Infrared photography Archives - Infrared Conversions, IR Modifications & Photography Tutorials

Lumix GH4 upgrade to infrared

For a few years I have been using a Lumix G6 which had been converted to IR by LifePixel. It’s been great. But, I decided I wanted a pro level camera. As new models came out from Lumix such as the G9 and Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III I saw my Lumix GH4 starting to gather dust on the shelf. I sold my G6 and sent in the newer camera to be converted.

Conversion

I’m kind of old school when it comes to IR so I opted for the 720NM on both conversions. The traditional IR look that I can create that replicates my experiences from the film days. Of course with live view cameras and the ability to see the image in black and white are wonderful. In addition, not having to reset focus and seeing the BW result is a far superior IR capture experience. If you have a camera collecting dust an IR conversion puts it back into play.

While I’m not a big fan of color IR I do like to tone my images for a different feel. This is a cyan tone vs the image below which is sepia tone.

Oak Creek

I found some time to go shoot what I thought was going to be the last of the fall colors nearby on Oak Creek here in Sedona, AZ. Fortunately I brought the IR camera ‘just in case’ and was quite glad I did. The fall color was past prime and I probably would have headed home. The IR converted camera came to the rescue to allow me to keep shooting.

This is my favorite image from the day. The lone leaf in the corner is what makes it for me.

Platypod tripod

I now always carry a Platypod tripod from a carabiner clip attached to my shooting lens pouch. It acts as a second tripod when I want to do time lapse images , when I want to get really close to the ground, or when I don’t want to have haul my regular tripod. The low angle helped me get the composition and reflections right where I wanted them. A flip screen on your camera is perfect for using this configuration. Keeps you from doing the lay on the belly thing.

Platypod Ultra resting on the rock shelf near the creek. If there was a more uneven surface there are machined bolts that can help level the plate.

If I can answer any questions, let me know. In the not so distant future I’ll show you haw I processed these images in Adobe Camera RAW, Photoshop and NIK Filters.

Yours in Creative Photography, Bob

The Great Minor White and Infrared Photography

Born in 1908, Minor White was something different in terms of how and why he photographed. He incorporated as much of his own beliefs and philosophies into his work as he did photographic technique. His work is a mix of his mentality and the emotion he felt towards a scene or subject. He injected a part of himself into all the photographs he made. Bestowed by him are such words as “The photographer projects himself into everything he sees, identifying himself with everything in order to know it and to feel it better.” and one of my personal favorite quotes about us photographer’s mentality “…all photographs are self-portraits”.

Minor White-By Imogene Cunningham

It was with the existential mindset that White approached his photographs and perhaps there was none of his work as idealistically surreal as his adventures into the world of infrared. Not only was he a prolific photographer in the artistic and technical sense but he was one of the early practitioners of infrared photography who brought it’s incredible appeal to the masses. The IR images he made, just like his other works, projected a world blended with both the physical landscape and his own personal creativity.

By Minor White, 1958

By Minor White, 1955

By Minor White, 1955

Minor White and Infrared

How did Minor White make his IR photographs? With magic…. Well no, not exactly magic, but it certainly looked that way. Minor White used black and white infrared film, usually large format 4×5, to capture his dreamlike scenes. The infrared or more accurately “near-infrared” light spectrum falls around the 700-1200nm range and infrared film is manufactured to be sensitive to these wavelengths. However, seeing as IR film is also still sensitive to other wavelengths of light, IR filters must also be attached to the camera lens in order to filter out other types of unwanted light that falls in the more visible spectral range. It’s this filtration of the normally visible light and the inclusion of the near IR spectrum which we generally don’t see which gives IR photography their ghost-like quality. Development of the IR is surprising the same as many other conventional black and white films and requires basic darkroom techniques and chemicals.

IR Lens Filters

IR 35mm film

You may be wondering, “So why can’t I just use an IR filter on my digital camera to make IR photos?” And that’s good question. The answer lies in the very construction of most modern digital cameras themselves. IR wavelengths are generally unwanted and in conventional photography and therefore modern digital cameras have a built in IR filter that is placed in front of the image sensor to block out IR light. Even if an IR filter was placed on the lens the resulting transmitted IR light would in turn be filtered out by the camera’s own internal filter. So, how can you enable your digital camera to make IR photographs? Read on….

