Harman Red - First Roll
Harman Red 125 · Canon AF35MII · Lincoln, Nebraska · October 25, 2025
I love the idea of experimental films more than I like shooting them. They're fun, but I need a vision for how I'll use them. When Harman released Red, I knew the assignment immediately: save it for Husker football. Harman's color films have been a welcome addition to my rotation. The original Phoenix was punchy and full of personality, and I loved it. Phoenix II is more refined and consistent, but I actually miss some of the wildness of the original. Red, brings a little bit of the fun and unique back. It's essentially the Phoenix emulsion rolled backwards so light hits the red-sensitive layer first, stripping out blues entirely and drenching everything in reds, oranges, and yellows.
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I'd never shot a redscale film before, but this roll turned out to be a blast. I burned through all 36 (plus a few bonus) frames at a single Nebraska football game (which we won, thankfully, and that is not a given these days). I shot it at box speed, 125, knowing I'd get more orange and yellow in the brighter areas. The general wisdom online is to rate it closer to 200 and underexpose slightly for deeper, more saturated reds. You can see in my shots that the sky leans heavily orange, while the reds really came alive in the shadows and darker parts of the frame. Harman wasn't kidding when they said this film could make scenes look apocalyptic. The grain is coarse and gritty, and for a football game in the fall, it worked better than you might expect.
Was it fun? Absolutely. Will I shoot it again? Probably not as a regular thing, but I plan to keep a roll around for the right moment. Was it worth it? If I get to try something new in film, it's always worth it.
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