8x10 in Infrared

My first IR image ever! Spring weather has been around for nearly a month here in Northwest Ohio, with more cloudless, sunny days so far than I can recall in the past four years! With skies so clear and temps so moderate, it was only a matter of time before I thawed out "the stash" and tried my luck at infrared (IR) photography.

For those who've never heard of IR before, basically you're capturing electromagnetic radition in the 700nm wavelength range and up (depending on your film/camera's sensitivity). This unique range of light results in a very distinct look to the infrared photos. They're often recognized by deep dark skies, jet black water, dreamy white foliage, and kinda creepy tonal reproduction on people. I'll just be talking about is B&W infrared, as there's really not a lot of color IR film left out there. A vast majority of the IR work you'll see out there is from modified DSLR's, which have a wide range of IR effects. With film infrared, the results are a lot more about the film and filtration, and less about the camera used.

Mmm, mmm those dreamy highlights!A little over 6 months ago, I found a gentleman selling all sizes of Efke 820c infrared film for dirt cheap prices. Doing what any film shooter with G.A.S. would do, I bought a 50 sheet case of 8x10, hoping for the day I would have a good IR filter and some nice weather in Ohio. Thanks to Leslie at Imagine That!, it wasn't long before a nice Tiffen #87 filter came my way, and the experiementation began. Now whenever you start shooting an new film in large format, usually a fair amount of testing is required to get your process nailed down. Effective ASA, development times, dilutions, printing times, and more all change along with the newly added variable. Thankfully, this was the fourth (maybe fifth) film I've taken the time to test, so the process wasn't too wasteful, only two sheets "lost" in the testing process. For some practitioners of the Zone System/Beyond the Zone System/Other Zone Systems, film testing can easily get out of hand, with dozens of sheets being sacrificed all in the name of meticulous control. I don't try that hard for the perfect exposure, but I did manage to bracket the inital test exposures and find a working ASA based off of the test sheets stain density. 

Looks good even with flare! Basing my tests off of the Efke IR 820c Data Sheet availalbe at Freestyle Photographic Supplies, it appeared that a #87 filter with this film would yeild an effective ASA of anywhere from 3-6. So, the first two sheets of film were exposed accordingly, accounting for this film's worse-than-Tri-X-reciprocity. My new standard development time for medium speed film is 12 minutes in Obsidian Aqua 1:500 at 70 deg. F. With the final image stain coming out in both images as much thinner than normal, the ASA 3 sheet "scan-able" but not printable, I knew I needed another stop of light to give these images the "pop" they needed. All of the images seen on today's blog post were taken at ASA 1.5, and though very long exposures, are exactly what I was looking for with this IR film. 

So what does everybody at home think? Keep going with this IR stuff? Personally, I like it enough to shoot it ocassionally, and printing it isn't that bad either. I don't foresee going off the deep end and only doing IR landscapes, but it's a neat novelty that may warrant its own gallery in the near future. Though these first attempts were fun, there's a limited supply I'm working with, and plenty of shots I'd like to reserve for traveling over the summer.

What I'm going for, maybe more clouds...If you'd like to try out your own infrared film, I'd suggest picking some up at Freestyle, as they have a larger selection than most, and are a one-stop-shop for all things analog. If you're hard up on a filter, you may want to snag one of those as well. So as long as you're up to spending a few frames and some time in the name of getting the right exposure/development times, infrared photography can offer you some very unique, visually exciting results. If you've got any more questions about IR techniques, large format IR concerns, or want to go out shooting IR sometime, hit me up via the comment option below, or the contact button at the top of this page.

As always, happy shooting, and long live film!

The Epitome of Instant

This stuff is legen...wait for it...dary!In between the hectic darkroom sessions, that are now over with, I found myself shooting anything I could get my hands on that wasn't 8x10. I'm not sure if it was "large format burnout" or just a change of scenery, but literally any other format seemed appealing over the last few weeks. Earlier this past week, a very exciting opportunity arose as a Flickr and Twitter contact of mine announced she had some very, very late dated Polaroid 779 for sale. After a quick consult with Leslie over at Imagine That!  the brick of ten packs was on it's way to Findlay.

