I have written a tutorial on infrared photography after I got confident of how to do it properly, and more importantly, post-process the photo properly. Check it out – A Guide to Infrared Photography.
It all started off with seeing infrared photos on the Internet. The white foliage, the dark sky – the dreamy, surreal scene that normal cameras cannot capture, I crave for them. Infrared photos look exceptionally serene and peaceful to me, perhaps it’s because of the necessarily slow shutter speed that renders moving objects almost invisible.
After reading guides and tutorials on infrared photography – such as Infrared Photography from Tutorials2.0 and Taking Infrared Photography from Dynax Digital Forums – I finally tested my Sony Alpha-200 for infrared sensitivity. The good news is, the sensor is sensitive to IR. The next thing in the list will be purchasing the coveted Hoya R72 infrared filter at Peninsula Plaza last Saturday. I didn’t dare to try out the filter until I had time to do more research on how to handle the white balance and etc.
So here’s my first infrared photo, a common scene right outside my room. Click for a larger photo:
My First Infrared - Outside my dorm. f/5.0, 10 seconds, ISO 100.
It’s a view that I am treated with every morning as I leave my dorm for lessons. The weather was almost perfect on Tuesday afternoon – cloudy but bright sky, and occasionally you’ll have the sun peeking out from the corner of a cloud. Using a tripod and a 2-second timer (I am yet to invest on a remote shutter release), I did a rough white metering on a full frame of green foliage – well, in Singapore, we’re never short of trees. Then I proceeded with the actual photo taking.
Of course you can photoshop your way through a normal photo (there’s even a B&W filter in CS3 that allows you to emulate the appearance of a B&W infrared photo), but in order to produce a convincing coloured IR photo, the best way to go is to invest in a decent IR filter. There are cheaper alternatives around, such as the Suntec filter, but I stuck to Hoya R72 due to the great reviews it has been receiving from IR photographers on Flickr.
Here’s a comparison of the IR photo (top), the unprocessed IR photo (bottom left) and the original scene (bottom right). Oh, and it’s my second IR photo, heh.
Difference between a procssed IR photo, an unprocessed IR photo and the actual scene. f/5.0, 13 seconds, ISO 100.
This photo was taken on a grassy patch outside NIE, facing Hall of Residence 12 and 13.
What do you think of IR photography? If you have any questions regarding IR photography, feel free to ask in the comments – I will be more to happy to help ;)
Wow, your first shots are really good.
I’m glad you found my tutorial on tutorials20.com helpful :)
My my… if you hadn’t told me, i surely believe it was shot somewhere in Japan !
Gorgeous !
hehe…yeah..japan looking photo….very nice coussie
love the 2nd comparison shots ;)
If I hadn’t looked closer, I would have thought it was shot in a real wintery wonderland. Gorgeous shot! I’ll probably try it out some time! =)
Seems interesting =). How much did you buy the Hoya 72mm IR filter for? Looking at a 77mm version for my camera/lens combo haha.
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Oh man… your math question almost tripped me… I had to count with fingers!! Heheh
Oh wow, your infrared looks sooo good in that type of light!! I’m so excited, I’m switching to a DSLR in a few days!! I’m going to be getting the Canon XSI and will be going on lots of photoshoots with a friend!! So excited and can’t wait!
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ser-mat! [nice!]
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Lolz I can’t believe those are taken out of my dorm! The first picture made me think that it was taken in some other countries, during the winter month. It is a great shot, but it does not give a realistic glimpse…
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Oh my god, I didn’t know NTU has such nice spots. Awesome pictures you have there teddy! :)
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@Mike: Thank you, Mike :) the infrared photography tutorial that you’ve posted is really useful, thank you so much for the handy walkthrough about this aspect of photography that is completely new to me.
@qureyoon: You’re not the first one who’s saying this – when I showed the photos to my roomie he thought I was showing him photos from Japan. Hah!
@med: Thank you!
@Maria: I wish I can see snow now! It’s so hot over here except for a few occasional spells of drizzle in the afternoon and in the evening. If you’re trying out infrared photography, be sure to check whether your camera’s sensor is sensitive to IR first :)
@frankchn: It’s around SGD80 at Peninsula Plaza. Somewhere near the US market price but more expensive from what many others offer on eBay. I would have happily snapped them up if it isn’t because my fear of scratched/fake filters. There are 77mm versions on as well. Oh, and the last time I checked, Cathay doesn’t sell Hoya filters (no stock) but a small shop on the second floor of Peninsula Plaza right in front of the escalator does have a huge array of Hoya R72 filters of different diameters.
