
Infrared Camera Loves Sunny Days
With the Canon M5 converted for infrared photography, I enjoyed photographing the neighborhood and even drove about 2.5 miles from home to see Narragansett Bay. From the end of Norwood Avenue in Cranston, I photographed the wind turbines and the splash of small waves. When you look at those water photographs, try to imagine the movement and the sound of the waves. On the way there, I stopped near the RI Yacht Club and enjoyed the view, an empty bench inviting people to stop and smell the ocean.
From Norwood Avenue, I drove back to the historic Pawtuxet Village. From one side of the Pawtuxet River bridge, I photographed a few houses singly and then in a panorama. Since I was not planning to take panoramic photographs, I did not bring my panorama head but managed to take a sequence of photographs that I stitched with no fuss.
Some of the photographs below are in color, and others are black and white, yet some have both versions. Keep in mind that the colors you see are false colors I extracted by swapping the blue and the red color channels. Those in B&W are processed further to remove the color, and some are slightly toned after that.
For those not familiar with infrared photography, it records wavelengths not visible to the naked eye and renders colors somewhat or significantly different from what we expect. Typically, the camera white balance is set to render the green foliage as neutral gray, thus the white appearance of the trees and the grass. Infrared sensors respond to the light bouncing off of the chlorophyll-rich green foliage rendering them bright white. The blue sky and water render almost black, and mainly in the red channel.
When the red and blue channels are swapped, the sky gets blue which is technically incorrect but looks more natural to our eyes. But, the foliage now turns yellowish, and other colors find some spot for themselves in the spectrum, all false colors.
Infrared photography is not for everyone. The effort to see with different sensibilities appeals to me. What are your thoughts on infrared photography, or any photography that sees in the wavelengths we cannot see with our eyes?
Haluk Atamal
I had used a red filter insistently for a couple of years with my Zeiss Ikon Contessa – Tessar 2.8/45 many years ago and must admit that my eyes are always pleased to look at dark skies and bright foliage. I like your BW infrared shots. They are very nice exagerrations of my youth trials.
On the other hand, I have always hated the off-balance colouration of the early films in colour, whether due to bad development or due to just film quality. Hence my taste for the coloured shots; I would not classify them as my favourite ones.
Still.. It was a nice experience to try to hear the sound of the waves. I could!
Thanks a lot for the beautiful aticle, Cemal.
Cemal Ekin
You were more adventurous in your youth than I was Haluk. I thought of trying the deep red filter for IR but never did, then came the digital cameras. The colors are jarring, no doubt. My preference leans towards the B&W versions too but the otherworldly nature of false colors sometimes works. I am very pleased to read that you heard the splash of the small waves. Stay tuned, in the next post there will be a different experience depicted.
Take care,
Cemal
Binnaz Melin
Sizin oraları çok özlediğimi son fotoğraflarıa baktıkça kafama iyice dank etti. Ayrıca Infrared’den yanayız abiler!
Cemal Ekin
Ufak yerlerin cazibesi Binnaz. Gelin, ozlem giderin! Infrared baska bir dunya, haklisin.
Cemal
Paul White
Always educational. I really enjoy your infrared work.
It is good to see you getting around
Cemal Ekin
Thank you, Paul. Ekin School of Photography is here to please! Yes, I am getting around more the weather is better and the body is better!
Cemal
Sabine
I was looking for inspiration to use my IR camera for everyday shooting, and this is Fits the bill perfectly. Thanks.