I have been interested by infra red photography for quite a while. Unlimited possibility to unique tone is the main point here. Ever since I have been researching online resource on the issue, including technical how-to and digital post processing techniques. Without any attempt to go into technical detail on light wavelength and all these kind of stuffs, I understand that blockage of different wavelength results in different tone, into which digital post processing pops in. There are two ways in getting into infra red photography.
The first one is using a filter attached in the front of the lens. It is perhaps the easier way to start with, as all we have to do is buy an infra red filter, attach it on to the lens, and off it goes. The problem is that the filter blocks the light, and therefore we have to shoot in very low speed. In almost all cases, usage of tripod is definite must as we can go as low as about a second in a bright sunny mid-day.
The second one is by modifying the camera body by replacing camera’s hot mirror with certain kind of infra red glass. This work needs expert hands, so it is a kind of “don’t do it yourself at home” sorts of thing. The benefit is that it does not block the light getting in through the lens, so we can shoot at the same speed as we normally do. As results are dependent to certain wavelength being cutted away, technician tweak it into an unlimited number of different results, something which is very limited in using filter. The drawback is that once a camera body converted into IR, it could not be used for normal photography unless we get back to the technician to return the normal hot mirror.
In addition to having to get a dedicated camera body together with the main one used for normal photography, cost for conversion is quite expensive. Here in Indonesia it cost somewhere between $150-$300 depending on camera body we have and wavelength we want to cut. So even I go with the very old used DSLR, it will easily get to $600-$700. So to start with I am foreseeing filter.
Unfortunately as I do not have a lens with small filter ring, filter is not a cheap solution as well. For lens with 77mm filter thread, HOYA R72 costs about $160 and HOYA RM90 costs about $180. None of them are available in Bali where I live, but I can order one from Jakarta based online shop. Used ones sometime available for sale in local photograhy forums at somewhere between $80 – $100. Another chance is to get cheap lens with 52mm filter thread – mostly are kit lens for lower-end DSLR – which costs about $60-$75 in second hand market. Infra red filter for those small lenses costs about $30.
I haven’t made up my mind untill a new option comes though a local photographer online forum. Chinese made filter at Cokin standard called Tian Ya offers infra red filter in P standard, which work for 77mm filter thread. It is not a screwed-in type though. Cokin P is square filters slotted into a holder, which are large enough to cover the face of 77mm lens. I already have the required P standard holder and ring adapter (to lock the holder into lens filter thread), so all I need to spend was the filter which was priced at about $35 for the only type available IR690. The picture shows how it fits into the mount of my Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L.
Following advises in online forum telling that best time for infra red photography is at the worst time for normal photography – means mid of a sunny-brite day – I went off at around lunch time for the first trial. It was a failure. I did not realize that it was goung to be that slow, and I went off without a tripod. I also found that the result was monotonous red, something like b/w with the white repladed by red.
Realizing that tripod was mandatory was a snap. After consulting back to forums I was also got educated that white balance setting is another key to infra red photography. I went to consult my camera manual for custom white balance setting before ready for the second attempt.
On the second attempt, I brought in my Manfrotto 190XProB along, so speed would not be a problem. Before I took the real shoot, I measured custom balance into a piece of white paper, got the camera to record it into its custom white balace setting. Resulting shots looked like what I was supposed to be. Next thing I will need to learn was digital post processing. I was not really sure yet however if the shots I took was really the right one to be converted into stunning unique frame.
My dream was to make shots of Bali villas in infra red. It would be amazing to frame the reflective swimming pool and ocean views in a unique tone of processed infra-red images.
mas, saya juga pake filter IR tian ya. ada contoh hasil nya ngga mas? untuk jadi acuan saja, masalah nya saya merasa belum mendapatkan preset WB dgn benar (langit coklat, namun daun cenderung terlalu biru bukan cyan), meski saya sudah coba preset WB di warna2 yg berbeda. apa kah mas mengalami hal yg sama menggunakan filter tersebut??? trim’s