Project CMYK: MAGENTA FOREST

In my last wordier blog I explained the conceptual process that went in for my "thank you" to those that helped with the repair payments, the iterations of the project, and lastly how Cyan Fields wasn't the first shoot in the project.  But what was, and why? Well to dive into this I have to retouch how the "year of seasons" was structured. Spring was always going to be shot with an "asian cherry blossomy" look or feel.  The intent was pinks and fuchsias and fit a pastel spring freshness.  As previously discussed though, winter already beginning to end.  The start of this project needed to happen as soon as an arboretum, with the look and feel i wanted, was found.  The film was a toss up between Fujifilm's Velvia and try to get permissions to shoot early Golden Hour, or try and buy a roll of Kodak Aerochrome EIR film and get at least one shot of the ten exposures to be in focus and framed how I mentally perceived it. I went with the second, knowing full and well that trying to get into an arboretum early would be an extra unnecessary step in shooting the first of four pieces. So it was off to 

the internet to find a supplier of Aerochrome film.  Now, Aerochrome film was used in the past by the government for surveying arial shots for intelligence agencies.  As technology got better the used for Infrared Film was no longer needed, and with that the film became more a novelty than a regularly used medium.  Cut to 2015, where I'm bidding on it from the only known vendor of 120 type Color IR film, who lives in Italy, for $110.  Regardless, if that's the film I committed to there's no way around it, and no substitutions. At this time I have the film en route, and my attention now goes to a location, but not for long.

 

  A beautiful private arboretum in Rockford, priding itself as a Japanese garden was perfect, and with little else known about the place my wife and I were off.  Anderson Garden was quite beautiful, and while I could have chosen several different places to set up and shoot, I was deeply moved by the spot where the waterfall was. The bridge was of the same asian style I was looking for, and the fellow filter needed helped give the assortment of green leaves a pink and "magenta" look. If given the opportunity, and the money, I would re-shoot there again for other magenta looking shots. How so ever I had one last hurdle to overcome, the development process. See, color infrared film isn't like regular film (obviously) and needs to be developed in AR-5 chemicals in E-6 as opposed to the C-41 process. Finding a place that did it was difficult, but in looking around I actually found a place in Chicago that had a two week turn around time, and the silver lining was I didn't have to mail it elsewhere and wait longer. So to that, Gamma Imaging in Chicago has my thanks.... So how did it come out? Below, less slight cropping is the result.  A great start to the project, now to Yellow City.

Hasselblad 500C  
@f/11  1/60 seconds ISO 400
Kodak Aerochrome EIR Film