IR Photography in the Digital Age

As I mentioned earlier, the largest obstacle that stands in the way of making IR images with your currently digital camera is the built in IR sensor filter inside your camera. So if you want to venture into the world of IR photography this filter must be modified through an infrared camera conversion process.

New IR translucent filter being installed

This means that your camera’s sensor is now sensitive to incoming IR light. There are also many other possibilities to expand your infrared horizons with today’s digital camera bodies. Full spectrum, color IR, and a host of other tailored IR imaging effects can be produced depending on the type of conversion and IR lens filter combinations you happen to choose. The benefits to Find out more about infrared conversion possibilities here.

A Final Word About Minor White and Infrared Photography

The work of Minor White was profound, beautiful, innovative, provocative, and at times quite sad. His ventures into the world of IR photography showed us a the wonderment that is all around us, yet invisible all the same. His images speak volumes to the life he lived and to the way he approached the art of photography.

Today, we have so many ways to practice IR photowork whether it is with film and filters or with our digital cameras through a dedicated IR conversion. If you are considering the latter route, be sure to learn as much as possible about the possibilities and limits of digital IR conversions. Make sure whoever you trust your beloved camera to has the reputation for quality that you and your gear deserve. Read more about IR digital camera conversion here at LifePixel and be sure to check out what people just like you have to say about the level of service offered by the LifePixel team!

Working a Scene – Multiple Compositions

“I wish I would have…”

Hate to have those words pass through my mind. Usually, you won’t hear them unless enough time wasn’t taken shooting options at a scene. It doesn’t take much time and the heartache saved, especially when photographing a place where conditions are very good or it might be difficult or impossible to return.

I’m talking about trying different ideas when photographing a subject. Many times over the years I’ve caught myself not looking for more than the obvious when making images. Let’s look at some of the options in composition that were added for a totally different feel in each image. This was from an infrared session in the red rocks of Sedona, Arizona. The scene is Courthouse Butte in the Village of Oak Creek. It happens to be a few minutes away from my house and I photograph it often. Even then, especially when the clouds are working, I want to get the most out of the session or even a quick stop, as possible.

The main scene Courthouse Butte

A relatively small change in framing can make a big difference in the feel of a place. Let’s look at some possibilities.

A vertical version that features the tree as subject with Courthouse as a secondary subject.

Another vertical version with lots of open sky. Possibilities include full page magazine or cover option.

How about square??

Another possible cover use with slightly different composition, totally different feel even though it’s the same basic subject.

The Capture Process

Images were captured with the Lumix G6 which was converted to IR by LifePixel. My current workflow when shooting is to bracket one stop over and one stop under in RAW plus jpeg. For the jpeg the camera is set to process to black and white. This gives me a very good feel for the IR look as I shooting right on the back of the camera. You can set your camera to black & white but if you are only shooting in RAW Mode you will only see the BW image on the back of the camera. When you download your images the BW preview will be stripped from the image because you asked for ONLY the RAW info. The camera’s settings are only ‘baked in’ to the file if you are capturing jpeg files.

For this particular set of files I used the RAW file with the middle exposure. I processed in Adobe Camera RAW. The settings were to bring the Temperature Slider all the way to Blue and the Tint Slider all the way to green. Contrast was bumped up. Highlights brought down a little. Shadows up. Whites up. Blacks down. Clarity up a bit. Remove all Saturation.

Here’s what the settings looked like in the Camera RAW dialog box.

After the files were opened in Photoshop I used the (recently made free) NIK Color FX Pro 4 plugin with the Glamour Glow setting to get the IR ‘glow’ in the highlights.

One more thought when you are working a good subject. Sometimes it makes sense to get a totally different view. Got in the car and looked for a totally new composition.

Yours in Creative Photography, Bob

Time Lapse with an Infrared Converted Camera

I was trying out something just a wee bit different the other day and believe I found a kind of cool learning tool. A friend was passing through town with her IR camera just converted, and she was having the time of her life. She kept wishing she could see in IR all the time saying, “I wish I could have this camera mounted on my head.” Trying as well as she could while realizing that it might not work out so well as it cuts down on your peripheral vision quite a bit leading to some tripping on rocks and bumping tree branches.

I’m a fan of infrared myself. The excitement was rekindled when I had my Lumix G6 converted to infrared by LifePixel. I used to shoot IR back in film days but got away from it due to all the hassles of the film becoming fogged very easily not to mention trying to focus through a filter that took away almost all visible light.

