A redscale film can act as a red filter behind your lens! Proof? Lift your head and look up into the sky! An easy tips for everyone who wants to try redscale out.
Observe the sky in the picture below:
Have you noticed anything about the contrast in the sky and clouds? Perhaps the following photos shot in Australian sky may help:
It’s the enhanced contrast between the clouds and the background colour of the sky. These are all redscale shots (either from Lomography or home brew films). In redscale photography, the red-sensitive layer of the film being exposed first (see Wikipedia ), so the resulting picture has intense red tone.
And because the red-sensitive layer comes before the blue-sensitive later (which normally is exposed first), the light from the blue sky is reduced by the filtering of red-sensitive later. This effect is similar to adding a red filter in front of your lens (in B&W photography), but in redscale you add the filter behind your lens!
Here a good comparative shot, notice how the film on the right achieved stronger contrast in the sky:
Photo by herr_zeit
Here’s my last word. I think this red-filtering effect works best at
- sunny day;
- lots of white clouds;
- a background of very blue sky.
If the sky is dull, the sky won’t turn dark even if you have lots of clouds. That’s why the photos shot in Australia (2nd gallery above) has higher contrast – because Australian sky is very blue in the day!
Please show me if you have better result. Also if you have anything to correct me, feel free to comment!
6 comments
tangshiyang
mythguy9
@tangshiyang you can make a redscale out of a standard and cheap Kodak 400 if you want. good luck!
peropero
oh wow my picture!
thanks! ;)
the_detourist
@tangshiyang just make your own redscale!! its way easy!! use a 400 or even 800 speed for really great effects!
freyfrey
Thanks, I just bought my first redscale rolls and had no idea of how to shoot it. Now i know, brighton beach on a bright cloudy day! Cant wait.
mythguy9
Good luck mate! I'm sure you'll get contrasty images!