One-Minute Reads about Film Photography

Infrared black and white makes the unseen pop. A Two Minute Beach Read.

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I LOVE shooting infrared black and white photos and the effect can be stunning if not surreal. This is a good example of how the process works. You may note several things from this photo:

1. The sand and beach chair render normally.
2. The sky is darkened, similar to what you would get from a dark red filter.
3. The water is black…water is not reflecting infrared light at all.
4. Foliage is nearly white. Foliage will reflect infrared light in varying shades depending on the plant and the angle to the sun.

I try to look for scenes with all of these aspects, and particularly with some of the foliage in shade.

I use an R72 filter and rate the Rollei IR 400 film at ISO 12 with the filter on. I am developing in a compensating developer like Diafine to get a base film speed of 800 (getting an extra stop…e.g. a faster shutter speed, can be important for sharpness.) I have used Microphen and Xtol as well with similar results.

The process broken down:

1. Compose the picture with camera on a tripod and lock it in.
2. Calculate the exposure. In this case, with full sunlight, I used f8 (for depth of field) and a shutter speed of 1/60. My Sekonic light meter works fine set to ISO 12. The built-in light meter in the Mamiya 645Pro is equally good.
3. Put the R72 filter on the lens. At this point you can see nothing through the viewfinder. Shift the focus using the IR marking on the lens.
4. Click the shutter (and preferably use a shutter release cable!) Rinse and repeat. Bracketing might be useful if you are new to the process.

Infrared is a fun divergence from traditional black and white and may require some trial-and-error to get it right. So happy shooting!

• gregory gammon / www.vinylfye.com