I tried out some infrared time lapse photography and saw that it could be a way to study how the sunlight reacts with different subjects when on and off and somewhere in between. FYI the camera is set to capture black & white images. I normally would shoot in RAW plus jpeg but time-lapse sequences take a lot of images so I shot in jpeg only.

The camera was set to capture an image once every second. I choose this setting because the wind was high and the clouds were moving through the scene very quickly leaving their trails of light and shadow as streaks. These images were then processed into a video set to 15 frames per second. Quite often the processing is 24 or 30 frames per second but I felt that was too fast to show the differences of the light passage. A great feature of the Lumix cameras is the ability to process your time-lapse videos right in-camera. Choose quality, frame rate, size, etc. Play it back. If you don’t like what you see, you can process again very quickly with different parameters.

Go to full screen to see the best detail. Note the difference between highlights on leaves and rocks as the sun races through the image.

Jpeg image straight out of camera (SOOC)

Here’s the image processed using multiple jpegs layered together selecting highlights and shadows as I would like. Then the image is taken into NIK Color FX Pro 4 for the addition of some filters to brighten the highlights and finish off the IR look. Tonal Contrast, Glamour Glow, and Film Grain were all added.

Here’s the same image processed for a different look. The same filter pack from NIK Color FX Pro 4 was used as described above with a bit more Glamor Glow.

Using this process you can mix and match your post-processing to get the exact look you would like. For Example, you could take this glow and use it on the image above. Choices are endless.

Yours in Creative Photography, Bob

Recognizing your Talents

I have written about cultivating the creative and overcoming the fear factor. Let’s consider ideas to help you recognize your talents!

Many photographers find that there are periods when they are unsure of their abilities. Discovering that you have a photographic ‘eye’ is an exciting moment. Then the frustration of learning the mechanics comes in to play. Those images that looked so good on an automatic camera setting are much harder to recreate once you start exploring the camera. Further discouragement can come from a critical photographer who starts to tear apart your technique. The secret is not to let those moments of frustration inhibit your learning curve. Open the floodgates and keep experimenting! The good news is that I believe the teaching community is more responsive to positive feedback, and there is a culture of acceptance and encouragement when it comes to helping photographers develop their craft. This is further supported by the plethora of online learning possibilities such as Lynda.com and KelbyOne.

Once you have started to develop your technical skills, find out where the camera leads you. After many years as a photographer, it is only recently that I have started loving my work because I am finally focused on creating images for my clients and making pictures that please me! Many of the points I have already written about in previous blogs would apply to this blog also, overcoming fear and encouraging your creative side both help you to recognize your talents. What do you really enjoy about photography? And what inhibits you from growth? I have mentioned the importance of exploration; encouraging yourself to capture images that don’t necessarily come easily to you. The mistakes you make will also bring new insight to your photographic body of work, or simply help you to understand the mechanics of your camera better.

I recently watched a fascinating documentary about Vivian Maier. Vivian became famous posthumously when John Maloof discovered her work in a thrift auction house in Chicago. She worked as a nanny, but constantly experimented with her camera. Her passion led her to create a vast collection of candid street photographs. She most certainly discovered her talent, but one wonders if she actually recognized it. Her touring exhibitions can be seen around the world, and attract huge crowds. What we do not know is why she did not share her work. If you take a moment to peruse her online galleries you will marvel at her extraordinary photographic skill.

Unlike Ms. Maier and those wonderful street photographers of her ilk, I have never been adept at catching people as they go about their lives. I find myself concerned about invading privacy and once I become self conscious my work falters. I learned early on that street photography was not one of my innate talents! On my recent search for new photographic pastures, I find that I very much enjoy seeking out resilience and vulnerability. This can be found repeatedly in nature, and I am drawn to exploring something beyond the obvious. I enjoy playing with available light to expose, scrutinize and find the beauty from a unique perspective. This is a simple technique which involves considering more than just the angle that comes immediately to mind.

The translucent, delicate nature of flowers can really be examined when using available light to emphasize the shadows and accentuate their fleeting beauty.

It is always fun to explore all sorts of available light. Try taking your camera and a willing subject out a dusk when the street lights are turned on. If your long suffering accomplice is happy to work with you to find the best angle, the effects can be quite dramatic!

For extremely personal reasons, I am drawn to the Golden Gate bridge. My latest infrared images using a converted Canon 1D, captured the late afternoon mist, and I was able to reflect just the right mood for the particular project I had in mind.

