Advanced Digital IR Photography Tutorial - Part 1

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Advanced Digital IR Photography Tutorial
Part 1



Written by DimensionSeven, proofread by MichiLauke and abdulicart.
Sample images by DimensionSeven and MichiLauke.



Infrared photography is not a new technique: it's been around for over 100 years. The first infrared photograph was taken by Professor Robert Williams Wood and was published in the Royal Photographic Society Journal in 1910. Infrared photography became popular in the psychedelic hype of the 1960's, for example Jimi Hendrix, Donovan or the Grateful Dead released albums with infrared photos on their covers.

The famous Jimi Hendrix cover by Karl Ferris (1967) : www.bitchinentertainment.com/h…

The world's probably best known infrared image is from a later date though, from 1984: U2's album cover for their LP, The Unforgettable Fire: upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia… by www.simonmarsden.co.uk/


So what is this infrared thing about?


Light can be described as an electromagnetic wave. The energy of this wave depends on the wavelength of the light. The range between ca. 400-750 nanometers is called 'visible light', as the human eye can record only this part of light. 750 nm is the deepest visible red, while 400 nm is the deepest visible violet. The infrared spectrum ranges from 750 to 1 million nanometers, but in photography we only use the 'near infrared' (read: this is the nearest to visible light) spectrum, that ranges from 750 to 1400 nanometers.


Even though the human eye does not see the infrared spectrum, it can be recorded and thereby made visible using different mediums - analog black and white or color film specifically made sensitive for this wavelength, or by any commercially available digital sensor. The look of these images varies depending on the medium, wavelength and postproduction used, but they have a few things in common: the "infrared look". This comes from the different behavior of this spectrum compared to visible light.


As green foliage reflects more infrared light than visible, foliage "glows" in infrared.

Tropical Garden V infrared... by MichiLauke
Capuccinofalva by DimensionSeven Two in One II... by MichiLauke



The infrared wavelength is not susceptible to haze, therefore landscapes are outstandingly clear, and skies are much darker than you are used to with your own eyes.

visible Postcards from Szilvasvarad -2 by DimensionSeven vs. Dark thoughts on the horizon by DimensionSeven infrared
visible Spring on the horizon by DimensionSeven vs. Infrascapes in Somogy - XL by DimensionSeven infrared

Der Berg ruft by DimensionSeven
Home Tree - infrared by MichiLauke The Etna in infrared by DimensionSeven Infrascapes in Somogy - XX by DimensionSeven


However, fog or dust has the same effect on the picture as if it had been shot in visible light.

Infrascapes in Somogy - XVIII by DimensionSeven

The human skin gets a unique, alabaster-like look where all the small skin defects disappear (however, superficial veins become more visible).




Sorry folks, this is the end of Part 1 - for now!

Coming up next in Part 2:
How to make use of a digital camera to make infrared photographs? What are the pros and drawbacks of each method?

Coming up next in Part 3:
What technical problems will one face if decides to do infrared photography, compared to visible light? (hotspot, focus shift, etc.) What are the most effective ways to solve/work around them?

Coming up next in Part 4:
The problem of choice: which infrared filter is the best?

Coming up next in Part 5+:
Enough with preproduction and production: let's move on to the postprocessing!


Journal by DimensionSeven :icondimensionseven:


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