Feature #27:
Camera: ca. 1948 Kodak Bantam Flash with 48mm/f4.5 Anastar Lens.
Film: Rollei 400 Infrared
Locale: Frederick, MD.
First, let me be perfectly clear, Rollei does NOT make it's Infrared film in 828 format, but thanks to my methods, I quickly made a roll of 828 stock from a roll of 120 stock and dark loaded it into the Bantam Flash. I took a first shot as Spring blossomed, and then the camera and film just sat, week after week, seeing no action whatsoever, until I just so happened to bring it along on a lovely day, and had about 20 spare minutes to shoot it in one shot as I strolled near Baker Park in Downtown Frederick. Nearly all of the shots were tripod taken under an approximate EI of 12, which in this case meant a typical shutter speed of 1/50, and an aperture of f/8, (or 1/25 with an f/11 aperture) which as it turns out was usually decent enough to get a workable shot while holding the R72 over the lens.
First, let me be perfectly clear, Rollei does NOT make it's Infrared film in 828 format, but thanks to my methods, I quickly made a roll of 828 stock from a roll of 120 stock and dark loaded it into the Bantam Flash. I took a first shot as Spring blossomed, and then the camera and film just sat, week after week, seeing no action whatsoever, until I just so happened to bring it along on a lovely day, and had about 20 spare minutes to shoot it in one shot as I strolled near Baker Park in Downtown Frederick. Nearly all of the shots were tripod taken under an approximate EI of 12, which in this case meant a typical shutter speed of 1/50, and an aperture of f/8, (or 1/25 with an f/11 aperture) which as it turns out was usually decent enough to get a workable shot while holding the R72 over the lens.
I hadn't quite worked out my filter holding method for this first shot.
A lovely day in Downtown Frederick shows action near the Transit Center. Note the blur in the truck showing the slow shutter speed.
A pair of Carroll Creek exposures turned out quite well; the water reflections work great.
Bushes near the Barbara Fritchie House give off the typical infrared effect.
I believe these two show the effect both with and without the filter effect. Regrettably, the second shot has some blur.
A little closer up and with a wider aperture to get shallower depth of field.
Even with a tripod, I got some blur as I depressed the shutter.
The second try is somewhat better.
Limited to a tripod, framing some elements was a challenge - I had hoped to frame this entire sculpture.
A bit too much list as I set the tripod on a hill. Again, notice the slow motion blur.
Markedly better - a true infrared shot.
Focused on the grass in the foreground, but the focus carried over to include the backdrop.
I had never tried to shoot infrared into the sun, so I gave it a try - worked well!
Closing out with a shot of the street bordering the park. Definitely shows off the effect of infrared shots.
Thoughts: While I might have elected to save some of the shots for more rural scenes on another picture perfect day, I might have also waited forever for the chance. This roll challenged my tendency to try to stretch out some rolls of film over weeks, and proved that it's not always a bad thing to fire away without the overly frugal mindset of rationing film exposures. I'm generally quite happy with the results.
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