ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN DE MODE | PHOTOGRAPHY
Article Published on: 07TH SEP 2024 | www.demodemagazine.com
Infrared (IR) photography is a fascinating niche in the realm of photography that allows photographers to capture images in a spectrum of light that is invisible to the human eye. Unlike traditional photography, which works within the visible spectrum, infrared photography focuses on light wavelengths that exist just beyond the red end of the spectrum. This unique approach results in otherworldly images, where familiar scenes are transformed into dreamlike landscapes, with foliage turning white, skies appearing dark, and skin tones taking on a surreal glow.
Exploring the world of infrared photography opens a new realm of creativity and expression, offering photographers the opportunity to present a radically different view of the world. Mastering this type of photography, however, requires understanding the equipment, techniques, and post-processing methods that are unique to the genre.
What is Infrared Light?
Infrared light falls just beyond the visible spectrum, ranging from approximately 700 nanometers (nm) to 1 millimeter. While the human eye cannot detect infrared light, cameras can be modified or equipped with filters to capture these wavelengths. In IR photography, the goal is to isolate the infrared portion of the spectrum, allowing the camera sensor to record the way various materials reflect or absorb these wavelengths, leading to the distinct visual effects that define infrared images.
Materials like foliage and certain fabrics reflect a large amount of infrared light, resulting in the white or glowing appearance often seen in infrared photos. On the other hand, the sky and water absorb infrared light, making them appear dark or almost black. This stark contrast between various elements in a scene is what makes infrared photography so captivating.
The Gear You Need for Infrared Photography
To capture infrared light, you cannot use a standard camera out of the box. Infrared photography requires specific equipment, either in the form of specialized filters or camera modifications.
Infrared Filters: The simplest way to start exploring infrared photography is by using an IR filter that attaches to the front of your camera lens. These filters block out most visible light while allowing infrared wavelengths to pass through, enabling your camera’s sensor to capture infrared reflections. Common filters like the Hoya R72 only allow light above 720nm to pass through, creating that characteristic IR effect.
Converted Cameras: For more serious infrared photography, many photographers choose to modify their cameras permanently. This process, known as infrared conversion, involves removing the camera’s internal infrared-blocking filter and replacing it with one that allows infrared light to reach the sensor. With a converted camera, you no longer need an external filter, and you can shoot infrared images handheld, at normal shutter speeds, rather than dealing with the long exposures typically required when using an external filter.
Full-Spectrum Cameras: Some photographers opt for full-spectrum conversions, which modify the camera to capture the entire light spectrum—from ultraviolet to infrared. With a full-spectrum camera, you can use different external filters to block out specific portions of the spectrum, allowing you to experiment with ultraviolet, visible light, and infrared photography using the same device.
Tripod: If you’re using an external infrared filter, long exposures are usually necessary due to the limited amount of light that reaches the sensor. A sturdy tripod is essential to keep the camera stable and avoid motion blur during these longer exposures.
The Infrared Look: Characteristics of IR Photography
The unique characteristics of infrared photography result from how various materials reflect or absorb infrared light. These elements combine to produce surreal and often ethereal images.
White Foliage: Perhaps the most iconic feature of infrared photography is the way foliage appears in images. In the infrared spectrum, trees, grass, and plants reflect a large amount of infrared light, making them appear bright white. This effect, known as the “Wood Effect” (named after physicist Robert W. Wood, who pioneered infrared photography), creates dreamlike landscapes where lush greenery turns into fields of snow-like white.
Dark Skies and Water: In contrast to the bright foliage, infrared light is absorbed by water and the atmosphere, causing skies to appear almost black, even in daylight. This darkening effect gives infrared landscapes a sense of depth and drama that is difficult to achieve in conventional photography. Clouds, on the other hand, reflect infrared light and remain bright, creating striking contrasts against dark skies.
Surreal Skin Tones: When capturing portraits in infrared, skin tones take on a soft, glowing appearance. Infrared light penetrates the skin slightly deeper than visible light, smoothing out blemishes and wrinkles, giving the subject an otherworldly, flawless look. However, the appearance of veins and other subdermal features may also be more pronounced in some cases, contributing to the eerie aesthetic of IR portraits.
