Using A RED FILTER for Black & White Photography

[@nostalgiccameralife]

The (very) old book The Amateur Photographer's Handbook has probably the best explanation of what filters do and how they work as I've seen in any source. One thing to keep in mind is that the filter only subtracts light, it doesn't add anything. It blocks the complimentary color, but it also diminished all the colors in between. So here's the odd part to keep in mind (and which I rarely see discussed): if you use, for example, the red filter, and you do not compensate for exposure, only red light will be exposed correctly, and blue-green light will be blocked. The filter factor (the +3 stops) is basically to bring the exposure of all the other colors back up normal, which results in red light essentially being overexposed. So in your tree photo, if you put on the red filter but did not add extra stops of light, the tree would look essentially the same as in the unfiltered photo, but everything else would become very dark. This is why in the photo of the buildings the filter has the apparent effect of lightening the building in the foreground.

[@willowrabbit]

So if I'm using an in camera light meter with a filter, should I change the iso to compensate?

[@nostalgiccameralife]

@@willowrabbitNo, the TTL meter will automatically compensate (unless perhaps you're photographing something red that fills the entire frame?).

[@willowrabbit]

@@nostalgiccameralife Makes sense. I'll just spot meter off of a neutral toned area. Thank you.

[@cdrkennon]

This is where carrying an 18% grey card or folding reflector can be very useful - establishing white balance and exposure.

[@ared18t]

6:05 The building was probably a brownish orangish type building, so it got brighter as a result despite being in shadow.

[@stevenclark2188]

That skyscraper shot is really interesting. It never occurred to me that you could cut out reflections by cutting the color of sky.

[@judem429]

Best line ever: “I was close to B&H.” Heaven!

[@boservant1693]

Heaven holds colors one cannot even fathom. And remember, only one way to get there, through Jesus Christ.

[@boservant1693]

Heaven holds colors one cannot even fathom. And remember, only one way to get there, through Jesus Christ.

[@boservant1693]

Heaven holds colors one cannot even begin to fathom. And remember, only one way to get there, through Jesus Christ.

[@war0nheaven]

@@boservant1693take your religious babble elsewhere

[@bassman7772]

fuck B&H

[@Rivenworld]

A red with a polarizer on a blue sky with clouds really gives the sky a great look.

[@pcs9518]

This is my personal favorite combo when I shot B+W film back in the day

[@notna4081]

damn that sounds interesting, where can i see example pictures?

[@prabhakarrao4922]

Absolutely!

[@chromagraphphotoart]

Or maybe not...

[@reapsert]

At 5:50 my guess would be that the underneath of the ledge is lit mostly with a warm bounce lighting from the material of the building, ground or other surroundings. If so then that bounced lighting could increase the light levels more than the other parts of the facade which is being lit by a more cold light, which would get blocked out by the red filter. So when you increase the stops of light because of the filter, you would also increase the bounced lit shadows proportionally higher. Not sure but that would be my guess.

[@ThingOfSome]

The number of stops for a color filter really depends not only on the intensity of the filter (not all red filters require 3 stops) but also on the spectral sensitivity of the film. Also, it is wrong to say that a red filter would add more details to portraits because generally skin tones are quite warm, so a red filter would actually smooth out details. A green or blue filter would actually increase contrast in the details for portraits, so those would be more gritty.

[@randallstewart1224]

By normal definitions, "add detail" and "more gritty" have zero application in this discussion, just nonsense. Re portraits: Most white colored skin will show slight coloration, slightly redder spots. Using a red filter, unnaturally lightening these little areas, enhances what are often referred to in the literature as "blotches". Similarly, shooting certain styles of white, male portraiture with a green filter will darken the same areas, often referred to as "rugged". My experience shooting landscapes is that the red filter is commonly overused for its darkening of skies and a dramatic effect. I like the effect to a point, but I find that a medium orange filter, i.e., a Kodak Watten "G", is far more useful.

