Focal Points
All in Learn
Load the film in near total darkness. You won’t want to unload, load, or open the camera unless you’re in very faint dimly lit settings. If the charge end of the IR film that sticks out of the canister is exposed to light, that could be enough to distort about half of the roll. The end can act as a light-wick, seeping sunlight through the entire roll and ruining the film.
Different Infrared film stocks have different sensitivities to IR light. As an example Kodak HIE film is one of the most sensitive IR films on the market, recording down to 920nm on the spectrum. Siince it is more sensitive to light, it is a faster film allowing the use of faster shutter speeds.
The first infrared film was developed in 1910 by Robert Williams Wood. His experimental film required very long exposures to properly capture enough light to illuminate the images. It wasn’t until the 1930s where infrared film became available to the public when Kodak developed film emulsions that were responsive to infrared light.
So perhaps you want to shoot a roll of Kodak Tri-X 400 or Ilford HP-5 400, but you’re not sure where to develop 35mm film these days?
On this episode Mac Blessen teaches us a few tips and tricks using his Leica M6 in Washington, DC.
