Mark Cassino Photography - Mark's Blog

Note: Additional development times (stand process in HC110) can be found towards the end of this post: Ludington Dunes.

A few months ago I ordered what will no doubt be my last rolls of Kodak High Speed Infrared film. It’s sad to see an old standby pass on, but while online buying film, I decided to pick up a few rolls of Rollei IR400.

I was looking for a film that could produce the same startling infrared affect that the Kodak film delivered. After shooting a couple of test rolls, it seems that the Rollei film is certainly up to that task. Here are a few first impressions of the film, plus tips regarding exposure and development. 

Exposure: Without a filter, or with just a #25 red filter, setting the ISO to 400 and metering through the lens worked fine. As with most ISO 400 films, though, I prefer the results at ISO 320 or even 200.

As you’d expect, there is no IR effect when shooting without a filter. And, unlike some other IR films, there is very little IR effect when shooting with a #25 red filter. To get a pronounced IR effect I had to use a Hoya R72 infrared filter.

My first experiments with the IR filter were disappointing. I utilized a 5 stop filter factor, so I metered at ISO 400 with no filter and then increased the exposure by 5 stops – effectively shooting at ISO 12. I bracket up and down a stop, for ISO 24 and 6. Unfortunately, with the R72 filter in place, this still resulted in a grossly underexposed negative.

So the second time around I ramped up the filter factor to 7 - 10 stops – shooting at ISO 3, 1.0, and even 0.5. The shot above was metered at ISO 1.0 and was taken with the R72 filter in place. In bright midday full sun, with the lens at f16, this was a 1 second exposure – pretty darn long and comparale to the digital IR work I’ve been doing. (Just to be perfectly clear for folks trying to wrap their heads around adjusting exposure to compensate for filters – I metered the above shot with the camera set to ISO 400. That gave me a recommended setting of 1/500th of a second. I then clicked the shutter button to increase the exposure by 9 stops to 1 second even.)

The R72 filter was critical for getting the distinct IR effect. The image below compares two shots, one taken at ISO 200 with a #25 Red Filter, and the other with the R72. While Kodak HIE, Ilford SFX, and even the now long defunct Konica IR750 all produced good results with the plain red filter, with the Rollei film the red filter just doesn’t cut it. The technical specifications sheet recommends a deep red filter, but I have not tried that.

Development: Having only shot two rolls of this filme, I processed the first in Rodinal 1:50 and the second in HC110 Dil H (1:66). The roll dipped in Rodinal was grainy – very grainy. The HC110 roll had much more subdued grain, and much better tonal range (of course, that is also a result of the second roll being better exposed.) The successful process with HC110 was 20 minutes and 20C, with agitation one per minute for the first 15 minutes, and every 30 seconds for the last 5 minutes. For the next roll I’ll probably drop the agitation for the first few minutes, and extend the time, in hopes of coaxing out a bit more shadow detail.

Rollei IR400 is the first 35mm film I’ve used that has a water soluble anti-halation / dye layer. While this is generally the rule for 120 and 220 films, I wasn’t expecting it in a 35mm format. As recommended on the Massive Development Chart, I pre-soaked the film for 5 minutes before developing .

In conclusion, I’m really happy with the rest results from this film, and am looking forward to doing more work with it.

It’s been over two weeks since I returned from visiting northern Michigan, but it was just a few days ago that I finally developed the two rolls of film that were exposed in a converted Kinoflex TLR. Background here: we were driving up north on World Pinhole Photography Day. I stuck the Kinoflex in the back seat of the car, hoping for a chance to pull off the road to snap a few shots.

Trout Fountain, Kalkaska, Michigan

I first broke out the pinhole camera in Kalkaska, Michigan. We were heading into trout territory, and trout fishing is a major passion in Kalkaska. The city hosts the National Trout Festival on opening day of the trout fishing season (which happened to be the day we were passing through.) A large fountain featuring an enormous brook trout sits smack dab in the middle of the city, and driving through we stopped and shot the better part of a roll of 120 film of the fountain.

Jordan River Valley, Pinhole Exposure

Nice enough subject matter, but I really wanted to get a landscape shot. After we reached Boyne Mountain and checked into our lodging, we ventured back to the Deadman’s Hill overlook. The late afternoon sun played over the flowering spring trees – just starting to show the first hints of season’s foliage. The sun reflected off the Jordan River, making it a bright ribbon in the valley below.

