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Eerie Adams Infra Red Experiments

I've been very interested in trying some Infrared photography after seeing some beautiful examples at sites like http://irbuzz.blogspot.com/. Jerry, has a wealth of information to get you started with this medium and for less than $60 I was able to grab a Hoya R72 filter and headed out to the mountains to try and catch the turning of the leaves.

Jerry has a great introduction to IR photography here, but in a nutshell, IR is in the spectrum of light beyond the range where humans are able to see with the naked eye.

 

Graphic courtesy of: www.maxmax.com

Most digital cameras have what is known as an Infrared Block or Hot Mirror Filter that allows visible light but prevents IR light from reaching the sensor. If you're a serioues IR nut you can open up your camera and have the filter removed. However, even with the block a small amount of IR light reaches the sensor. Therefore a much less daunting alternative is to buy an IR filter for your lens (Hoya are a recommended brand) and use a tripod and long exposures to capture static scenes.

While I was a little late to catch the leaves turning in the mountains (most of them had fallen already) I was able to take a few shots which ended up with an eerie quality that was quite apropo for halloween.

You can see them here as well as a couple I added from wandering around my local neighborhood of Fremont, including a combined 5 image HDR 3 regular lens / 2 w/IRFilter.

Hope you enjoy them, it's great to add a new technique to your repertoire and I think this opens up a whole new area to explore.