White hot: diving into infrared

I've always been intrigued by black and white images. B&W images strip away color and distractions, and it’s on the viewer to fill in the blanks.

The IR B&W look appealed to me because it was different. While you could turn blue skies black in Lightroom, it was very difficult to turn foliage white. I dipped my toes in first by purchasing a Hoya R72 Infrared screw-on filter. This filter blocks out so much light that you could look at the sun without going blind. It also meant that I would need a tripod to shoot in bright sunlight. I liked the images I was getting, but hated the inconvenience of using a tripod and long exposures. If there was a slight breeze, all the leaves would be blurry.

After a few outings with the R72 filter, I decided to go full-send and decided to get my camera full spectrum-modified (via Kolari Vision). This would allow me to ditch the tripod and shoot at normal shutter speeds while using the R72.

Traditional B&W photos capture the luminance of the visible light spectrum (the colors of the rainbow, ROYGBIV). Infrared photography captures the IR spectrum and blocks most of the visible light. Foliage turns white, while the sky and water turn black.

Clothes are unpredictable. Dark dyes can appear bright white. Our shoes are mostly black, yet show up white. Veins are also a problem with IR photography. Facial features render almost porcelain-smooth.

Although you’re capturing images void of color, you can add false colors to your images in Lightroom and/or Photoshop. When adding colors, IR “hot spots” become an issue. Some lenses do a better job at controlling these hot spots (typically older and cheaper lenses with less coatings). This image was shot using a Sony 35mm f1.8 @f6.3. The center of this image is a pink blob of saturation due to the hot spot performance at smaller apertures. It is unnoticeable in B&W or at wider apertures.

Lifeguard Barbie on duty. False colors can turn ordinary scenes into something whimsical.

Maunalua Bay

Kuliouou Beach Park

Baby shark breeding grounds

This sky on this evening was full of pastel hues. In B&W however, it is hard to tell whether it’s sunrise or sunset.