I just shared some images taken with Harman Red 125 to my Film Stock Examples section, so I thought I’d share some images and thoughts on this film here too. Based on Harmans Phoenix 200 film but without the anti-halation layer, it's made so that light goes through the film base and hits the red-sensitive layer first, which is what gives it that fiery, glowing look.
I had wrongly assumed that everything would come out a little orange-red, but I was pleasantly surprised by the purple and green hues on some of the images too. The photos strongly remind me of images I saw many years ago, made with the early Lomography camera, the LC-A.
A little trippy and certainly fun to use every now and then, I’d love to try some double exposure shots with it at some point too!
As for what to point it at, Harman Red loves strong shapes and contrast. Think buildings, bridges, silhouettes and market stalls - anything with clear lines and a bit of foreground interest, rather than a wide, hazy landscape that can turn into one big orange blur.
Fog and mist are brilliant with it too, as they simplify busy backgrounds, make your subject stand out and give everything a slightly dramatic, eerie feel. It also copes well under artificial light and coloured stage lighting at gigs and events, where the red-orange shift just blends in as part of the atmosphere.
And if you're heading somewhere bright and stark like a desert or a snowy landscape, take a roll with you (all that white and sand really cranks up the fiery colours).