Introduction
I was watching Youtube a few months ago when I stumbled onto a vlog about black and white infrared photography. It was a revelation. Photography in full sunshine, in the middle of the day, with stunning results. It sounded like madness but the results I was seeing were stunning. After diving into a rabbit hole on the internet about infrared, I started to think about how infrared would benefit my photography.
Hiking during the day in harsh light isn’t usually an opportunity for photography, now with infrared those conditions are perfect. My quest to document New Zealand’s stunning great walks could be enhanced by bringing both a normal and infrared camera body on trips, carrying one set of lenses for both.
Black and white photography is a non-event in my landscape portfolio and shop. Documenting images in mono could bring a new customer to my online store. www.trevhillshop.nz
Reshooting my favourite honeypot spots around Otago completely reinvigorates my landscape photography.
Getting outdoors in summer is healthy and good exercise for the mind and body.
Camera Conversion or buy a filter?
The quick and fast solution to starting in infrared photography is to buy a simple screw on filter for the front of your lens. The big disadvantage you have with this method is the filter acts like a 10 stop ND and long exposures are needed to get a decent exposure. The main attraction for me with infrared is how the filter renders foliage and grass. I wanted to extract as much sharpness of leaves as I could, so fast shutter speeds are essential. Therefore, the only option was to get my camera converted. I had an old Fujifilm X-E1 camera gathering dust so it was an obvious choice for a conversion job.
Selecting a camera conversion service
There are a few places around the world who convert cameras to infrared. I settled on LifePixel in the USA to do the job for me. I was only interested in black and white photography so I picked the 830nm filter. Sending from New Zealand is a bit of a mission, but LifePixel did a great job, and they even offer a free zoom tutorial to get you up and running. I skipped on the tutorial as making mistakes is the only way I learn, but I thought it was a nice bonus to the service.
My first week of infrared photography
Now I had my camera back it was time to start taking pictures and learn this medium. I figure the best plan of attack for sharing what I have learned so far is to critique my images.
A week of learning
I have to say my first week of Infrared photography was a real joy. I feel like I am gathering plenty of experience to help refine my approach to the genre. When the next sunny day happens in Dunedin, I will be out taking images. If you would like to see more of my infrared work in future, I have started a Vero account @trevhill. The platforms dark display layout is perfect for black and white photography. I look forward to catching up with you there.