[@ThingOfSome]

@@randallstewart1224 The use of the terms "grit" and "detail" in the video seemed to be referring to amounts of contrast - which, agreed, are not the typical uses of those terms.

[@JAzzWoods-ik4vv]

I think the reason the pics on 6:03 has such a stark difference in the clarity is that by blocking a lot of scattered blue light from the sky, you can see more features since most of the red light actually comes from the object reflecting light, and not the environment.

[@KiLLEz7]

I’m fairly sure there is tape on both ends of 120 so if you took it out and then got it hooked back you could just wind it all the way through again and then it would be back at the start.

[@V1lkas]

5:40 did red filter works also as polarizer in some kind? u can clearly see a interior of the building behind the glass

[@vervedonk]

Orange is my favourate filter for BW

[@swanseamale47]

Mine too.

[@infadeldog13]

Fantastic informative video. And inspiring to an amateur just getting back to photography.

[@rickbabbitt5014]

some of my favorite filter combos with my canon ae 1 is red being the main in combo with either orange and green sometimes blue, you should try multiple filters joshua.

[@sittig904]

Great explanation of color filters with black and white panchromatic film!

[@alaskahomesteading]

Good video... I'm not familiar with the bronica.... I'm surprised it doesn't offer a leaf shutter (mirror up option like the RB67....

[@rmdhn1]

i think it's fascinating that alot of these happen simply beecause the light bounced by our atmosphere and the sky is blueish

[@jackmiller1804]

Thanks for reinventing the wheel for young film photographers

[@seedmole]

It makes sense that the filter has this behavior when considering how a lot of digital processing techniques can give improved results when applied to the channels separately rather than all at once. A single channel can give enough information for a good black and white image, so removing the unnecessary noise from the other channels should give stark differences like this.

[@regisursini996]

Et voilà, merci pour cette synthèse de maestro.

[@zaqueuribeiro8013]

red is the main hue of this filter, that is kept on +0 stop, everything that gets further in the color wheel gets darker at max -3 stops. the furthermost of the colorwheel is the complementary color of the filter, which is probably a light cyan.

[@bittertruth6175]

Great presentation with so many real images to compare. Thanks.

[@thirtyfiveeyes]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@scottnj2503]

I experimented with red filters many years ago as a HS student taking landscape pics. This was very educational. Thank you, looking forward to learning more about other filters.

[@Todd_Kuhns]

Cool video, not sure the things you shot were the best examples to show the power of the filter but I enjoyed it. Does that camera have a mirror lock up feature to combat the vibrations?

[@carlmcneill1139]

I general shoot digital but recently got back into film. You said that we could take a test roll with and without the filter to check the TTL metering? Can you not just see what the meter gives you with and without the filter? Of I set the ISO and shutter speed on my Canon AE-1 and half press the shutter button the camera will tell me the aperture needed. Wouldn't that change when I put the filter on?

[@wcrofford]

Thanks, just what I was looking for. I just bought a red filter for my Konica Autoflex T3 and heading out this morning. And if I remember I'll let you know how it tuned out - I do my own processing: B&W.

[@HeroUnicorn]

hey heads up the SQ-Ai has a mirror lockup lever to help with those slow shutter speeds

[@brianmccutcheon3205]

Very helpful thank you

[@garymc8956]

Works great with my M11 Mono. Highlight metering protects exposure but have to be careful with the three stops.

[@BersekViking]

When I used B/W film, I usually used a yellow filter. It removed mist and made the sky darker so the clouds became more visible.

[@prabhakarrao4922]

Excellent video. Many thanks

[@ManuelRodriguez-wm2gv]

Thanks for this presentation. Will help answer some key questions re: BW and filter use. Red, yellow and green filters, all part of the BW photographer"s arsenal.

[@nickdattner8680]

Excellent demonstration.

