then his work was shown at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 1967, alongside Denis Brihat and Jean-Pierre Sudre, and it entered major collections⁴⁰.

However, the difference is simple. A chemigram works on light-sensitive paper and builds an image by hand, whereas film soup lets the liquid act on a roll that may also hold a photograph. If you enjoy the idea, read our pieces on chemigrams, on lumen prints and on alternative processes.

Claims about film soup photography that sources do not support

Several claims circulate without measurement. The first is that acidity decides the colour. Lomography Magazine says acidic substances and citrus fruits produce more destructive results with dramatic colour changes⁴¹. However, I found no measurement that ties a given pH or liquid to a given hue. The second is that soup damages lab machines. Practitioners advise telling the lab, and Boba suggests asking whether the chemicals could affect the machines or other rolls. Still, I found no documented case of machine damage, so I state none.

The third is that heat is essential. Boba says warm water speeds the reaction, yet Lomography warns that boiling for too long can melt the film. Heat is therefore one variable among several, with liquid, dilution, time and film age. Finally, the claim that any liquid works is true only in the sense that any liquid can be tried. The sources describe outcomes that vary from roll to roll.

Art, accident or gimmick?

Overall, two questions divide practitioners. First, there is control. Baunov keeps his subjects recognisable, while the 2026 study stresses scratches and colour spots as expressive in themselves⁴². Second, the issue is materiality. Katharina Fackler shows that claims about the “dematerialisation” of photography are as old as photography criticism, and she argues for closer attention to the medium’s material and sensory side⁴³. In fact, film soup is a literal answer to that argument, because the material itself becomes the picture.

However, a fair critic can still ask whether unpredictable stains make a body of work or only a good first roll. Yet the sources I found do not settle this, and none of the practitioners claims that soup replaces skill. In short, the technique is a method, and the pictures stand or fall on what the photographer chooses to keep.

Frequently asked questions

Can I soak film before and after exposure?

Yes. In fact, Lars Bauwens exposed his roll after souping it, and Baunov soups film at every stage, including before loading⁴⁴.

How long should film soak?

Overall, reports range from about one hour to 24 hours or more. Elzi Boba suggests about two hours for harsh chemicals or detergents, and up to 24 hours for teas that are safe to consume⁴⁵.

Will a lab develop soaked film?

Yet some labs refuse it, and others handle it if they know. Dry the roll fully and warn them in advance, or develop it yourself⁴⁶.

Will soaked film damage my camera?

Lomography Magazine says film soaked before shooting must dry fully so that it does not damage the camera’s interior⁴⁷. Boba dries film for one to two weeks before shooting⁴⁸. I did not find a test of residue inside cameras.

Is film soup the same as redscale?

No. Redscale is a pre-loaded film spooled backwards so that light passes through its backing layer. Film soup uses a liquid on the emulsion. See the redscale section above.

Can I develop soaked film at home?

Boba says developing at home avoids the lab question⁴⁹. Katie Small, in the recipes above, develops her own film because some labs refuse souped rolls.

Further reading

• Catyuriyanto, Pratmajaya and Rozak, “Alternative Process of Film Soup in Creation of Experimental Photography Works”, Texture: Art and Culture Journal 9(1), 2026, pp. 63–76 (abstract read).
• “The Chemistry of Photography”, in Lo-Fi Photography, Royal Society of Chemistry, 2024, pp. 42–59 (abstract read).
• Fackler, “Of Stereoscopes and Instagram”, Open Cultural Studies 3(1), 2019, pp. 519–530 (abstract read).
• Post, “Contemporary Artists and Methods”, in Alternative Process Photography for the Contemporary Photographer, Routledge, 2022, pp. 1–125 (record only).
• Ethridge, “Film Photography”, in Silver Gelatin in the Digital Age, Routledge, 2023, pp. 47–57 (record only).
• Turgut, “Analog Film Photography as Phenomenological Re-Experience: Time, Materiality, and Atmosphere”, Marmara Üniversitesi Sanat ve Tasarım 17(1), 2026, pp. 84–104 (record only).
• Lomography Magazine, “Analogue Alchemy: Patrice Baunov’s Film Soup Kitchen”, 10 June 2020.
• Lomography Magazine, “Film Soup Recipes: From Mild To Wild”, 13 April 2022.
• Liu et al., “Effect of glycerol triglycidyl ether on the dimensional stability and flexibility of photographic gelatine films”, Heritage Science 11, 2023 (summary read)
• Liu et al., “Historical photo curling and fracture mainly caused by the surface performance change of gelatin resulting from alternating dry-wet environment”, Journal of Cultural Heritage 61, 2023, pp. 57–64 (summary read)
• Ji et al., “Effects of Relative Molecular Weight Distribution and Isoelectric Point on the Swelling Behavior of Gelatin Films”, Frontiers in Chemistry 10, 2022 (summary read)
• Ofner and Schott, “Swelling Studies of Gelatin I: Gelatin Without Additives”, Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences 75(8), 1986, pp. 790–796 (summary read)
• Casual Photophile, “Making Film Soup with Elzi Boba”, 5 June 2019, updated 2021.
• Lomography Magazine, “Experimental Analogue Techniques to Try Out in 2023”, 26 January 2023.

