Fotolab/Infrared Photography

WORK IN PROGRESS This is a place where I want to collect all my information and findings about analogue infrared photography! (Contributions always welcome!)

About

If you take infrared pictures you make light that is not visible to the human eye visible. You get pretty weird effects. Gras, leaves and so on will be snow white. The blue sky or water will be coal black. The skin and lips will be white like on a porcelain doll. Also blood vessels under the skin will shine through the skin.

Infrared pictures look like this: 26 Incredible Examples of Infrared Photography with Description

Film

Efke IR820 Aura should be a good film for shooting infrared light. It has no anti-halation backing so the "blooming" effect should be good.

It has infrared sensitivity up to 820 nm light.

The film needs to be loaded in total darkness!

IR Filter

In order to have great infrared pictures you have to block the visible light and let as much of the infrared light into the cam. So we need a filter on the camera that blocks all the visible light (from 390 to 750 nm) and let everything above this range through to the film.

A filter like this:

• can be bought [1] [2]
• can be made of Congo Blue Lee C181 light filter sheets. [3]
• can be made of old floppy discs [4]
• can be made of film that was not exposed to light but was developed. [5]

Shooting

We need a lot of light so outdoor shooting when the sun is shining should be good. Maybe we must have longer exposures so a tripod should be good idea.

Camera: Diana F+

Cover the red hole in the back with black tape. If you want to advance the film just pull back the tape and put it back on again after advancing the film enough.

Links

• http://www.squarefrog.co.uk/techniques/infrared-film.html
• http://people.rit.edu/andpph/text-infrared-filter.html