Infrared Season is Just Around the Corner

by | Mar 8, 2022

Today’s Post by Joe Farace

“In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer.” ― Albert Camus

Although Spring may have already sprung where you live, real spring in Colorado seems just around the corner… or not. (Snow is predicted for tomorrow.) And for me that means it’s time for more infrared photography, although I have been playing around with it this winter.

How I Made this Photo: The above image was made at McCabe Meadows park near Parker Colorado and was shot with a Canon EOS SL3 and a EF-S 18-55mm f/4-5.6 IS STM kit lens (at 24mm) with a Hoya 58mm R72 Infrared Filter.  Exposure was one-half sec at F/5.6 and ISO 6400 in Auto ISO mode. High ISO settings are endemic when shooting with the dense, almost black-appearing IR filters, as you can see below right. The Image was captured as a RAW file, then converted to DNG with Adobe DNG Converter, It was then converted to monochrome using one of the Photoshop actions that are available via Life Pixel, then it was tweaked with Vivenza, and finally toned with Photokit’s Platinum toning feature. You can read my in-depth Shutterbug review of the Canon EOS SL3 here.

DNG? While I now shoot everything in RAW not all of my camera’s RAW files will open in my copy of Adobe Camera RAW that’s part of Photoshop CS6 that is the version of the software I use. I often have to convert a camera’s RAW file, as I did here, into the DNG format using Adobe’s free Digital Negative Converter software. But sometimes with a newer camera I have to use the latest version of Digital Negative Converter that won’t run on my 27-inch iMac. I have the latest version installed on a 21.5-inch iMac that will run it; it’s a workaround that I have to use to deal because of my “old” computers and software.

As a way of trying infrared photography this summer, you might think about attending one of the Introduction to Infrared workshops that, I hope, will be held on select on Saturdays during 2022, look for specific dates soon. The workshops will be held at McCabe Meadows and you don’t need filters (unless you have them) or an IR-converted camera to attend, although I will have one on hand to show the difference between using them or on-camera filters.  This is a 90-minute hands-on workshop about making digital infrared images with your own cameras. We’ll kick off with a brief discussion of capture options, then we’ll walk around the park and make some IR photographs. Each participant will be able to shoot using different kinds of filters making infrared images with your own camera but you will need to bring a tripod when shooting the filters that I will let you use during the workshop.

I’ve found that Life Pixel does a great job with IR conversions and they have done some of my Canon DSLRs and all of my Panasonic Lumix G-series mirrorless cameras. This is not a paid or sponsored endorsement, just my experience.

My book, The Complete Guide to Digital Infrared Photography is  available from Amazon for $41.99 but used copies starting around seventeen bucks as I write this. Creative Digital Monochrome Effects has a chapter on IR photography and is available from Amazon for $17.40 with used copies start around two bucks, less than your next cup of joe at Starbucks.