Infrared Color Photography: While many infrared images are captured in black and white, infrared color photography introduces another layer of surrealism. Using color filters or certain post-processing techniques, photographers can manipulate the colors in an infrared image, turning skies blue, foliage pink, or creating any number of creative color shifts.
The Process: Shooting Infrared Photography
Shooting infrared photography involves a few specific considerations that differ from traditional photography. While the exact process may vary depending on whether you're using an IR filter or a converted camera, the general steps remain similar.
Choosing the Right Scene: Not all scenes work well in infrared. Vegetation, skies, water, and certain fabrics reflect or absorb infrared light in ways that create the most dramatic effects. Landscapes with plenty of foliage, outdoor scenes with a strong sky presence, or even urban settings with reflective materials are ideal subjects for infrared photography.
Focus Considerations: Infrared light focuses differently than visible light. As a result, achieving sharp focus can be tricky, especially when using an external IR filter. Some lenses feature an infrared focus mark, which can be helpful, but often it’s best to use manual focus and take test shots to ensure sharpness.
Metering and Exposure: Infrared light behaves differently from visible light, which can make it challenging to achieve accurate exposure. Typically, you’ll need to experiment with exposure settings, as your camera’s light meter may not provide reliable readings. When using an external filter, long exposures are often necessary, requiring the use of a tripod. On a converted camera, exposure settings will be more in line with traditional photography, though adjustments will still be necessary.
White Balance: Infrared photography requires careful attention to white balance. Custom white balance settings are often necessary to compensate for the unusual color shifts that occur in infrared images. Many photographers set a custom white balance using a patch of green grass or foliage, which helps balance the overall tones in the image.
Post-Processing Infrared Images
Infrared photography doesn’t end when you press the shutter button. Post-processing is a crucial part of the workflow, as infrared images often come out of the camera looking washed-out or featuring strange color casts.
Converting to Black and White: Many infrared photographers choose to convert their images to black and white during post-processing. This eliminates any odd color casts and allows the viewer to focus on the dramatic contrasts between light and dark elements.
Adjusting White Balance: Proper white balance adjustment is key to creating visually pleasing infrared images. Many infrared photographers use software like Adobe Lightroom or Photoshop to fine-tune the white balance, ensuring the image has a balanced and surreal look.
Color Channel Swapping: For those who prefer color infrared photography, channel swapping is a popular technique. By swapping the red and blue channels in Photoshop, you can create surreal color effects, such as turning the sky blue while keeping foliage in bright white or pink hues.
Infrared Glow: In post-processing, many photographers enhance the "infrared glow" effect by increasing the highlights and softening the image. This glow gives the image a dreamlike quality that adds to the surreal feeling of infrared photography.
Creative Applications of Infrared Photography
Infrared photography opens up countless creative possibilities. It’s often used in landscape photography to transform everyday scenes into fantastical worlds, but it can also be applied to architecture, portraiture, and even fashion photography for a fresh, unique perspective.
Fine Art: Infrared’s otherworldly aesthetic lends itself well to fine art photography. The surreal quality of IR images encourages viewers to see the familiar in new ways.
Architectural Photography: Infrared photography can be used to capture architectural scenes with stark contrasts, highlighting textures and structures in a novel way.
Environmental Photography: Many environmental photographers use infrared to showcase the beauty of nature in an unusual, striking way, emphasizing the ethereal qualities of landscapes.
Conclusion
Infrared photography opens the door to a world of visual exploration beyond what the eye can see. Through the use of specialized equipment, creative composition, and thoughtful post-processing, photographers can create stunning images that are both surreal and captivating. By harnessing the unique properties of infrared light, photographers can showcase familiar subjects in an entirely new way, transforming everyday scenes into ethereal works of art. While it requires some technical mastery and experimentation, the rewards of infrared photography are immense, offering limitless creative potential.