How to Redscale or Bleach Bypass Your Film
In order to understand what red scaling and bleach bypass are, it's important to have a basic understanding of how color film functions. Similarly to black and white film, color film captures light information in a scene by converting mostly transparent silver halides into solid silver which creates a black-and-white image. However, in color film there are three layers of this silver halide emulsion, with each being sensitized to the primary colors blue, green, and red respectively. When a color negative image is developed a black and white negative appears first, which is then acted on by chemicals in the developer that layer color dyes over this black and white negative. This black-and-white negative is then removed with a bleaching agent and the dyes are fixed to the emulsion, leaving a color negative behind.
Below is a simplified cross-section of a typical color film. The order of these layers is extremely important to the color balance of the final image, which means by changing this order the colors in the final image will undergo a drastic shift. Red scaling is done by flipping the film so that the light enters through the film base instead of through the emulsion. This means that the light will hit the red layer of the film first where most of it is absorbed, go through the green layer, then stop before it can affect the blue layer, as the filter is so strong it prevents any blue light from passing through it.
When red scaling you should always rate your film at least one stop less than box speed in order to increase density in the negative, which will result in more information in the positive. For example, if you are trying to redscale Fujifilm 400, you would want to treat it as if it were 200 iso. The lower you rate the film the denser the negative will be, but will also decrease the red hue, shifting it towards a golden-yellow tone. Instead of writing down a lengthy tutorial, watch Attic Darkroom’s tutorial on redscaling film. If you have any interest in experimenting with film I highly recommend this channel as their videos are concise, informative, and extremely creative.
Bleach Bypassing is a rather simple technique, and in my case was actually done on accident — but don’t tell anyone I said that. Essentially, instead of bleaching away the black and white negative under the color dyes, you leave it and go straight to fixing. Most C-41 kits that you can buy will not allow you to use this technique as they come with a solution known as “blix”, which is a chemical that combines the bleaching and fixing step. So if you want to bleach bypass your film make sure you buy a kit that has separate bleach and fixing solutions. I have been using the Bellini C-41 kit and highly recommend it to anyone wanting to try out developing color film at home. If you don’t develop your film at home, talk with your local darkroom and see if they can bleach bypass your film when they process it. Similarly to redscaling, you want to rate your film one to two stops lower than box speed.
A quick warning. The colors of the final images can be inconsistent when using these techniques, so I advise that you shoot a couple of test rolls before you decide to use redscaling or bleach bypassing for serious work. Additionally, redscaled images are more prone to scratches and other types of damage. So go out and experiment, but don’t expect perfect images on your first roll!
Now that we’ve got a little smarter, let’s put it all into action. All the photos below are redscaled and bleach bypassed Fuji 400 shot at ISO 100 and developed in C-41 chemistry. There's a wide variety of color hues in the photos, which I believe is caused by variations in each image’s exposure.
For example, this photo of John Chaides has an obvious red hue and is rather monotone. This is due to slightly less light being captured during exposure, probably one to two stops less than box speed
In this photo of Sophia, the difference in hue is obvious. The golden tones are overpowering and create this pseudo golden hour look, yet there are still red tones present in her hair and arms. To create a similar photo I would start by rating your film as 4-5 stops lower than your box speed.
These images are great examples of the color latitude possible when you redscale your film. You can really lean into the red hues or back off into a golden sunset vibe, all on the same roll of film! Overall the bleach bypass isn’t very obvious in these photos, so I plan on creating another blog solely showcasing bleach bypass photos. If you have any questions about redscaling, bleach bypass, or anything color photography feel free to contact me through my email or Instagram. Until then have fun with your groovy red tones !