@nann: I wish there’s a four-seasons garden around. I heard that there’s one in Malaysia, when I was a primary school kid, and the fascination of seeing four seasons in tropical Malaysia fascinated me ever since. I never got to know where it is though… the trees in IR photos look white because of the nature of the leaves that reflect a range of infrared. I guess human hair doesn’t reflect it that way? :P
@Destiny: Whooops, sorry if the maths spam comment questions are a little too hard! I guess you’ll have to blame the generator for churning out such a hard number, teehee. I can’t wait photos from you taken with your new dSLR, wooots!
@abdusfauzi: Thank you bro!
@Wendy: Yes they are indeed! A common scene in our daily life looks so unique in a different light (pun intended)… well, our eyes do not see infrared and so there’s no doubt that IR photos are famous for their surreal appearance. That’s one thing that draws people towards IR photography.
@pat: Thanks Patrick :D heh! I’m wondering why did you enter your old URL lol.
Terry ,
The pictures are great ! The 1st looks like a winter scene here !
oh my gosh! AHHHHHHHHHHH OH MY GOSH! that 1st pic looks so friggin cooollll! ahh. dang. i. wan. an. infrared. filter. tooo! its all your fault =.= lol.. *goes off to read those infrared links*
oh btw ill just manipulate my brain with “messyness is an art” haha. thats why i only clean my room very few times..
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The 2nd photo definitely looks like one that was shot in Japan and I really like the colour of the leaves at the trees.
Unbelievably gorgeous!
@Bob: Thank you Bob! I wish I can see an actual winter scene… is winter coming to an end over at Boston?
@sue: Wow you’re definitely excited about IR photography! Acutally all you need is to invest in a decent IR filter and the rest is free (unless you are yet to get a tripod). There are a lot of tutorials and guides online for started of IR photography, and there’s always the almighty Google around to help you out. Your desk looks so clean after the major cleanup thing, I am wondering is it getting cluttered now? :P
@WanCing: Thank you so much! I think it’s the pinkish tone of the foliage that convinced so many that it’s a photo from Japan. You’re not alone when it comes to thinking the photos were snapped in Japan, teehee!
hey terry! oh my i didnt know you can make singapore trees look like cherry blossoms in blooming just like Japan’s! coolios stuff.
@`eunice: Thanks Eunice :) teehee! Anyway, yeap, my blog is running on WordPress. Anyway, I hope you’re recovering well from your gastric flu! Take care!
and ohoh is your blog wordpress-run??
It’s really pretty, looks like it’s snowing in Singapore. If only it really looks like this in reality. :(
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cool! now I know i can capture in such style! i just grag a new nikon set, hope will be able to get the infrared filter myself!
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omg…it is amazing!
how to do that? Just get a IR filter and shoot? Thats all?
As i know, have to send the camera to IR pro to operate it become a IR Camera? Maybe my info outdated d..hahahaha
my lens size is 67mm. Izzitthe IR filter available in tat size?
@Kun: The most important part is to determine whether your camera is suitable for IR photography or not. I carried out the test by pointing a remote control at my camera and set the shutter speed to a few seconds in a dark room. If you see a spot of light, that means your camera is IR sensitive.
You will also need a tripod because even under broad daylight, shutter speed will be around 5~10 seconds at f/3.5 (that’s the largest aperture for most kit lenses).
You don’t need to convert your camera to an IR-only camera if it’s sensitive to IR. However, if you wish to shoot at higher shutter speeds, removing the IR filter on your CCD is the only way to do it (which means sending your camera to a professional for modifications).
I think for the availability of 67mm filters, you’ll have to ask the shop if they have those of that diameter.
Hey teddy, I really love those shots! Looks like somewhere in Japan, anyway you can change the colours of the leaves of the trees to pink? That would look like Japan 100 %! anyways, please visit my photography site at http://usernamephotography.webs.com/. Best viewed with Mozilla Firefox, and best viewed with computers of 1600 x 900 resolution since my laptop is that wide, so I set it to 1600 x 900.
@Dayna: Thank you! Too bad it doesn’t snow in Singapore… but anyway, enjoy the sun we’re having now! February will be a very dry month so we’ll have fun going outdoors and stuff. Let’s not wait until the monsoon comes, haha. And one bad thing about WInter – you’ll have to deal with all the melting ice! Imagine everything turning muddy on the streets, in your gardens and etc. Not a really pleasant sight, haha!
@uner: Thanks! Actually you don’t need a SLR to get involved in IR photography. You can always make your own IR filters – there are a bunch of tutorials online.