Sources and limits

The practitioner sources are community articles and interviews, not peer-reviewed studies, and they do not agree on soak times. Journal items marked “abstract read” or “summary read” were read only at that level, and none of the gelatin papers tests film soup. The origin of film soup remains untraced, and the sources contain no measurements that tie a liquid to a result, no study of residue in cameras and no documented case of lab-machine damage. Scanning souped negatives and souping cine film are not covered, because no source turned up. The NC-licensed images (Nic Walker; Richard P J Lambert) are used with attribution; they will be removed on request.

1. The Lomography recipes list tea, cola, lemon juice, wine, vinegar and detergent, among others. (Lomography, 2022; Lomography, 2021)
2. Baunov describes himself as an autodidact who blends art and anthropology. (Lomography, 2020)
3. The article says any liquid can be used. (Lomography, 2020)
4. Baunov states this as his aim. (Lomography, 2020)
5. Schopp uses tea and lemon water. (Lomography, 2025)
6. The abstract describes the steps as observation, brainstorming, exploration, experimentation and presentation. (Texture, 2026)
7. Nic Walker uploaded it on 6 March 2012. (Flickr)
8. Part II was published on 5 May 2021; the “Mild to Wild” article on 13 April 2022. (Lomography, 2021; Lomography, 2022)
9. Lars Bauwens, “Lemon and Time”. (Lomography, 2022)
10. “Salt-tea Cola”. (Lomography, 2022)
11. “Trippy Film Cocktail”. (Lomography, 2022)
12. “Coffee and Tears”. (Lomography, 2022)
13. “Californian Lemonade”. (Lomography, 2022)
14. Baunov and Schopp give this advice. (Lomography, 2020; Lomography, 2025)
15. Schopp recommends keeping records. (Lomography, 2025)
16. Lomography also insists on full drying before processing. (Lomography, 2025; Lomography, 2022)
17. Both Lomography articles and Baunov say so. (Lomography, 2022; Lomography, 2021; Lomography, 2020)
18. Casual Photophile interview, published 5 June 2019 and updated in 2021. One photographer’s view, not a test. (Casual Photophile)
19. Lomography Magazine, “Experimental Analogue Techniques to Try Out in 2023”, 26 January 2023. (Lomography, 2023)
20. Casual Photophile interview with Elzi Boba, 2019. (Casual Photophile)
21. Same interview. (Casual Photophile)
22. Lomography Magazine, 26 January 2023. (Lomography, 2023)
23. Lomography School, “What is ECN-2 film?”. (Lomography School)
24. Same Casual Photophile interview. (Casual Photophile)
25. The Australian film archive NFSA describes gelatin as hydrophilic. (NFSA)
26. The same NFSA page notes that swelling can also separate emulsion layers. (NFSA)
27. Also from NFSA. (NFSA)
28. I read the chapter abstract only. (RSC, 2024)
29. Liu et al., Heritage Science 11, 2023, DOI verified in Crossref; I read the Consensus summary, not the full text. (DOI)
30. Liu et al., Journal of Cultural Heritage 61, 2023, pp. 57–64; summary read only. (DOI)
31. Ji et al., Frontiers in Chemistry 10, 2022; summary read only. (DOI)
32. Ofner and Schott, Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences 75(8), 1986, pp. 790–796; summary read only. (DOI)
33. Advisory published in December 2021. (Health Canada)
34. Same advisory. (Health Canada)
35. Lomography stresses careful handling and keeping brews away from children and pets. (Lomography, 2022)
36. Baunov warns that labs may be unhappy about residue. (Lomography, 2020)
37. Lomography RedScale product page. (Lomography)
38. Lomography Magazine, 26 January 2023. (Lomography, 2023)
39. Cordier’s own CV; the technique can be done in full light. (Cordier CV)
40. The CV lists MoMA, George Eastman House, the Fogg Art Museum and the Centre Pompidou, among others. (Cordier CV)
41. Lomography Magazine, 26 January 2023. (Lomography, 2023)
42. Compare the Baunov interview with the Texture abstract. (Lomography, 2020; Texture, 2026)
43. Fackler, Open Cultural Studies 3(1), 2019, pp. 519–530. (DOI)
44. See the Lomography articles on Bauwens and Baunov. (Lomography, 2022; Lomography, 2020)
45. From the 2021 cookbook article. (Lomography, 2021)
46. Baunov, Katie Small and the Lomography articles say the same. (Lomography, 2020; Lomography, 2022)
47. Lomography Magazine, 26 January 2023. (Lomography, 2023)
48. Casual Photophile interview, 2019. (Casual Photophile)
49. Casual Photophile interview, 2019. (Casual Photophile)