Personally, this is my favorite pinhole shot from this trip. The sun was shining obliquely into the pinhole camera, and the ‘pinhole flare’ adds a little to the shot as well. Now I just have to resolve to use the pinhole camera more often, and not just on Arbor Day!

Spring is really at hand – and there is no better way than to celebrate the change in the seasons than by getting out and enjoying some art. This year I’m participating in Battle Creek’s Spring Into the Arts art walk. I’ll have work hanging at two locations – the Happi Convenience Store and Barista Blues Cafe. Barista Blues is in its new location – right next to Happi’s in the ground floor of the 20 story Heritage Tower Building at 25 West Michigan Avenue.

The Art Walk runs from 5 – 9 on Friday, May 16, 2008. I’ll be there with lots of prints on the walls, along with bins full or matted prints, photo note cards, and copies of Imperfect Symmetry – the snow crystal book. Plus there are lots of other artists and events in the city that night. (Not to mention a whole lot of great food and drink.)

If you are local – stop on by. For the full scoop on the Art Walk check out the online brochure at http://www.downtownbattlecreek.com/pdfs/SpringintotheArts_08.pdf.

See you there!

Last week Pam and I spent 5 nights at the northern Michigan resort, Boyne Mountain. This is a ski, golf, and water park resort – and our unplanned trip in late April came at the time when most of these activities were down. All but the deepest snow on the ski slopes had melted, and the golf courses, historical museums, and other local attractions were all scheduled to open on the first Monday of May.

Well, it’s not like we ski or golf, anyhow… 

We spent most of our time hiking in the various open public lands in the north country. We visited a few state parks – Young State Park just north of Boyne City, and Northport / Leelanau State Park on the Leelanau peninsula. But most of our time was spent exploring the Jordan River Valley, which we either accessed directly through seasonal roads in the surrounding state forest, or via the Deadman’s Hill Overlook or Warner Creek Trail.

Just driving 250 miles north, and getting closer to Lake Michigan, was like taking a time machine back a few weeks into the very early spring. The northern woods were full of Hepatica, which was blooming at its peak. Trout Lily carpeted most of the Jordan River Valley, and was just starting to open up at the end of our stay. Trillium were also abundant, although they were just beginning to bloom. The trees were just starting to bud and send out new leaves, which gave the forest a light and airy feel, with warm colors. 

The Jordan River itself proved to be a great photographic subject. Not a large river, but crystal clear and full of little islands. The river is a great trout stream, and a state fish hatchery is located in the Jordan River Valley.

The early spring setting created some interesting light and color effects. The dried grass and leaves created a golden hue, offset by the pale greens of emerging tree leaves and the deep greens of the pines and arborvitae that dotted the landscape. Marsh Marigold bloomed along the river’s banks, and numerous logs extended out into the shallow water, making perfect platforms for getting out into the river for shots of the islands.

The spring landscape, sun dappled water, and grassy islets certainly made for some great subject matter.

The Skegemog Swamp Pathway was another easy walk. The trail follows an abandoned railroad bed into the swamp, ending at an elevated observation platform. The swamp itself was an interesting setting – a great combination of living and dead trees; water, mud, and vegetation. We only spent an hour or so on the trail, but it still provided some great photo opportunities.

Many more shots from this trip:

Around the Jordan River:

 

Along the Road:

 

 

Infrared Photos:

 

Saint John Nepomucene Church

 

 

 

It looks like a late spring translates to be a short spring. Visiting wildflower patches a few days ago, I’m amazed at how quickly things have progressed. The hepatica is virtually gone – just a few sprigs of it here and there in shaded areas. Now Spring Beauty and Rue Anemone cover the forest floor. Trout Lily, Bloodroot, and Trillium are all peaking or near peak. It looks like things have quickly moved on to the later stages of activity – lining up with the calendar.

While the trees are just starting to green up, Blue Darner Dragonflies are already locally abundant – migrants from the south. I watched them depositing eggs in the shallow water of the vernal marsh in the Allegan Forest – getting ready for summers brood. Hopefully Blue Dashers and other spring dragons will be appearing soon! 

