We have a few days of fog. Most people hate fog. I hate fog, especially when I need to drive somewhere. But there were no plans today except to shoot some redscale in this foggy area around my neighborhood! Redscale is when a film is loaded front-side-back. The back of the film is the red layer and is sensitive to the entire spectrum of visible light. As a result, redscale film looks reddish, mixed in with little bits of green and blue that survived.
Camera settings: Exposure was estimated to be around 1/60s at f/4. The focus is set to infinity by the camera. I wanted a strong effect of redscale, so I treated the film as an ISO 50 film. Horizon Perfekt is a swing lens camera that shoots in 1:2.5 format. There is light bending on the left side of the camera, and the camera stopped working soon after. It has since gone to the clinic.
The heavy fog had deterred people from driving, especially early on a Saturday morning. I tried to use this town which is currently devoid of humans and activities as a set to a post-apocalyptic world. I quite like the effect to be honest.
There were some Christmas decorations out at people’s front door and Halloween decorations that had not been stored. The Halloween decorations work better for redscale, but there is a creepy vibe to the cheery Santa Claus.
I usually venture to the Orenco Woods Nature Park after heavy snow, which happens about once a year. This time, the wide-open spaces filled with fog help to bring an atmosphere of creepiness to the redscale film. I just wish the fog was stronger.
Redscale is interesting. This set seemed to do fine with the lonely and sad vibe. The pano aspect ratio and the fog help to exaggerate the emptiness in the city. I definitely would prefer this over color film, but I do wonder if black and white might have also done well. Or even a desaturated color like Lomography Metropolis. Maybe another walk if heavy fog arrives again!
Date: Dec 21st, 2023.
Issue 87. Volume 13. Chapter 6. FA272_HPK