Infra-Red Photography Digital Photography Home
WHAT IS INFRARED PHOTOGRAPHY
Infrared light is light not visible to the naked eye. Many things in nature reflect large amounts of
infrared light. Green foliage is one prominent example. An image captured in IR will show green
leaves – including pine needles - as very light. Since grass is also foliage it too becomes very
light. This often creates a very high key dreamy effect to the image. The sky as we know is blue,
and as a result reflects quite a bit of ultra violet light but hardly any infrared, therefore blue skies
are very dark. Puffy clouds are illuminated by the sun and reflect lots of IR so the contrast
between the sky and the clouds becomes very dramatic. Shooting in IR gives you the
opportunity to create something unusual that can help your work stand out from the masses.
FACTS ABOUT DIGITAL CAMERAS
1-Modern digital cameras have an IR (low pass) blocking filter that blocks most IR light.
2-Without the low pass filter the IR light contaminates the visible light image to produce
excessive noise.
3-CMOS image sensors are more sensitive to IR than CCD sensors so the low pass filtration
tends to be more aggressive at filtering out IR light. Perhaps this is why most Canon (CMOS)
SLR cameras cannot shoot IR images.
4-Early digital cameras had less efficient low pass filters so they are able to capture IR light
more efficiently than the newer models. See graph below.
5- You cannot simply remove the low pass filter. The filter is part of the optical system and
correct focus will only be achieved with a filter in front of the image sensor.
6- Since all image sensors have a filter in front of them, the actual CCD is protected by it.
Scratching this glass filter during cleaning is actually very difficult to do.
7- Removing the low pass filter and replacing it with a high pass IR filter such as an 89B, will
allow any digital camera to shoot in infrared.
You can see in the graph above that the old low pass filter allowed some IR light to pass. This is
why some older cameras can be used simply by placing an IR filter in front of the lens.
SHOOTING TIPS FOR INFRARED (IR)
1- If you’re interested in color IR photography you must use a filter such as a Hoya R72,
Kodak 89b or equivalent. These filters allow a small amount of visible light to get through
hence the colors. An #87 or 87c filter will give more dramatic results but no color
information is available so don’t even bother trying to do a custom WB. These filters are
completely opaque to visible light and will produce monochromatic images only. Cameras
that can use the filters listed above are the Nikon coolpix 950, D100, D70, D50, D40 and
the Minolta Dimage 5 or 7. I’ve been told that some older Sony cameras such as the F707
or F717 were also able to shoot in infrared without modification.
2- Regardless of what camera you’re using you must do a custom White Balance (WB) in
order to get usable color IR images. If you’re only interested in B&W imaging then this
step is not necessary, however your images will be all red. I get the best results by using
green foliage as a source for my custom WB. Consult your camera instruction book if you
don’t know how to do a custom WB.
3- Depending on the camera you’re using you may have to raise the ISO to shoot without a
tripod.
4- Shooting in JPEG is easiest but of course if you have RAW available the image quality
will be superior. It is important to note that Photoshop cannot handle the custom WB done
in the camera if you’re shooting in RAW. If you open a RAW image in Photoshop it will be
all red and there’s nothing you can do about it. You must use Nikon Capture software or
another RAW converter such as Bibble or Capture One. I know for sure that Bibble works
– not sure about Capture One. Once the image is pre-processed in RAW you can edit to
your heart’s content in PS.
5- Skies will appear as a beautiful deep reddish brown color. If you want a blue sky use the
channel mixer in PS to swap the red blue channels. There’s a tutorial on the lifepixel
website on how to do this. You can also use Hue/Saturation control and get similar results
by sliding the Hue adjustment all the way to one side or the other.
6- Film IR images tended to create a bit of a glow around areas that had an abundance of
IR light. This effect can be duplicated in PS. The best way I’ve found is a technique called
the Orton effect. It is very old and is film based in it’s origin but can be done quite
effectively in PS. You can do a Google search for the Orton effect and find several
tutorials or use this link:
http://www.adobe.com/devnet/fireworks/articles/photo_effects.html
7- Generally the images will have low contrast out of the camera. For JPEG images I
recommend setting the contrast level to its highest setting in the camera for the best out
of camera results. If you shoot in RAW you can do it later.
8- Metering is a touchy subject with IR. Some cameras such as the coolpix 950, Minolta
Dimage, Nikon D50 and D40 meter beautifully with little to no adjustments. The Nikon
D100 and D70 cameras need about +1 1/3 exposure compensation. Converted cameras
don’t meter well at all since the image sensor’s sensitivity has been altered with the
replacement IR filter. With my converted D100 I shoot at 1/125 at F11 in manual.
