Shooting the color IR

Expiration dates on film are more of a guideline than an absolute rule. They are usually a few years out, and if you freezer the film, it'll decay more slowly.

It's also a matter of how picky you are. Scientific users demand super-fresh film. As do sports shooters... well, if any of the sports shooters left still shoot film. But once you work down the chain where a photographer might say "Oh, well, I'll never get another roll to turn out like that but at least it's nice and funky," you realize that sometimes, old film can be like fine wine.

I'm not sure when my last roll of Ektachrome IR or High Speed IR film will be shot. The best times to shoot them are when things are green. I might just have a few rolls sitting in my freezer for the hell of it because I'll probably be too upset to actually shoot the last roll.

I've been shooting Ektachrome IR lately, just one roll per session. Bracketed. It's the right time for shooting it, right now. It's warm enough to do it outside. The hills are green. Stuff is growing and blooming. And it's exciting because I can't wait to see how it turns out. But it's also nerve wracking, because eventually I'm going to run out.

On the other hand, I can move on. My life has been one of exploration. As a kid, I drew and dreamed and played and pondered things that entropy wouldn't allow. Just because it turns out that you can't make what amounts to a perpetual motion machine doesn't mean that I can't find new things to master...

Shooting, but not feeling driven to write about it. That's my story at the moment.