Infra-Red Photography

I have recently come across a very interesting photography technique using Infra-red filters on your camera lens. It's unlike anything I have seen before so I thought I would share.  I'm always on the look out for more interesting ways to create photographs and this is a technique I am keen to try.

Photos by Allon

Canon PowerShot G2 ,Hoya R72 IR filter	Nikon D70 0.77s f/8.0 at 18.0mm full exif	Nikon D70  1s f/8.0 at 18.0mm full exif
Nikon D70 ,Nikkor 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G ED-IF AF-S DX Zoom	Nikon D70 ,Nikkor 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G ED-IF AF-S DX Zoom	Nikon D70 ,Nikkor 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G ED-IF AF-S DX Zoom 2s f/8.0 at 24.0mm, Hoya R72 IR filter full exif

How the effect is achieved:

Article by Allon

After being asked several times about my IR images, here are a few words about my technique:
These days I'm using the Nikon d70 (not modified) for IR. but you can also see IR pictures (in this gallery) that were taken with my other cameras: Canon G1, Canon G2, Sony DSC-F 717.

My IR filter is the Hoya R72. this filter blocks about 95% of the visible light under 720 nm. This is why it's not a "real" IR filter but "near IR" filter and lets you get colorful IR images.

The most important thing in IR photography is to set the WB (with the filter on!) before shooting -to get these surreal colors.

After taking the shot, a little post-processing: levels (usually auto), contrast (about +5%-10%), saturation (about + 10%), RED and BLUE channels swap and sharpening.

RED and BLUE channels swap: go to IMAGE > ADJUSTMENTS > CHANNEL MIXER. now, choose output channel:RED. in the source channel set the RED to 0% and the BLUE to 100%. don't close the box. now choose output channel:BLUE. in the source channel set the RED to 100% and the BLUE to 0%.

That's all!

Canon IR Compatible Lenses

All Canon EOS lenses pass infrared light and so technically can be used for IR photography with a filter such as a Hoya R72.

However with digital SLRs it has been found that a number of lenses produce a fairly significant "hot spot" in the center of the frame. The origin of this "hotspot" isn't 100% clear, but it appears to be associated in some way with reflections off the sensor interacting with reflections off the lens elements. Whatever the cause, it can make an image significantly less usable.

It's quite difficult to see any pattern in which lenses do and do not "hotspot". It's not directly related to whether the lens is a zoom or a prime, whether it's an "L" series lens or not or whether of not it's an EF-S (digital) or EF lens.

The following list doesn't cover every lens and under some conditions it's possible that even lenses on the "good" list may show a slight hotspot, or lenses on the "bad" list might give an acceptable image. However if you're looking for a lens for use in IR work, picking a lens from the list on the left is probably a good idea.

Source: http://www.lensplay.com/lenses/lens_infra_red_IR.html

Looking for IR filters? Check out Amazon.com for a large range of brands.