My first Color IR photos from 50 years ago

[lonesome_dave]

A month after I shot my first B&W infrared photos I tried a roll of Kodak Ektachrome Infrared color film. It was 50 years ago this month (Sep 1972). Here's a few images from that roll. Kodak recommended using a Wratten #12 deep yellow filter for best results.

 

This first image was taken without a filter. It is interesting that the magenta color of vegetation is similar to that obtained with a modern digital camera converted for infrared and used raw without color-balancing.

 

Kodak Ektachrome Infrared film with a Wratten#8 yellow filter.

 

Kodak Ektachome Infrared film with a Wratten#22 orange filter.

 

Kodak Ektachome Infrared film with a Wratten#25 red filter and polarizer.

 

Kodak Ektachome Infrared film with a Wratten#22 orange filter and polarizer.

 

I used a variety of color filters on this first roll to see the what the different effects would be. Only later did I appreciate the familiar perspective of a blue sky that the yellow filters produced. Well, it's a false-color film anyways so may as well have fun. At the time I actually preferred the dark sky look obtained with red filters.

 

Here's some artifacts from that time including the original Kodak Gelatin filters.

 

Kodak Ektachrome Infrared specsheet & box with Gelatin filters. (Only box I could find is from the 1980s version of the film)

 

Kodak Ektachrome Infrared film couldn't be processed at home as no E-4 processing chemicals were offered for consumer use. In later years when E-6 completely took over none of the local labs would do E-4. It had to be mailed off to Kodak for development until the mid-1990s when they ended support for the E-4 process. About that time Kodak released a new version of color infrared called Aerochrome Infrared that used an AR-5 process but could also be processed at home using E-6 chemicals. I believe Kodak discontinued that film in the mid-2000s. A few similar films from other manufacturers existed until about 2010 but I'm not aware of any IR color film made since that time.

 

[Fandyus]

Ah yes, the legend that is Kodak Aerochrome. I heard that it is very sensitive to UV as well. I low key wish someone on the forum used their wealth to buy one of the ~90 remaining rolls and tried what it looks like and if it gives any false color. But at the prices the rolls are going for I can't expect anyone to spend that kind of money

[OlDoinyo]

For UV examples, you may check here and here and a monochrome example here. Like most laminar sensing media, it does not give much real UV chromaticity--almost the entire UV response comes from the top emulsion layer and what images form in the lower layers consist mainly of leakage (visible, IR.)

[colinbm]

Nice history lesson thanks

[jscff]

Yeah, helpful for me aswell, as I am taking my first steps with a digital filter that aims to emulate this film. Thanks.

[Kai]

Very impressive, Dave!
Thank you for sharing :)

[Andrea B.]

Please excuse me for this very late comment, but I wanted to say how interesting and useful it is to have some IR Film examples posted. Thank You!!!