The first time I attempted to shoot infrared film, it was an InfraFail. You can see that here: Infrared Film ~ Take One. This time, I am super duper excited, because I got some success from it. It wasn’t a total and complete success, because I still made some mistakes, but I got some great, haunting images, and I learned more about how to use this type of film. I give myself a C on this assignment, which is a vast improvement from the big fat F I got last time.
The characteristics of infrared film are best captured in the spring and summer months, but I had to do it anyway. I couldn’t wait six months to try it again. I’m impatient like that. (Shocking, I know.) One thing that varies due to the month of the year is the quality of the foliage. In these images, I didn’t get as much white in the trees as I would’ve because the leaves were already dying and changing for fall. The grass did turn white though, and that was pretty cool.
As you can see in the images below, the day-light sky is dark grey to black, and the wispy clouds stand out. The water is also black. Pretty cool effect! I’m happy with that. Victoria with her creepy mask dramatically stands out, giving the image a ghostly appearance – exactly what I wanted for this creative shoot.
One thing I did NOT do correctly was meter off my subject. I metered the light like I would normal black and white film – off the mid-tones and shadows of the scene. Because of this, my subject is blown out white. Lucky for me, it worked for this shoot. It just adds more drama.
Below, you can see a photo of Victoria semi-floating in the water. It’s a PRIME example of the drama I created with this film. Yes, her face is blown out, but you can still see the sharp angles of her features (she’s a stunning girl), the shape of her lips (which turned white due to the red filter, cool!), and the detail in her hair. This is my favorite image of the entire day because of the way the light filtered through the water and made these cool ripple effects on her legs and arms. Haunting – exactly what I was going for.
Below, you can see what the image looks like in color, slightly more blue and dramatic than it was to the human eye. Such a difference in the way the film reacts. Amazing, really.
Below you can see a side-by-side of traditional C-41 black and white film (left) and infrared film (right). It’s a great way to see what infrared does to the water, the sky and the subject, and how the contrast differs dramatically.
And here, you can see an infrared shot of Victoria sitting in the water. It’s a great example of how the trees can look in infrared. Can’t wait to shoot some of this film off in the spring!
This image below is (chills) ghostly. Like I said, I didn’t meter properly. In fact, I should’ve bracketed (*face plant*), but whatever. What I find so soooo cool about this image is that there is very little detail in her face, yet, you can see detail in the reflection in the water. I’m not sure why that happens… Turned out cool though!
Well, I had a great time experimenting again! This was just part of a much larger creative shoot. Stay tuned for the entire shoot in a few days!
Peace out!