I am also enjoying creating a body of work from a different perspective. Looking down on the world from above, using a small unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), involves a distinct skill set which is constantly evolving as the tools become more advanced with each new iteration. Shooting with the camera pointed directly downward, and a bit of advanced planning, can make for some fun and different shots.

It is amazing how our work grows as we recognize our talents, and find we no longer need to emulate the talents of others. Our work may end up looking like another photographer’s work, but this should not be because we are forcing a style, more because that is how the process evolved naturally. Whether professional or amateur, make sure and take time to evolve, and to enjoy your moments behind the camera.

The London Blog – Perspective in IR

I recently returned from the UK, where I love being a visitor in my homeland.

A great delight for me is capturing a different perspective of buildings and sites that I previously took for granted. This is something I highly recommend as a photographer. Take time to be tourists, whether visiting new locations, or just in your hometown, and really absorb what you see around you.

While I am aware that you have all just read a wonderful, and informative, blog, about capturing images in London, I would like to take you on a slightly different journey, but cover some of the same ground.

I am lucky enough to have dual citizenship – UK and USA. I studied and worked in London, and have fond memories of riding my bicycle to work from the Cromwell Road to Trafalgar Square. It was what I affectionately like to remember as my ‘Princess Diana’ period, where many young girls wore high collars, pearls and long skirts that frequently got caught in the spokes of the bicycle wheel! I very much enjoyed my job as a research assistant for a Member of the European Parliament, who was also a lobbyist. But I am ashamed to admit that all too often, I took my surroundings for granted, passing iconic buildings every day without missing a beat. My job meant that I was a frequent visitor to the House of Commons, the House of Lords, and 10 Downing Street.

Moving forward many years, I now live in San Jose, California, and delight in visiting London as a tourist. I only really found the time to reflect upon the beautiful city of my birth once I left London, and revisited with my children, taking them on the bus tours, which is such a brilliant way of navigating through this great city.

Perspective is such a wonderful thing. Not only through the eyes of someone who should have lapped up her surroundings, but also through the lens of a camera. So this blog concentrates on perspectives. The images I am sharing with you are not meant to be great photographic masterpieces, rather the result of experimenting with my newly converted Canon 1D Mk III. I did not take the time to consider all the accouterments I should have included in my bag, I simply grabbed a lens (the wrong one as it turned out, but this is when you aim to turn a sow’s ear into a silk purse!).

Many areas of the Houses of Parliament are being renovated, so it is hard to capture any image, let alone that perfect image. I focused in on Big Ben and the London Eye, and attempted to capture my IR shots from a unique angle (yes, this also had something to do with the lens I neglected to change before hopping on the train!). I had some epic fails, due in part to the softer focus, and my inability to accurately check focus due to the muddy reddish images reflected in my viewfinder. But I enjoyed editing a few of these using a mixture of Lightroom, Photoshop and Nik plugins. I love the contrasts that come through the IR image.

I also captured a couple of street shots, and love how the IR element makes images, that are clearly modern, appear as if they were taken earlier this century.

How many times do we go to an assignment, take the required shots, and sigh with relief once it is over? I wish I had taken more time to rest for a moment, and take a few shots for myself (and I am not talking about after assignment beverages!). Have fun with your camera, play with your settings, your lenses, and if you have become in any way jaded, find a new perspective and get excited again! The end result just needs to please you. Sometimes (as you can see in the image below) it is also great to experiment and create something that pushes the truth.

Since I am on the subject of perspective. I do so enjoy leaving work behind, if I can, when I travel. Buildings answer back in an extremely different way to humans. Buildings don’t complain if they look slightly overweight, or you capture them from the wrong angle. They may seem to groan every once in a while from the steady flow of foot traffic gawping and admiring in turn, but they are gentle and forgiving. Photographing for websites and various other forms of content is all well and good, but if this is what you do, take a break and become a tourist in your own town. You will be glad you did!

Lumix GH4 upgrade to infrared

Conversion

Oak Creek

Platypod tripod

The Great Minor White and Infrared Photography

Minor White and Infrared

IR Photography in the Digital Age

A Final Word About Minor White and Infrared Photography

Working a Scene – Multiple Compositions

The Capture Process

Time Lapse with an Infrared Converted Camera

Recognizing your Talents

The London Blog – Perspective in IR

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