What Infared Looks Like - Before and After

After talking to several people about my technique of shooting infrared I think it's time to do a little more explaining. I shoot the infrared in color, using a very dark red filter. One of the reasons for doing it this way is to be able to get a color version of the same shot with a minimum of jostling of the camera. Both shots are taken using Aperture Priority mode. The filter is attached using only about a half turn of the threads. That way the filter is on tight enough to hold, but loose enough to be easily removed. Using this method (Aperture Priority and loose fit) allows the infrared and color shots to be fired within seconds of each other. Typically the infrared is shot first and then the color version. Since the color shot can be measured in fractions of a second, compared to twenty or more seconds for the infrared, the match of passing clouds in minimized. You will end up with a red infrared image, but conversion to black and white, using your favorite conversion method is no problem. The smaller image shown today is the "original" and the B&W image is the converted image. Once you're there, the image can be printed (shown) as a straight print or combined with the color version to produce a "color infrared" image. That's it for today. Ignore the "read more" prompt.