Need to pick people's brains, does snow Reflect IR light? EIR film

[Steve Smith]

That's a good question and one I don't know the answer to.

The last time it snowed here, I used some Ilford SFX film but without the IR filter - just because it's all I had.

Some of them in my gallery. This is my favourite:




Steve.

[mooseontheloose]

Nice image Steve! One of my goals this year is to play more with SFX -- I never really seriously considered it before when there were more infrared options, but it seems like there aren't that many choices left.

[jm94]

I processed the roll, first of all do not waste a roll of EIR on snow in future guys, it was a waste! Only plants and people in coats other than black that did not have snow on them showed up red, the snow was, painfully, white. I did bracket. Got a few good IR shots, one from atop a high building with everybody in the town centre showing up as red, that is about it. A pointless waste of a roll it seems, but it shows the batch is good and the seller has more, so i am going to nab a couple more.

So that has answered the question if it is worth using EIR on snow... no :O

[AgX]

That does not contradict what basically had been saif about IR reflection.

First, with EIR one typically uses a mild filtration, thus the snow will reflect a lot of light, including visible, to the film.
Second, even with a strong filtration, as in most b&w IR-photography, a chromogenic IR-reversal film exposed beyond a limit will show white.

[jm94]

Hmm that could be it, a shame mind but i will take some more once the snow has melted of the same scenes Water Absorbs IR light as we know and there is a tree overhanging a lake, red tree and green reflection in the water might be a good shot, among a few others! Seems that using IR film, especially EIR/Aerochrome seems to be a learning curve upon itself, and from what i saw from bracketing, the exposure latitude of EIR is more narrow than most other slide films it seems.I used a hoya orange filter, gave me the colour balance i wanted from EIR.