[@Sea0fTime]

The Bronica SQ-ai has a mirror lock up feature to help with that mirror slap. It's the switch on the right side of the camera with N, S, and C markings. N is normal, S sets mirror up for a single frame, C is continuous lock up. Cock the shutter first, then set the mirror lockup. It's all in the manual which you can find online if you don't have a printed copy.

[@johnscratchley3288]

I shoot a lot of black and white and a red filter will be a good addition to my equpment. Thanks.

[@Pmike404]

On clear days I like to keep a Tiffen red 25 filter on my Leica Q2 monochrom. If it’s an overcast day I prefer to shoot without it.

[@wearetrackclub]

Super insightful, Joshua! Really like the shots you got. Very cool stuff! 🙌

[@zgiggly5266]

Dude, I have an FM2. do you know how many times with my broken winder that still works but it’s missing three key important component that makes it a speed winder. I mean the three parts that hold the crank in so I might as well be using an old Russian film camera where you have to walk your fingers to unwind… I’ve flash so much film. );

[@BLUYES422]

this with a polarizing filter would be awesome

[@Alphageist]

Is it possible for a red filter to have an effect on focus via the lens’ ability to align different wavelengths of light onto a single plane? Is this true if you’re not focusing through the lens (e.g. rangefinder)?

[@atogweoghieaga2205]

Great perspective, Weldone and thanks for sharing

[@rfinies]

I think you could have saved the ILFORD HP5 roll by load it up again to get it back to the start since you did not exposed the film to light.

[@DjAlonDevil]

Some of the effects look to me like something that happens in NIR photography. With the red filter, you're filming the end of the visible spectrum. NIR and infrared in general cut through atmospheric barriers and since red is the beginning of that spectrum you have a little bit of that in the images. If you were to remove the hot mirror filter you would actually gain a lot more sensitivity.

[@ZuntaLutra]

when i was loading my new Bronica with HP5 for the first time last month, i also had that exact same issue and i was very devastated. i feel like HP5 120 is cursed now so i haven't used it since but i've never had the same issue since loading other film stocks

[@interruptor]

The higher contrast can also be due to the longer exposure, even if red is not a factor.

[@daleonov]

Wow, that was interesting!

[@victorboucher675]

3 Stops? ... Cool dude, saves on a ND filter. Ever shoot Agfa 25?

[@pcaridad]

What about digital photos? I've been taking pictures with a red filter and couldn't get that effect, like on the Ansel Adam's Moon over a mountain range. 🤔

[@peter-kx9lf]

You must be referring to Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico. Was it actually shot with a red filter? I don't recall that. If you look at some of his early enlargements of Moonrise, it just looks like a regular unfiltered image. In his later enlargements, he started using darkroom techniques to darken the sky. I think you must be looking at those.

[@swanseamale47]

I used to love HP5 in ID11. Used it for years.

[@jeff8ball]

Informative. Thanks for sharing!!!

[@monochromebluess]

Good review. Subscribed. Orange and Yellow presentations next please. Forget green

[@photogl]

Will a red filter work with digital cameras for B&W?

[@rvbsoundfactory]

Yes with a dedicated black and white digital camera. (Pentax or Leica). I'm sure you can still do it post process.

[@El_Gormo]

The yellow/green or orange are less harsh and give a better result imho

[@LoFiAxolotl]

A yellow filter on for example Cinestill 800T (or other tungsten film if they still exist) makes it daylight balanced

[@ruffysvideo]

Be sure to do portraits of subjects with different colored hair with a green filter

[@raywilson9450]

I've always trusted the TTL meter to handle the red filter. But, theoretically, the calculated exposure may not be perfect, owing to the type of sensor in the meter circuit. (the sensor is fooled by red). All that said, the exposure latitude of B&W likely will mask any error and we'll be blissfully unaware. Your video gets a like!

[@geckoram6286]

I read red filter and I thought this was an astrophotography video, now I wonder how would a h-alpha filter look in a b&w film... I guess it would look great for astro, after all some good astro cameras are b&w, but I don't know how the film would affect the results

[@flyingo]

Do yourself a favor, save some time and film by skipping the green and/or blue filters.. they’re basically useless. I do love yellow, orange and red filters for B&W photography, but I’m choosing the orange about 85% of the time.

