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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Infrared Flooded Meadow in Color (590nm) - High Sierras in winter | |
Hi Bill,
You got me started on reviewing some of my IR work. Thank you for that.
First, you asked me some questions about your IR interests.
Your camera is a Canon SL1 in APS-C format with an 18mp sensor that shoots RAW. I don’t think you need another camera to improve your IR photography. You can process your images either as color IR or monochrome IR so you have a lot of flexibility.
Look at two of my Mono IR pictures below—both of which have won awards and were printed to 12x16 size (mounted in 16x20 mattes). The Tuscan hill country shot was made with a Sony Cybershot f707 point & shoot with a 5mp sensor mounting a 720nm IR filter and a ND filter on the lens running at f/2.2 and ISO 100 AND limited to JPG capture. The Vatican hill shot was captured with a Canon PowerShot G9 point & shoot converted to B&W IR 720nm with a 12mp sensor using RAW at f/8, ISO 200.
And don’t worry about a little noise in your IR images. It is usually pretty easy to clean up with software (Lightroom, DxO Optics Pro and other software noise tools). And, for my taste, a little “grain” in an IR image – especially when presented in monochrome – often looks good to my eye. Your mileage may vary here…..
Second, you asked about the market for high-quality IR images. I don’t try to sell my photos so I’m not able to be of much help. Perhaps other FMers who may comment on this thread in the future can offer you good advice. But my sense of photo sales that I run across is that monochrome IR sells better than color IR. I think people react to the unexpected tonalities of color IR with some discomfort, as they do with HDR images that are over-juiced (all just my opinions—obviously).
Also, you asked me if I have pictures online. I have a photo website (www.philipkronenberg.com) with a substantial collection of galleries of my images (especially in the “Favorites” links) but few of those pictures are IR. But you have gotten me focused on IR and I think over the next several weeks I’ll process a number of my IR images and post them in a special gallery on my website. I’ll let you know when I do that. Thanks for asking.
Let me mention that my latest IR-capable camera is an Olympus E-PL5 converted to 590nm (what LifePixel calls “SuperColor”). I sold the Panny GH1 that was my most-previous IR camera because it was too big. When I’m out shooting I like to carry both my primary digital camera as well as the IR-capable camera. That way I can be flexible and opportunistic in the kinds of images I try to capture (obviously, not every scene is attractive in IR). Thus I have this very small and lightweight 16mp E-PL5 hanging around my neck (mounting either a very small and lovely Lumix 14/2.5 lens (efl 28mm) and always easily accessible plus my primary camera on a shoulder strap. Here below are several pictures taken last fall in Scotland and England using the IR-E-PL5. My wife and I stayed several nights in the Cuzean Castle while we were in Scotland—an extraordinary place
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Finally—let me draw your attention to several IR-related threads available in FM Forums that you may want to look at and contribute to. They are both in the LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY FORUM. One is called “Infrared Photo Thread” and it was started in June 2014—it has been dormant for awhile and I just discovered it and made a contribution. The other is a new thread that I just started called “Film Color Infrared Threat”. I hope it draws in some of the folks who have done film-based IR over the years.
Before I close this very long post, let me mention that I think the best tool for converting your color IR images is Photoshop, using a swap of color channels and level adjustments. You may already know about this but, if not, I’m sending you a copy of the procedure I use for channel swapping in a separate PM.
Do post some more of your IR images. I look forward to seeing them. And you may want to put some of them in other FM Forums. Best regards - Phil
http://www.philipkronenberg.com
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