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Shooting infrared landscapes
By Ben Turner
Practical Photography
28 April 2010 17:27
In the June 2010 issue of Practical Photography we discussed the use of light with landscapes and how it affects your images. It was clear that shooting in direct sunlight at noon was the worst time to take landscape pictures - it's the toughest time to get successful results. One technique you can try, though, is infrared photography. This gives surreal punchy black & white pictures that work well even when the quality of the light is poor for everything else.
To shoot infrared you need to do one of the following:
ONE) Get your camera converted to infrared so you can use it just like a normal camera. This creates vibrant red shots that you'll need to adjust using your software (see Gavin Hoey's video below). This is the best option but is also the most expensive as it requires parts of the sensor to be replaced. Of course, your camera won't be good for colour shots either once you've had it converted, so use an old D-SLR if you have a spare. Expect to pay around £300 for a professional to do the work for you, or could try doing it yourself (not recommended but fascinating reading all the same)
TWO) The cheaper option is to buy an infrared filter such as a Hoya R72 dark red filter. This looks almost perfectly black at first glance but does pass certain red colours and infrared frequencies too. There are two problems with this solution, however. It blocks light coming through the viewfinder so you can't see when you're composing and focusing. Also, because the camera's sensor tries to block infrared light, the result is very long exposure indeed. Were talking around 8-seconds or more even in the middle of summer. To see how to use an infrared filter on an unmodified camera, see Gavin Hoey's video below.
Editing your infrared captures
Either method described above will give you nasty red results. That's because you're only recording light in the red and infrared region of the spectrum, and this shows up (you guessed it!) red. On the back of the camera you'll have an idea for the composition and exposure, but not a lot else. To finish up you need to manipulate the colour shot into a punchy black & white using software. We recommend you shoot in RAW and use a combination or RAW and Photoshop methods to extract the maximum detail from your shots. See Gavin's video for tips on converting and enhancing your psychedelic infrared photos, into something far more palatable and pleasing.
Visit www.gavinhoey.co.uk for more great video lessons, or if you prefer a more personal touch, check out Gavin's photography talks and lectures here.