Red Filter Experiments in Armidale
28/09/25
With my new red filter still fresh in my mind, it was time to take it out for another spin, this time in very different conditions from my previous shoots: my morning walk, which usually happens around sunrise. This ended up being a very informative experiment. Once I got home, it became clear that the red filter adds next to nothing when shooting in overly cloudy conditions or earlier in the day before the world fills with contrast from the harsher light. The result was a collection of incredibly “mid” images, both in subject and composition, though it was nice to see some Halloween skeletons out before October.
After deciding I wasn’t having any luck with the broader environment, I turned my focus to one of my earliest photographic subjects: flowers. During my first year learning photography, I constantly found myself shooting through people’s fences, especially around North Tamworth, where I was living at the time, there was always so much to capture. Since moving to Armidale, I’ve backed off photographing flowers, mostly because I don’t see as many around. Maybe it’s the colder climate? That said, it’s spring, and if ever there was a time to get back into it, it’s now. I managed to capture quite a few shots, some of which I really like, particularly the last two. One was shot through a fence, using it for framing, and the other just has a wonderfully moody atmosphere. But generally speaking, nothing really grabbed me.
That said…
I do, however, really like how this particular image came out. The filter did a fantastic job of pushing the greenery into the background, almost obscuring it as it blended with the timber fence behind. It’s easily my favourite of all the flower photos from that morning, and it makes me wonder how it would have looked if I’d taken it in the middle of the day instead of at daybreak.
Wrapping things up, and by far the most photographed subject,were shopping trolleys. I can’t say any of these shots are particularly inspiring (aside from maybe the last one, shot against the cloudy background), but there were so many of them around that I couldn’t not take photos. Interestingly, a lot of these images came out far grainier than I’d like, and for once, it wasn’t due to anything I did in post. It seems to be caused by the red filter itself. I’m not sure if all filters behave this way, or if it’s specific to the one I picked up, but it’s an interesting quirk all the same. I suppose I’ll figure it out over time as I continue experimenting.