[@irfangani6451]

Can I ask why is that? In the local film photographer community I follow, the go-to filter for BnW always generally yellow. Does orange give stronger effect than yellow? What is the consideration?

[@flyingo]

@@irfangani6451 , yes, the orange, in my opinion, gives a bit stronger effect, especially if you have the sky and clouds in your composition. Adding a half or full stop more than the yellow would be standard. The red (+2.5 or 3 stops) is very dramatic, whereas the orange is stronger than the yellow but doesn’t dominate the image like the red does. If you can, try graduated yellow and orange filters to affect the sky but leave your lower part of the image unaltered. The blue and green have their place, but it’s a place to which I never go.

[@barrysmith4094]

Now what I just thought of is this: After a person understands the basic concept of filters, you may want to go into some more detail. Example: A distant cityscape (skyline) in the Summer heat and haze. By using a red filter, we can cut through the haze and see the skyline much better. But how about this: Using a blue, that's right a blue filter. Do they make blue filters? So why blue? This will dramatically enhance the haze, (air pallution) for an example, and I THINK, open up some details in the shadow areas.

[@peter2712]

Most of my cameras do not have light meters. I usually start out by just holding the filter over my hand held meter and take a reading.

[@mgman6000]

How about testing an IR filter

[@Hauptsache2Takt]

Im clearly interest to try this on a mirrorless cam🤔

[@shang-hsienyang1284]

I use red filters a lot. That's why I prefer rangefinder cameras for black and white films.

[@thomaspopple2291]

Rarely mentioned is that a red filter can cut through haze and fog better.

[@zgiggly5266]

I’m a be honest, I know photographers that need to know how many stops of light it is and I’ve had friends who have asked me similar questions like that here’s a thing I don’t know any of that I just move buttons until things look good I don’t look at Numbers on lens. I don’t look at numbers in my camera all I know is that ISO messes with my light same thing as exposure on digital but too much ISO makes it look painting and I don’t like painting except for certain aspects of shots that I’m doing and on film ISO speed if you were to ask me what ISO stands for I would assume speed is somewhere in there also I am very sorry if some of this is Grammarly incorrect this is dictated through speech to text with a Jenkee iPhone

[@flaguser4196]

it might give interesting results in the red light district

[@jackmiller1804]

Don’t be shy with a light meter . In an over auto world they remain useful

[@victorboucher675]

So I will test the 3 stop with a light meter I guess.

[@filip0112]

As a film photographer, I always have spare roll with me, and also for important sessions I always have dark bag. The fact you don’t have that, and you rock Bronica, means you have more money than skill

[@FrontBC]

I now this is a month later but I would recommend doing bracketed shots by only adjusting your shutter speed. This would keep sharpness the same across the images. This is also probably the reason the underside of the building was lighter with the red filter. Light fall off changed because you opened up the aperture. If anyone else wants to learn about light fall off. kzbin.info/www/bejne/r3OTXoCNeJ1rla8

[@Pudentame]

If you'd had a changing bag (available at B&H) you probably could have rescued your roll of film

[@gotskills23]

Details of human skin generally look brighter and softer with a red filter not grittier, infrared even more so, they are grittier at the other end of the spectrum.

[@andrewdewar8159]

nice

[@pierrecrampagne6826]

Regardant votre vidéo, c'est bien de montrer les agréments du filtre rouge en noir et blanc,avec cette marque de film ( quel est l'origine du film ?) Si vous prenez le filtre rouge,vous allez éclaircir cette couleur, et foncer la complémentaire (cyan). Si vous prenez une visionneuse pour diapositives, mettre un projecteur, l'un a droite, l'autre à gauche,et un au dessus de la visionneuse, avec juste un fort filtre, le premier pour le bleu, le deuxième pour le vert, et le troisième pour le rouge. La visionneuse sans filtre avec une diapositive noir et blanc.Si c'est bien fait, vous devez voir la couleur, (synthèse additive), et sous l'agrandisseur, un temps de pose différent posé sous chaque filtre coloré, vous devez voir les couleurs de votre sujet.) Ici, surtout pas de compte pose traditionnel car c'est avec le temps de pose de chaque couleur que vous travaillez.

