Re: Beginner

[Eckhard Stephan <eckhard.stephan@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

> Hi
> 
> I' a new member of this ml. And I'm also finding my ways around this new
> area - IR photography.
 
Welcome to this list and to the fascinating world of IR photography !
:-)

> I've read the all faq page and got some ideas to start with. Still I'm not
> going to get in to this area without knowing this:
> Do you think that it's too risky to develop the film in a normal lab?

It depends on the lab. If they are used to b&w work and if you tell them
that they must not open the plastic container except in total darkness,
you will probably get acceptable pictures. I started IR photography this
way myself, and I got some nice pics from my local lab. If you have
difficulties finding a lab that does the job, you could also ask a
professional b&w portrait studio to develop your films for you. It might
be a bit more expensive than a normal lab and you may have to ask really
nice ;-), but this is probably the best way to get good pics...

However, If you really want to get ahead in b&w photography, I would
recommend you to develop your films yourself and let your lab only do
the printing. It's much safer - and it's neither really expensive nor
complicated. All you need is some provisional "darkroom" (e.g. a
bathroom without windows at night), a small developing tank, a
thermometer and some chemistry. For about 50-60 $ you can get everything
you need. Developing yourself will not only give you much better control
over your results, you will also arrive at a much better understanding
of what you are doing. Besides that, it's simply fun... 

> 
One other question: What do you think about the necessity of using
filters
> with b&w films and with color films?
> 
Of course it's all a matter of personal taste... IMO, a dark red filter
(not necessarily a visually opaque IR filter) is required for b&w IR
photography. Personally, I also use yellow, orange, red and (seldom)
green filters with normal b&w films in order to enhance contrast and/or
get a more attractive tonal range. For a beginner, a Skylight (UV)
filter or a yellow filter will probably do.

Happy photographing,

Eckhard
-- 
========================================
*          Eckhard Stephan             * 
*          Freiburg (Germany)          *
*     eckhard.stephan@xxxxxxxxxxx      *	
*   http://www.eckhards-photobox.de    *   
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