@Adam: Thanks for your compliments. Actually, the pinkish hue on the leaves isn’t a desirable effect – by right, the leaves should be white and nothing else, but due to post-processing techniques and simplified steps, the leaves appear to be pinkish-white. My laptop is running on 1280px width, but the site still looks nice :)
@teddY: thank you, i’ve edited the header of the site, so it’s better now. Any computer of any resolutions could view the site nicely, with both IE and Mozilla Firefox. Anyone who is reading this, please visit my site at http://usernamephotography.webs.com/
Wow, I didn’t know there’s something called Infrared Photography until you say so..
Nice photo ^^ I always like the photos you took :P
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Ahhh, infrared is pretty. A lot of blog authors seem to use infrared technique when they make their layouts. :D
How much do the lens cost?
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@RiN: Oh, well now you know what is it about, haha! Thanks for the compliments!
@Cynthia: Yea, it lets you see things in a different light (pun intended). The scenes appear to be surreal because that’s what our eyes do not see, in the infrared region. I used the kit lens that came with my original dSLR but I’ve purchased an infrared filter so that only infrared light enters the camera to be taken. The filter, a Hoya R72, costs around SGD90, which is approximately USD55.
Well, thanks for introducing me to IR photography, Teddy :3
I’m definitely going to try this out …
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@Minmin: You’re welcome! IR photography is quite easy to do – the hardest post is probably getting the right IR filter. There are quite a lot of conmen out there who sell you fake IR filters (they’re just cheap red filters), so be on a watchout for them. Usually you won’t be able to see through an IR filter. At most, you’ll see a faint tinge of red (since our eyes can see slightly beyond 720nm, slightly above the minimum permitted wavelength of the IR filter).
Very nice! Never heard of this technique before but looks good. Need to catch up on some photography techniques
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@Lee Munroe: Thanks for your compliments! It’s actually an easily achievable technique – all you need is a camera that allows you to screw on filters, an IR filter of a matching diamater and a sturdy tripod, heh ;)
You’re into photography too?
Man, I know about IR photography but never found them attractive, until I saw your post! Well, probably because I never done serious research on IR photographs, but this post of yours made me feel like venturing into this part of photography! =D Awesome d00d, seems like you have mastered your dSLR in a short time. =D
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@ingSiang: Really? I am honoured! Mine definitely aren’t the best around – they are a lot more stunning ones on Flickr. There are even IR fans who went all the way to buy a camera and dedicate it for IR photography by modifying the camera.
Nope, I haven’t even finish discovering all the potentials for my dSLR, not to mention photography itself ;) heheh. Thanks for the compliments though!
@Teddy: Haha, Flickr definitely has some much more amazing stuffs around, when I felt slightly too happy about my photography, I’ll take a stroll around the Explore of Flickr. Makes you realise how tiny you’re, and there’s sooo much to learn, =p
Yes, people usually remove the AA filter or something, haha, I think for Nikon, they use D70 or something. =p Anyway, IR is still kind of niche and doesn’t fit into my scope of photography, yet. Not at this time. As you know (or can see from my gallery), my photography revolves around people – candid, portraits and group photos, that’s the reason why I shoot, to capture the memories of my teen age (or well, young adult) before it slips off. Maybe, maybe some 2 years later, when I get a bit of cash off uni allowance, I’ll start digging dipper, atm, I don’t even have the urge to include a telephoto lens to my setup! haha. =p
Keep the post coming, will be reading all when I come, I don’t do blog hopping every day, xD I read all unread posts once 1-2 weeks, and comment. =p
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@ingSiang: Browsing Explore is a very humbling experience as you’ll realize that what you can achieve is less than 10% of the professionals are doing – and that just drives us to learn more, doesn’t it?
If people remove the filter on the CCD/CMOS sensor, the camera will be able to shoot in the IR range, but there are reasons why the manufacturers place the filter there. Lights that are in the IR range will focus differently on the sensor and this will only confuse the camera – that’s why when people take IR photographs, we are not supposed to focus and then screw on the filter. The IR photo will out of focus for this reason. In addition, there are certain kind of garments that allows IR to pass through (doesn’t sound like a bad thing, does it?). It also distorts colour balancing and in the camera.
Some people even go to the extent of modifying their cameras, making them exclusively IR cameras. That requires a lot of money, both on modifying the camera and more importantly, getting a new camera. Yeowch!
I’m not good at portraits *hides in corner* haha! I shall practice more instead of running away from it. I’m perhaps one of the few photographers who are completely clueless when asked to take a portrait of someone.
I know life’s going to be busy for both of us :) it’s okay!
[...] ventured into infrared photography. I’m currently using a Hoya R72 filter, alongside with my Sony Alpha kit [...]