Yesterday I extended my search for early spring wildflowers to the Allegan Forest. Although this is the largest tract of open land in south west Michigan, I haven’t had much luck spotting wildflowers there. Virtually all of the land has been farmed in the past – maybe 70 years ago or longer – and that disruption of the soil is enough to finish off many wildflower species.

However, last year I found a few fading hepatica on the south side of a steep bluff along the Kalamazoo River. I returned there this year hoping to find more wildflowers – and to my surprise found a thriving population of blue hepatica.

The bluff drops about 70 feet from its peak down to the river – as measured by a GPS unit. The slope is pretty steep, but an old road is cut into the side of the hill, leading down to a flat area near the water. Probably an old boat launch, it is now barricaded and hepatica is even springing up along it. The road provides easy access to the flowers on the steep hill.

I had a very pleasant morning there, shooting the wildflowers as numerous Mourning Cloak and Question Mark butterflies flitted around in the air. It’s great that spring is finally back!

Cold breezes drift around me as I stand in the bare woods. There are no leaves on the trees. The ground is a carpet of brown and gray leaves. The back into the woods was muddy and flooded.

It’s mid April and so far my trips into Michigan’s southwest corner – home to exquisite spring woodland wildflowers – have been fruitless. Today the sun shines, burning off the chill of a clear, cold night.

Heading towards the creek, signs of spring start to appear. Wild garlic pops up here and there, and soon I’m following a path with big patches of deep green leaves on both sides. Harbinger of Spring blooms here and there. Finally, the first few hepatica appear.

Spring may be late, but we’re early in the season. As the day warmed more and more hepatica opened. In a few days the forest floor will be carpeted with these dime sized blooms. So here is a first taste of spring wildflowers – more to come for sure!

Spring is hiding this April – lurking in the melting mounds of snow that shrink at the edges of parking ramps, under the brown grasses and leafless trees, in the cold rain that falls more often than not. Now wildflowers are blooming – yet. Few insects take to the air. A few green buds hint at what is coming.

Late last week, though, the sun shone brightly and temperatures rose enough to melt most of the remaining snow – except in the shaded places. I went to the Allegan Forest to see if I could coax out some glimmer of the hidden season with an infrared photography session. What better way to search for something hidden, than to look with invisible light? Or so goes my logic, or whatever.

At least the melting snow let me get at areas that have been difficult to reach these last few months. First off was a visit to the vernal pond – more like a vernal marsh – off 48th street. Beginning in a few weeks and then for the rest of the summer this place will be full of all sorts of dragonflies. This is the time of year when the marsh is the most flooded – this shot below shows (in graphic infrared hues) the flooded out and trampled down grasses that will rise up 4 or 5 feet out of the marsh by late spring. By July or August I’ll be walking through the area shown here – the marsh will shrink down to just a small wet area (the heart of the marsh) by the end of the summer. 

 But surely dragonfly larva slink through the icy waters, even now, dreaming of the days when they will take to the air…qq I also visited some areas north of the river – along the bluffs rising above the flooded flood plains below. In particular I explored a steep embankment off 125th street – which is a rutted two track at that point. The steep slope faces due south, and the first hepatica leaves, and even a few flower buds, were poking out of the dried leaves. The micro climate at this place makes it green up earlier than anywhere else that I visit, so in a week – maybe two – the hepatica should be abundant elsewhere.qq Here’s another infrared shot from the same area – this one of a pine tree, somewhat close up, though not a close-up. Not much to say, but I like it. 

All of these photos were taken with the Pentax *ist-D and an RM90 IR filter.  

I also experimented with Rollie IR400 during this trip, shooting alternatively with an R72 IR filter, and a standard #25 red filter. The first time out with this film was not so successful – none of the shots with the R72 filter came out well, and the shots with the standard red fitler show little IR effect (though as a standard B&W film it looked fine.) The shots with the R72 filter were metered at ISO 25, and were bracketed one stop plus and minus. In hindsight, I realize that I should have metered at ISO 12 or even 6 – so I’ll be back to try again. I also underdeveloped the film – which did not help things.

Well – let’s hope I got all the mistakes out of the way on this first try. With 4 more rolls in the fridge, I’m eager to give this film another try. In the meantime, here are some other digital infraed images from this spring: