Yep, I feel like IR (Infrared) Ed this week. I’ve been bringing my IR-converted Canon Rebel XT along with my Canon 50mm f/1.8 ($99 special) lens with me to work each day this week. The IR camera is a particularly good choice for my lunchtime walks because IR can tend to [...]]]> Who R U?

Yep, I feel like IR (Infrared) Ed this week. I’ve been bringing my IR-converted Canon Rebel XT along with my Canon 50mm f/1.8 ($99 special) lens with me to work each day this week. The IR camera is a particularly good choice for my lunchtime walks because IR can tend to look better with harsh midday sunlight.

Heck, today I even brought along the Lensbaby so I could try some selective focus infrared photography. I am always looking to try new things. Sometimes they don’t quite work out the first time but I learn from my trials and errors and things look much better the second time around.

These images are representative of just such a case. I went out Monday at Noon and made a series of images which all, how shall I say this, STUNK!! But I did realize what I did wrong and went back out Tuesday, again at Noon, to correct my mistake and re-shoot the images. Here are two examples of the images from that shoot. Each was processed slightly differently to give the overall effect that I wanted.

The first image is simply entitled “Willows”.

And the second is “Untitled IR – 040610″.

Today, I shot IR with the Lensbaby. The images were OK, even good but not exactly what I was hoping for. So tomorrow I will head out and try, try again!

Objective: To expand the scope of my infrared photography beyond the typical, expected IR landscapes.

Technique: Used an IR-converted camera for the image. I knew I wanted to experiment with vertical pans/motion [...]]]>

Objective: To expand the scope of my infrared photography beyond the typical, expected IR landscapes.

Technique: Used an IR-converted camera for the image. I knew I wanted to experiment with vertical pans/motion blurs which I did here. Given the strong light (great for IR but lousy for long exposures), I could only only get the shutter speed down to 1/8 sec so I was dealing with quick, short blurs.

Location: Lehigh Parkway, Allentown, Pa.

Time: Around 12:45pm.

Conditions: Sunny. Ideal IR photography conditions. Lousy for long exposures but I already said that!

Camera: Canon Rebel XT converted for IR by LifePixel.

Lens: Canon 24-70mm f/2.8L; Focal Length 40mm

Settings: 1/8 sec @ f/22; ISO 100; 0 EV; Custom WB

Post-Processing: Basic adjustments in Lightroom (upped exposure and blacks, clarity and vibrance). In Photoshop CS4, I desaturated to black and white and made some minor adjustments.

Objective: Create an infrared image of a dead leaf on the grass where the leaf (in infrared) will POP against the grass background.

Technique: Used an IR-converted camera for the image. Previsualized [...]]]>

Objective: Create an infrared image of a dead leaf on the grass where the leaf (in infrared) will POP against the grass background.

Technique: Used an IR-converted camera for the image. Previsualized what I wanted the image to look like and what would need to be done in post-processing to get there.

Location: Lehigh Parkway, Allentown, Pa.

Time: Yesterday around 12:30pm.

Conditions: Sunny. Ideal IR photography conditions.

Camera: Canon Rebel XT converted for IR by LifePixel.

Lens: Canon 24-70mm f/2.8L; Focal Length 62mm

Settings: 1/15 sec @ f/16; ISO 100; +1/3 EV; Custom WB; FL 62mm (could have made it easier on myself by boosting the ISO and opening up the aperture a bit)

Post-Processing: Basic adjustments in Lightroom (upped exposure and blacks, clarity and vibrance). In Photoshop CS4, I lassoed the leaf using the quick selection tool (which was anything but quick since there wasn’t much contrast to separate the leaf from the grass in IR; it was a painstaking process, at least for me); inverted and then desaturated the grass background; inverted again and used levels to darkened up the slight sepia tint in the leaf to what you see here. Kicked up a bit with Topaz Adjust to add just a bit of POP!

Objective: Experiment with IR images for the purpose of taking them beyond the typical IR landscape image; To utilized some of the more creative techniques that I have been using with color images on IR images.

Location: Bogert’s Bridge, Lehigh Parkway, Allentown, Pa.

Time: Today at High Noon

Conditions: Sunny; Shooting position shaded by a large tree

Camera: Canon [...]]]>

Objective: Experiment with IR images for the purpose of taking them beyond the typical IR landscape image; To utilized some of the more creative techniques that I have been using with color images on IR images.

Location: Bogert’s Bridge, Lehigh Parkway, Allentown, Pa.

Time: Today at High Noon

Conditions: Sunny; Shooting position shaded by a large tree

Camera: Canon Rebel XT converted to Infrared by LifePixel

Lens: Canon 24-70mm f/2.8L; Focal Length 24mm

Settings: 1/50 sec @ f/11; ISO 100; -1/3 EV; Custom WB for IR

Post-Processing: Basic adjustments in Lightroom and Photoshop CS4; Topaz Adjust (Spicify Preset as starting point); Topaz Simplify (BuzSim Preset as starting point)

(1/100 sec @ f/11; ISO 200; +1 2/3 EV; Custom WB)

This image was made this morning after the fog cleared on Lake Galena in Peace Valley Park, Pa. We were there for the birds but I brought my IR-converted camera along should just this type of opportunity present itself. I don’t think the image needs a [...]]]>

(1/100 sec @ f/11; ISO 200; +1 2/3 EV; Custom WB)

This image was made this morning after the fog cleared on Lake Galena in Peace Valley Park, Pa. We were there for the birds but I brought my IR-converted camera along should just this type of opportunity present itself. I don’t think the image needs a lot of explanation but I will say that I like the variety of reflections on the water. The bright lit trees to the right, the shaded area to the left and the interesting clouds in the sky. I also liked the fact that the little snags pull my eye into the image.