9- Focusing with non-converted cameras is a cinch. The focusing system in your camera
will have to focus through an almost black filter – which the camera does quite easily. It
has to do with the fact that the focusing system is very sensitive to IR, so it seems to
perform this function with amazing accuracy – something converted cameras cannot do
without placing an IR filter in front of the lens.
CAMERAS THAT CAN BE USED FOR INFRARED PHOTOGRAPHY(WITHOUT MODIFICATION) + IR FILTER
1- Nikon coolpix 950 This is perhaps the cheapest and easiest way to start with IR photography. This is how I
got started.
Advantages
a- Inexpensive - easily available used on Ebay for $50 to $100
b- Can be used handheld with IR filter - exposure times of 1/30 sec at f2.6
c- Lots of DOF with these small cameras even at f2.8
d- Camera will preview the IR images on screen so you can easily see if the WB setting is what you want.
e- Uses small filters with adapter rings or I can make a custom 28mm IR filter for you. ($30)
f- PDF instruction manual available free from Nikon
g- Uses 4 AA batteries and CF cards.
h- Excellent quality 35-105 lens with amazing macro capabilities.
I- Camera focuses correctly with IR filter in place.
Disadvantages
a- Low 2 megapixel resolution. Makes perfectly good 8X10's but 11X14 is pushing it.
b- Camera's menu system is awkward.
c- Camera has a small internal rechargeable battery to remember settings when AA batteries are removed.
This battery is often no longer functional so settings will be lost when changing AA batteries.
d- Display is not bright, so preview is difficult to see in bright light.
e- High noise levels in these small cameras make it difficult to use the channel mixer for changing colors.
2-Minolta Dimage 7 0r 5
Advantages
a- Inexpensive
b- Can be used handheld with IR filter - exposure times similar to Nikon 950.
c- Lots of DOF with these small cameras even at f2.8
d- Camera will preview the IR images on screen so you can easily see if the WB setting is what you want.
e- Uses standard 49mm filters.
f- Uses 4 AA batteries and CF cards.
g- Excellent 5 or (3.2 for Dimage 5) megapixel resolution.
h-Electronic viewfinder so preview image is easy to see in bright light.
i- Camera focuses correctly with IR filter in place.
Disadvantages
a- Difficult to find as this camera was not as widely sold as the Nikon 950
b- Very slow operating system - image write times of 10-15 seconds
c- Extremely battery hungry.
d- High noise levels in these small cameras make it difficult to use the channel mixer for changing colors.
3-Nikon D100, D70, D70s, D50, D40 SLR
Advantages
a- Excellent IR images but daytime exposure times are 1 second at f8 with ISO 200
b- Can be used at higher ISO's and handheld (I received 27 points at PFLI for an image shot at f2.8 ISO 800)
c- Can shoot in RAW and then process in Nikon software for superb results.
d- Larger 6 megapixel sensor can produce images up to 16 X 20.
e- Uses readily available screw on IR filters or Cokin #007.
f- Camera focuses correctly through IR filter.
g-PDF instruction manuals available from Nikon free.
Disadvantages
a-Expensive investment for non-Nikon users
b-Tripod is needed for highest quality and accurate composition.(Compose without filter then shoot with)
c- RAW images cannot be processed in Photoshop (the WB adjustment in the camera exceeds what PS can
recognize) Other RAW processing engines such as Bibble, Capture One etc may be able to handle the RAW
file's WB as shot.
d- You can’t see anything through the lens with the filter in place, and glass IR filters are expensive ($30 - $90
depending on size).
CONVERTING A CAMERA TO INFRARED ONLY
The definitive place to have your camera converted to IR is http://www.lifepixel.com/ The low pass filter is
removed from the camera and replaced with an infrared filter equivalent to a Hoya R72 or Kodak 89B. Price
varies from $200 to $250 depending on the camera. Alternatively you can buy the correct filter for your camera
($95) and D.I.Y. with the provided (online) instructions. This is what I did, but I have professional training in this
area. Caution: If you do not have the skills to work on cameras and electronic components do not attempt this.
You can view the instructions for many cameras on his site to get an idea as to what is involved.
Advantages
a- Handheld exposures are now possible at low ISOs. Exposure times are about 1/125 and f11 at ISO 200.
b- High ISO or long exposure noise is no longer a problem. Image quality is superb.
c- You don’t need to use a visibly opaque filter in front of your lens so a tripod is not needed.
Disadvantages
a- Expensive + the camera can now shoot IR only. (Can be converted back to normal for $125)
b- Focusing is an issue with lenses longer than 80mm (The camera's focusing system is done through the lens.
Since there is no IR filter on the lens the camera focuses using visible light only.)
c- Some after market lenses can produce poor or unusual results. For example, the Tamron 18-200 focuses
very poorly and has a blue spot in the middle of the image. Usually the camera manufacturer’s lenses present
no serious problems.