Harman Red Film Review & Photos: Thoughts From The Team

Harman Red, shot by team member Rosie

It's not everyday a new 35mm film is announced, and if you've been keeping an eye on new releases, you'll probably have seen the buzz around Harman Redscale, in fact, it's the second new film emulsion launch from Ilford, following in the footsteps of Harman Phoenix last year.

There's nothing ordinary about this new redscale film, headlined as having the ability to transform mundane scenes into a dystopian masterpiece with hues of red, orange and yellow.

Is it for everyone? Probably not, and whilst this may be a marmite film, we asked two of our talented lab techs to put this film through their paces.

Harman Red Film Review & Photos

So, what exactly is it? Harman Red is a redscale 35 mm colour negative film produced by Harman Technology (makers of Ilford/Phoenix).

It’s essentially their Phoenix emulsion reversed (spooled so the film is exposed through its base), resulting in a striking colour shift, frames come out drenched in reds, oranges, yellows, and sometimes greens.

Phoebe and Rosie at FilmProcessing are both avid film photographers, so who better to try out this new film on the block.

With very different settings where the images were taken (and a variety of subjects) , it gives a really good indication of how the film looks on scans, but also how you could get even more creative with the film stock to create some less than standard outcomes.

Phoebe took her roll of film to New York and the results are nothing short of normal, with that telltale red, orangey hue present that we would expect.

"I love playing with experimental film stocks and was definitely excited to try out the Harman Red 125! I love how this film can appear so otherworldly and make what would generally be considered mundane shots much more interesting to look at", said Phoebe.

Shot by team member Phoebe in New York

Shot by Phoebe in New York

Whilst the scenes are typically of a red, orange or yellow hue, Ilford suggest that you can underexpose to get some cool green tones, and Phoebe experienced this very pleasant discovery of her own when she received the scans back from our lab.

"I shot this film on a point and shoot camera so the exposure was a little unpredictable. This did give me a surprise with the results, I found that I was really drawn to the slightly underexposed images. With these photos, the red tones were much more subtle and sometimes made the images appear a little sinister - almost apocalyptic".

"It's safe to say that the next roll of Harman Red I shoot, I will be purposefully underexposing by a stop or two to further experiment with this kind of outcome!", added Phoebe.

If you like a bit more drama and added character to your shots, this creative route is definitely one worth trying. New York always looks great on camera, but this one certainly hits different!

Here are some more of Phoebe's shots, a mix of New York scenes and in Plymouth, UK.

Shot by Phoebe in New York

Shot by Phoebe

Shot by Phoebe in Plymouth, Saltram House

Shot by Phoebe in Plymouth, Saltram House

Rosie then put Harman Red to the test in Plymouth, Devon shooting a variety of subjects so you can really get a feel of where this film roll can excel.

From landscape shots, to portraits of seasonal flowers and her pets, the cinematic, dystopian colour palette transforms these ordinary scenes into dramatic, red/orange visions.

Shot by Rosie

Shot by Rosie

This dystopian shot is one of my favourites that Rosie took, unlike the typical red and orange hues, this one brings a pink hue with it for a really fun and different feel.

Shot by Rosie

There's also something lovely about the depth of colour and contrast that's been achieved with these seasonal flowers too.

Shot by Rosie

Shot by Rosie

Shot by Rosie

Not sure whether Harman Red is for you? We recommend putting it to the test and getting creative to see what you think!

It gives a less than conventional finish, but the results speak for themselves, it's a little bit different but playing around with exposure can create some unique and interesting effects. Don't forget to get your 35mm roll of film processed with us afterwards!

Have you tried Harman Red yet? Let us know what you think of it in the comments below!