my first go at IR photgraphy! C&C and tips needed!

[hayleyfraser24]

So im probably going to be told I should learn to walk before run here but ever since I seen IR photography ive been so intrigued by it! Ive been learning alot about exposure, ive spent hours looking at tutorials and ive definatly got a good understanding of it now! so I got my hoya r72 filter in the post and thought id give it a try! I tried lots of different settings,

obv you need a very long exposure so this was the result, I only reduced the saturation in lightroom with this one as I just wanted a grayscale image, I cant quite get my head around "false color" yet...

1

I thought id take a picture of the same shot without the filter to see if I can notice the effects of IR... here is that shot

2

I can see how more interesting the IR shot is... only its out of focus! my camera was on a tripod but there was a very slight wind in the air... Do you think that had to do with the "blur"?


A higher iso resulted in this shot... saturation was reduced slightly but not completly in lightroom

3

as the camera produces this image to work on ...

4

I find it difficult to tell if ive achieved good focus and exposure untill I put it on the computer!


so if your still with me after all that, id like to ask if anyone has any expertise in this area or any tips? Thanks in advance for taking the time to look All comments greatly appreciated!

 

[fokker]

The screw-on IR filters are a bit crap, really. The shutter speed you need often make things difficult or impossible, and the fact that they completely darken the viewfinder doesn't help either. The main problem with these filters is that they block every kind of light except IR, but your camera has a built in filter that blocks only IR light. This is why you need such long shutter speeds, because you're trying to get light to pass through a filter designed to stop it (obviously the filters aren't perfect so a little light still comes through).

 

[dxqcanada]

I suggest picking up a cheap SLR and grabbing some Efke IR820 B&W film.
Efke IR820 - Google Search

 

[hayleyfraser24]

I suggest picking up a cheap SLR and grabbing some Efke IR820 B&W film.
Efke IR820 - Google Search

Thanks for the link, stunning photos! ill look into an slr, would be good to try working with film!

 

[Jarmo]

Quite eerie those IR shots of yours. I kind of like it.

 

[hayleyfraser24]

Quite eerie those IR shots of yours. I kind of like it.

Thanks! thats a nice comment, as I know ive got alot of work to do! does anyone have any tips on achieveiving good focus with a long exposure? I know a tripod is a must, and I tried different sizes of arpeture but these shots were the best outcome I got. Im wondering if wind is a big factor also, as I was shooting folliage.. ?..or is it simply my skill...(or lack of should I say!)

 

[dxqcanada]

Infrared light does not have the same focus point as visible light.
Infrared with a DSLR

Back in the Old days our lenses had an IR focus marker.
Achieving Infrared Focus | Thomas May Photography

 

[Gaerek]

I suggest picking up a cheap SLR and grabbing some Efke IR820 B&W film.
Efke IR820 - Google Search

Another option is picking up a cheap DSLR (10D, 20D, even a Digital Rebel) and converting it to IR. Don't know what the conversion costs, but you should be able to pick any of those particular cameras up for less than $200 used.

 

[Jarmo]

Quite eerie those IR shots of yours. I kind of like it.

Thanks! thats a nice comment, as I know ive got alot of work to do! does anyone have any tips on achieveiving good focus with a long exposure? I know a tripod is a must, and I tried different sizes of arpeture but these shots were the best outcome I got. Im wondering if wind is a big factor also, as I was shooting folliage.. ?..or is it simply my skill...(or lack of should I say!)

What camera do you have? Can you use live view to focus the camera manually.

Whrn I take IR shots I set the shutter speed to 30 seconds, use ISO up to 400 and stop the lens down to get decent depth of field.

 

[hayleyfraser24]

Quite eerie those IR shots of yours. I kind of like it.

Thanks! thats a nice comment, as I know ive got alot of work to do! does anyone have any tips on achieveiving good focus with a long exposure? I know a tripod is a must, and I tried different sizes of arpeture but these shots were the best outcome I got. Im wondering if wind is a big factor also, as I was shooting folliage.. ?..or is it simply my skill...(or lack of should I say!)

What camera do you have? Can you use live view to focus the camera manually.


Whrn I take IR shots I set the shutter speed to 30 seconds, use ISO up to 400 and stop the lens down to get decent depth of field.

its a sony a290 dslr... its a pretty good "beginners" camera, but it doesnt have live view, ill keep trying though! Thanks