IR

[Zumaki]

as my sig states, I just got a new IR filter a little over a month ago. I’ve taken a few shots here and there from around the neighborhood and at a local park, but I’m wondering if any of you that have worked with IR can point me toward some particularly interesting shots/subjects… things that look significantly different in IR, for example.

[millera9]

I’ve never worked with IR and I really don’t even understand how it works, but there was a very cool IR photo of the shuttle launch posted to the Fark main-page earlier today.

http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2009/05/atlantis_launch_infrared_photo_so_crispy_you_actually_want_to_bite_it-2.html

Maybe that will provide a bit of inspiration! Now… who the hell was it that used to post all those IR pics? Ah yes, FutherMucker won a few contests with IR photos back in the day (yes, I just typed “back in the day”, it’s late, I’m tired…)

Here’s his profile so you can at least see what he was shooting pictures of: http://www.schneeworld.com/fsm/portfolio/html/FutherMucker

Hope that helps some!

[Zumaki]

That was sort of helpful, but at the same time, it wasn’t. Some of the subjects and framing he is using are inspiring, but the colors that his images display are the same that have eluded me so far. It might be that my Rebel XT is unable to give me those kinds of colors but its more likely that I just don’t know how to adjust settings in photoshop correctly. Here’s a gallery of some of my IR shots I like best so far: http://picasaweb.google.com/norrisjdupre/IR?authkey=Gv1sRgCPGB7_PmiqqbUg#

most of the images that are just purple are undoctored because I never bothered with them. Since I don’t know how to bring a semblance of real color to the pics, the others are given a color contrast that is unique to their light histogram, which I kinda thought was neat.

[orionid]

My hunch is that FutherMucker is actually using IR Film. If you’re using an IR filter on a DSLR, you’re just getting a slice of near-IR spectrum. Most DSLR’s have an IR-block filter covering the sensor to prevent washout. I have heard of some able-bodied camera shops that can swap it out with a clear element, but then you’d have a dedicated IR DSLR that wouldn’t work for normal spectra.

/all secondhand info that I’d pick up in conversation and research, take it as you will.

[Zumaki]

orionid I’ve heard that too but I’ve also seen online galleries with some pretty good pics where the photographer says he used a dslr + filter with no mods. I think the problem might just lie with me having a really crummy camera, but I noticed the T1i is down to $800 so I may ebay some old stuff of mine and try to jump up to that… but now I’m off topic.

*coughs*

I have an old pentax film camera, maybe I’ll just have to start playing around with it again if I want some decent IR in the meantime.

[millera9]

Yes, FutherMucker was definitely using film for those.

[sleeping]

I’m going to have to disagree here, I don’t believe any of those color IR shots are film. Almost all IR film is black and white, there have only ever been a handful of Color IR films and they are very hard to get and expensive these days (they were developed and are mostly used for scientific aerial photography). The ususal one, Kodak EIR, is incredibly distinctive: http://www.flickr.com/groups/colorinfrared/pool/

I think what was done in a lot of those shots is swapping the red and blue channels in post-processing. That’s pretty commonly done with digital infrared photos, it makes what was red, blue and vice versa.

[Zumaki]

I think what was done in a lot of those shots is swapping the red and blue channels in post-processing. That’s pretty commonly done with digital infrared photos, it makes what was red, blue and vice versa.

if only it were so easy for me 🙁

[millera9]

I’m going to have to disagree here, I don’t believe any of those color IR shots are film. Almost all IR film is black and white, there have only ever been a handful of Color IR films and they are very hard to get and expensive these days (they were developed and are mostly used for scientific aerial photography). The ususal one, Kodak EIR, is incredibly distinctive: http://www.flickr.com/groups/colorinfrared/pool/

I think what was done in a lot of those shots is swapping the red and blue channels in post-processing. That’s pretty commonly done with digital infrared photos, it makes what was red, blue and vice versa.

Yup, you are right, I went back and looked up his introduction thread and he talks about using the channel mixer in p-shop to create those IR images. Not sure why I thought I remembered that he was shooting film. Sorry for the bad info!

http://www.farktography.net/index.php?name=PNphpBB2&file=viewtopic&t=949&highlight=

[Zumaki]

Well I gave the channel mixing another shot… it doesn’t work out. I even played with the levels of each channel mix rather than swapping 100%. I’m going to have to keep working on my google-fu to find some settings to try for the rebel xt; I think the fact that it is sensitive to IR in both the red and blue range makes it more difficult to create a ‘false color’ effect.

And protanomaly can’t help either.

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