If you’re an experienced photographer, you probably already know how to take infrared photos with your digital camera and this article won’t be of much value to you, but if you’re new to infrared photography and maybe even digital photography, read on. Learn more.
Not too many years ago there was no such thing as digital photography and you were running around with a film camera that could take great pictures but had all the drawbacks of a camera that uses film. To take IR (infrared) pictures, you would need to buy special film that would cost an arm and a leg. Secondly, you would have the problem of black and white processing of the films once you have taken the pictures.
And finally, you wouldn’t be able to evaluate the photos you took before the entire roll of film was used and the photos were processed and printed. In general, this would take much more time and cost you a substantial amount compared to the digital solutions that are available today.
Today you will need to have a digital camera, but as we will soon enter the second decade of the second millennium, there are not many people left who do not have at least one digital camera. Now it’s not enough to have a simple cheap digital camera bought at the corner grocery store, but you won’t need to refinance your house either.
By investing in a reasonably priced digital camera of $500-$1000, you can easily get high quality and take the infrared photos you want. Not only will you save the time and hassle of processing images as they’ll be instantly available, but you’ll also be able to assess them as soon as your finger has left the trigger by looking at the camera’s small LCD screen. If you’re not happy with the result, you can simply delete it, adjust the settings, and shoot another one.
The quality of your infrared photos will depend on how your camera’s sensor array reacts to infrared, and secondarily, it will depend on the filter you are using and how it reacts at the other end of the visible spectrum. I suggest you start by consulting with the guy at the photo store about what camera he will recommend for the use he is planning and then you should search the internet for reviews and comments from people who have already tried and tested the digital cameras he has recommended.
Infrared photos versus black and white photos.
At first glance, a monochrome image taken with an infrared camera filter will look almost identical to any other black and white image. However, if you take a closer look, you will see the differences. Objects that are bright in visible light will appear dark, while some of the objects that are normally dark will appear quite bright.
The biggest difference between the infrared spectrum and the visible spectrum occurs in the case of foliage. The foliage gets very bright in the infrared, as you’ll be able to see if you’ve ever taken infrared pictures.
The next time you’re out shooting infrared, try shooting some in black and white as well and you’ll quickly see the differences I just mentioned.
I’m glad digital cameras have arrived to make our infrared photography easier and I hope you are too. It’s a time saver as well as a money saver.