Falling in Love With What the Eye Can’t See
/An introduction to infrared film photography
I was first introduced to infrared film photography in college. At the time I was shooting on an old 35mm film camera. Eventually I graduated to medium format and then large format capture of infrared film. That made it possible to create large prints at a very high quality. I had fallen in love with the complicated process that rendered such angelic and spiritual rendering of the natural world.
What Is Infrared Film Photography?
Infrared film photography captures light that the human eye cannot see and so it renders dreamy images that spark awe. Nevertheless, it is a rather cumbersome process that requires high quality equipment, time, and experience. Infrared film is extremely light sensitive compared to other film and needs to be loaded and unloaded from the camera in complete darkness. It also needs an opaque lens filter. This filter blocks out all of the physical light, so in order to produce an image, I have to expose the film for up to 30 seconds. This means I need a tripod to avoid any camera shake. Additionally, normal light meters don’t work with infrared film photography, so my light metering is based on an estimate provided my the meter and on my experience. I have learned that there are different amounts of infrared light at different earth latitudes and at different times of day. When exposing I use a small lens opening called the aperture, ranging from f11 to f32. The aperture controls the depth of field in a photograph meaning the amount of the foreground and background that is in focus. A small aperture like f32 renders a wide depth of field meaning that the entire frame is in focus. In infrared film photography, the focal distance is slightly behind what you can see with visible light, so I have to focus the camera slightly in front of the subject. Any focusing has to be done before the filter is added unless you are shooting on a rangefinder or a twin lens camera. This means that the process of photographing is slow and careful. It requires a quiet meditative state of mind to avoid errors. When I am photographing the natural environment, I can easily enter this calm state of mind that enhances my creativity.
Once I became proficient with infrared film photography, none of the difficulties mattered because no other film could capture my feeling of reverence for nature that infrared could. I love taking it when I travel somewhere new so I can capture the regenerative radiance emanating from the natural world around us. It allowed me to express my love for biodiversity and my gratitude toward the earth for sustaining life.
Rock Climbing Adventure & Infrared In Arizona
On one travel journey at my stepmother’s home in Arizona, my husband and I decided to rock climb Mt. Lemmon. To our amazement, my father, who was deathly afraid of heights, agreed to join us. I was elated but also nervous. It was his first time rock climbing not to mention he was in his sixties. He had gone rappelling into caves before so he already knew the rope work and knots.
First my husband climbed up the rock face carrying my 40 pounds of camera equipment on his back with ease, and I pointed out to my father the hand and toe holds he was using. Dad was so nervous. Then I climbed to the top talking to my father the whole way to show him how it is done. I perched at the top of the climb and roped in for safety and called for my father to clip in to the safety line. Without seeing him well since the rock face was curved, I coached him with just my voice as he climbed. He was going very slowly because he was so nervous. Halfway up the rock face, I was nearly sure he wouldn’t make it to the top. The Arizona sun was coming in and out leaving a staggering heat, and my father was beginning to become uneasy. After much encouragement, to my surprise his face popped up over the curve in the rock wall as he reached the three quarter mark. At this point the climb became much easier and he made it to the top! I was elated!
My dad just as he finishes his climb
Once at the top I set up my tripod and medium format Mamiya RZ67 that my husband, a talented climber, carried to the top for me. Here I captured two of the photos in my Otherworldly Visions series: Mt. Lemmon 3 and Mt. Lemmon 4.
Mt. Lemmon #3 captured at the top of the rock climb (click the image to shop the print)
Mt. Lemmon #4 Captured at the top of the rick climb (click the image to shop the print)
Mt. Lemmon 3 depicts, in the most ethereal way, a natural bonsai tree growing from a crack in the boulder. It’s one of Mother Nature’s finest masterpieces, and I was so grateful the sun cooperated, allowing me to capture it forever. Mt. Lemmon 4 depicts the skyline from where we stood. I have never seen more detailed clouds before. They almost mimic the mountain peaks below them. The light in the scene so dramatically highlights the sculpted mountains. It is as if Mother Nature is an artist too!
Click here to shop the Mt. Lemmon artworks in the Otherworldly Visions series
What do you think of the dreamy feel of infrared film photography? Please leave your comments below!