Once you take an IR image into post-processing, you have some choices to make. I could have desaturated what little color was left in the image (since the filters used are technically near-infrared, they do let a little red light through) and gone black and white. Or I could do what I did here and do a red/blue channel swap which results in turning what little red light remains in the sky (the source of IR) and reflected off the water into a more natural looking blue. I finished it up by adding some more saturation to the blues and this is what I came up with.

Image made with a Canon Rebel XT converted to IR by LifePixel; Canon 50mm f/1.8 lens; handheld.

(1/8 sec at f/11; ISO 200; +2 EV)

I was looking back over images from our early June vacation to Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park and this image, along with several others from the same day, brought a reminiscent smile to my face. And I might add, a scowl to my wife’s face. It is [...]]]>

(1/8 sec at f/11; ISO 200; +2 EV)

I was looking back over images from our early June vacation to Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park and this image, along with several others from the same day, brought a reminiscent smile to my face. And I might add, a scowl to my wife’s face. It is a day we will long look back on through very differently colored glasses. We spent the early morning (0600-0900) slogging along on a birding walk as part of the Acadia Birding Festival. It was raining when we started and the rain just grew in intensity as the walk progressed. Fortunately, we were clothed in rainwear from head to toe and survived the walk in relatively decent shape. But that was just the warm-up.

We returned to our room, dried off and went out on the porch in jeans, a sweatshirt and rain jacket. It was then that one of us (that would be me) got the absolutely brilliant idea that we should walk the couple of blocks, in the progressively heavier rain, to the coffee house just for the heck of it (and a latte). As we stepped off the porch, the skies just opened up. (By the time the storm ended, we had gotten something like 4 inches of rain in less than two hours.) But I (we) pushed on to the coffee house. By the time we got there we were drenched to the bone. My clothes were soaked, my wallet was soaked, the money in my wallet was soaked, I had water squishing out of my boots. And so did my wife. I thought it was cool! She didn’t!

Anyway, after the rains stopped and we returned to room and changed yet again into dry clothes, we walked down to the harbor and I photographed (with my infrared camera) these lobster boats tied up for the day.

Image made with my IR-converted (by LifePixel) Canon Rebel XT camera and 50mm f/1.8 lens, handheld.

(1/100 sec @ f/13; ISO 200; +1 2/3 EV; Focal Length 28mm)

Some subjects just seem to lend themselves very well to infrared imagery. So far, I have found lighthouses to be one of those subjects. I base this not only on my limited experiences but also on IR lighthouse images that I have seen from [...]]]>

(1/100 sec @ f/13; ISO 200; +1 2/3 EV; Focal Length 28mm)

Some subjects just seem to lend themselves very well to infrared imagery. So far, I have found lighthouses to be one of those subjects. I base this not only on my limited experiences but also on IR lighthouse images that I have seen from other photographers.

This particular image was made on our trip to Sandy Hook (NJ) a little over a week ago. The primary purpose of that trip was birding and bird photography but I decided to take my IR-converted Rebel XT along as well. When we found ourselves in close proximity to the lighthouse, I just knew I had to break out the IR camera and make some images. The hardest part was getting images without people wandering through the scene.

This image was made with my IR-converted Canon Rebel XT and a Canon 24-70mm f/2.8L lens, handheld.

Hope you like it.

(These two images are Copyright Ed Vatza 2009. Usage without my prior written approval is prohibited.)

… through the lens of an infrared camera.

The first image is of the tidal pond just behind Sand Beach taken from a little used trail from the Sand Beach parking lot the long way around to Great Head. I particularly [...]]]>

(These two images are Copyright Ed Vatza 2009. Usage without my prior written approval is prohibited.)

… through the lens of an infrared camera.

The first image is of the tidal pond just behind Sand Beach taken from a little used trail from the Sand Beach parking lot the long way around to Great Head. I particularly like this perspective with the beach and sea in the background.

The second image is of Jordan Pond and the Bubbles taken from the Jordan Pond House end of the pond.

Both images made with my IR-converted Canon Rebel XT and 50mm f/1.8 lens, handheld.

Tomorrow, it’s off to Machias Seal Island for Puffins, Razorbills, and Murres.

(1/200 sec @ f/11; ISO 200; 0 EV)

I know I posted a similar image just a couple of weeks back but I am really fascinated with how these infrared images of evergreens and cones are turning out. The IR-conversion seems to do something almost magical to the cones. And with the bright sky turning so [...]]]>

(1/200 sec @ f/11; ISO 200; 0 EV)

I know I posted a similar image just a couple of weeks back but I am really fascinated with how these infrared images of evergreens and cones are turning out. The IR-conversion seems to do something almost magical to the cones. And with the bright sky turning so dark, I really like the contrast in these images. I am looking forward to making some IR images on our Acadia vacation next week.

This particular image of a spruce (I think) branch is another from our Sunday morning walk in the park. If you just look across the last three images that I have posted here on my blog, you will see the variety of techniques I was experimenting with on that walk – all in preparation for this year’s trip to Acadia (our tenth overall). 

I used my IR-converted Canon Rebel XT and 50mm f/1.8 lens, handheld.