Infrared photography is one that allows one of the light spectra to be photographed between 700 and 1,200 nanometers, not visible to the human eye. Its first use was military, but it is widely used scientifically and artistically. Of course, it’s the latter aspect that’s interesting. us on the blog and the one I want to show you today, you may think that making these kinds of photographs is really difficult, but nothing further from reality, if you want to know how you can start making your first infrared photo in a simple way, I invite you to feel comfortable and keep reading.
In principle what you want, but landscapes with lots of vegetation and very green, with sky and / or water are the reasons that will go best with an infrared filter. You can also include an architectural element, which will look great. photograph a landscape that contains only green because it will not be attractive at all, look for a beautiful composition, some contrast or, as I said, an architectural element. Composition is as important or more important as in any other type of photography. Here are some examples.
- 1.
- Find the reason.
- I told you at first what kind of image looks best with the infrared filter.
- So you should look for what to photograph to get more attractive results and with that magical or fantastic point that these images have.
2. Place the camera on the tripod. The exposure time will be very long and you will need a lot of stability. Pan the scene before placing the filter, because when you place it, you won’t see anything. This filter is very opaque and you will see everything in the dark. That’s why it’s important to frame and compose before you put it in.
3. Put the filter in place. And don’t be afraid when you see that you don’t see anything, I warned you in the previous point;), so you don’t have to worry about looking?Why framing and focus before?.
White balance. You have two options, do it manually, for which you need to bring your neutral or white gray card, but you can check the results in situ, or photograph in RAW mode with an automatic white balance and adjust it in treatment.
5. Configure ISO. While it may be tempting to increase the ISO to capture more light, it is not recommended because of the high level of noise you will get, ideally put it as low as possible, without going down from 200, better between 200 and 400.
6. Squeeze your camera too much. It is best to do several tests, as this will depend on the light you have. But one guide is that when you take a photo, check the histogram for nothing on the far right. , in this bit must be empty so that no burned area appears.
8. Put the camera into manual mode and focus. You can also do it automatically, but much better if you focus manually, to ensure the result.
9. Use an average aperture. Set the depth of field of your camera between f/4. 5 yf/9.
10. Exposure time. This will depend on your camera, filter and light. That’s why you’re going to have to work with the famous “trial and error” technique ;), i’m sorry, I can’t give you a magic formula, I can only say you should start, for example, for 4 seconds and adjust yourself according to the results.
12. Shoot! The exposure time is very long, while the camera moves slightly can result in a blurry photo, so I recommended the remote trigger. However, if you don’t have one, you can set your camera timer and the photo will be taken once. Is your finger far from the button?
Don’t panic! You’ll get a nice red image, that’s normal. Now it’s time to make some small adjustments with a publishing program.
With the following settings, you will convert your “red” image into an infrared image:
You can also try to convert them to black and white because it creates a lot of contrast and you can get very nice images.
As you’ve seen, it’s not that hard. But there is another way to make such images (I can’t tell you if it’s easier or harder, that’s where everyone comes in). What I can assure you is that it’s more comfortable because you won’t have to move. of the chair All you need is a photograph, your computer and an image editor.
I leave you with some links that explain how to do it
If these images have not convinced you to try this type of photography, perhaps this beautiful gallery will encourage you.
Don’t despair, it’s not a difficult technique but since everything takes time to learn, is it true that some values will have to be readjusted several times, yes, once you understand?There won’t be anyone left to stop you!!
I hope you’ve been bitten by the bug and you’re moving forward and trying. Our main goal is for you to learn and for that, there is nothing like practicing. You know, theory is forgotten, practice makes us grow!Until next time and remember to share, of course someone thanks you (I’m sure) ?.