[@vdubs17]

If you’re using a handheld light meter just knock 3 stops off your ISO

[@ManyDoors777]

I only use a red filter when shooting black and white

[@Micha_7F]

Great, another video that will make me spend my money on cam gear 😅

[@jarosawzon4272]

You don't have heating at home?

[@brapperdan]

Couldn’t you just rewind the film and start over?

[@SatyaPradana-u5d]

cool maaannn

[@hachimaki]

For some cool bw photos shot with a red filter check out the work of simon marsden

[@pittyman]

8:45 Hang a bag on the tripod.

[@victorboucher675]

Dude - Shoot the red tree @ F16 filtered

[@dantediss1]

Funny thing,... Purple is NOT a Color... just what our Eye creates trying to struggle with the wavelength. Pretty odd

[@somegeezer]

You're thinking of magenta. Purple is a range of colours from Indigo to Violet.

[@dantediss1]

@@somegeezer nope, im 100% thinking of Purple.

[@ceelothatmane9421]

So when you mix red and blue paint what is that pigment?

[@ronwapossibly]

​​@@dantediss1purple does have a visible light wavelength, it is a real color. you are thinking of magenta edit: after a quick bit of googling, i have come to the conclusion that i was thinking of violet, purple is considered non spectral in the same way as magenta.

[@barrysmith4094]

Very informative. BUT what you need to do is take more dramatic pictures and show them side by side. For example: take a picture of a landscape with a large portion of sky. Take one without the red filter, and one with the red filter.. This shows the person learning how it changes the sky to almost black and really brings out the clouds. The shot of the steps doesn't really show a difference. There is a difference, but in that shot, of the steps, I feel it really doesn't make a real difference with or without the red filter. Do you understand what I'm trying to say? So you need to take pictures that show a real difference. And one VERY good example is a reed rose. Take one picture with a red filter, and a second picture of the same rose using a green filter, and another with no filter. Now you can REALLY see the difference. Not only that, you need to first explain what a filter is , why a person may choose to use a filter, and how filters work.

[@CyberCreeper22]

I mean... you could have respooled your hp5

[@tomislavmiletic_]

If the building on the right was in the colour that was closer to the red end of spectrum (red, orange, yellow) than it is conceivable that it appeared lighter thru the red filter. Just saying...

[@superhussein]

is this bad advice for a newbie?

[@waffles666]

No

[@LadySalemRaven]

f22 is going to give you an unsuable amount of refraction homie.

[@scottparis6355]

Probably not a good idea to load 120 film (or any film) in direct sunlight.

[@Narsuitus]

The color purple is not in the rainbow. The colors violet, blue, and red are in the rainbow. Violet has a wavelength that ranges from 380-450nm. Blue has a wavelength that ranges from 450-485nm. Red has a wavelength that ranges from 625-750nm. The color purple is a mixture of blue and red and/or violet and red.

[@uhohwhy]

for the sake of views

[@GabrielVelascoFilmmaker]

youre complementary color wheel makes me really sad

[@Impulse_Photography]

I think, filters are becoming less and less the way to achieve those results. It seems more and more people are getting the same results on the photo editing side of it.

[@markmalasics3413]

I find it impossible to believe anything about photography from a guy that wears a wool hat indoors to try to get that "cool" look. SMFH.

[@StanleyKubick1]

my biggest takeaway: those photos weren't very interesting

[@thirtyfiveeyes]

Very observant of you

[@maxdronov]

looks like a waist of film.... sorry