Now, I'd like to make it very clear that this post is in no way taking a stab at The Impossible Project. Those folks are doing amazing work reinventing instant film, and almost every month, it seems, are churning out a better, more reliable product (assuming you can shield it properly). If you're an analog photographer that loves shooting instant film, consider supporting them by purchasing a few packs and paying some long deserved attention to your SX-70 or 600 series cameras.

Fill flash went off. Doh! >__<Having said that, it's time to gush. I LOVE THIS POLAROID 779! The one thing I've missed for years about real Polaroid film is that from the moment it comes out of the camera, you can watch it develop. Seeing every last bit of the opacifier fade into a beautiful, fine grained image right before your eyes; now that's instant photography!

The first test of this film was a simple one. Running out the door from Imagine That! and about 50 ft. down the sidewalk, I found Lauren, my ever willing model, and her best friend Val having breakfast outside of the Baker's Cafe. This "final run" stock of Pola 779 from March of 2009, is some of the freshest instant film money can buy, and man does it show. Most 600 style films have a burnt sienna/red cast over the entire picture, with pod degradation causing 3 visible streaks in the film. But not this stuff, just a kiss of warm tones over the entire image area.

Scott Meivogel, in front of Aperture.

One shot down, 32 to go (a few bonus frames left in Leslie's SLR 680), what to shoot next? I'd already mentioned the previous month's darkroom scramble to get prints ready for "Dapper", so why not shoot some instant film at Cleveland's home for all things analog?

 If you're in the Northeast Ohio area and love film, there's only one place to go. Aperture: A Photography & Variety Store in Tremont. The owner/operator Scott, pictured left, is a very cool guy, that's doing some really great things for analog photography on a local and national level. He was the very first Impossible Project partner store, carrying experimental instant film when nobody else could even get their hands on some. Most recently, he's started making his own pinhole cameras, teaching workshops, and holding his own photowalk weekend at the end of June. If you're looking for a big photowalk event or just looking to be around other like minded film photographers, be sure to check out Analog's Pulse later this summer. There's more great things I'd love to say about Scott, but at this time I'm not at liberty to discuss it. Let's just say it's HUGE! ^__^

Dave Lam, recent analog convert.

While hanging out at Aperture, loading up on Impossible PX-70 film, and dropping off my show prints, another, slightly more new to film photographer came in the shop. Dave Lam, a Cleveland street photographer, was guns blazing with his trusty Leica rangefinder, and Bronica SQ, and all sorts of other crazy gear. A very knowledgeable guy, with some good taste in cameras, I'd say we hit off pretty well. P.S. Polaroid 779, Hasselblads, and B&W prints make for great ice-breakers. More of Dave's work can also be seen on his Flickr.

He always looks this dapper.Last, but certainly not least, was a good friend of Scott's, and new personal hero of mine, Anthony Zart. In a matter of hours, he took my CV, a few sample images, and Scott's ideas for my latest show, and created this! He's an incredibly talented graphic designer, and quite the photography enthusiast as well. These Cleveland creatives are all really cool, and I look forward to meeting even more of them at the opening of "Dapper" on  April 14th, as well as later this summer during Analog's Pulse.

Hmm, it didn't really strike me until now, but these first four images on Polaroid 779 are all of creatives. A new series perhaps? ;)

Anyways, there's almost nothing bad I've got to say about this expired Polaroid film. My only one comment to those out there shooting only discontinued and expired film stocks is to get out there and shoot the new stuff as well! Sure, the prices and selection aren't what they used to be, but the current lineups of color negative and B&W films are some of the best there have ever been. And considering Impossible and Fuji's instant film track records, those films are only getting better as time goes on. Stocking up a little at a time is one thing, but don't be a hoarder, be a supporter of film photography.

As always, happy shooting and long live film!

Selenium Toning B&W Prints

While putting the finishing touches on some 8x10's for next month's show, I decided to do a quick-n-dirty rundown of selenium toning B&W fiber prints.