Some Infrared Photography

 Of all the paths you take in life,

make sure some of them are dirt...

John Muir

I love all sorts of photography. Some people can play instruments, some people can sing. Others can draw or paint.

I enjoy the power of the camera's creativity. I started exploring Infrared years ago when I got a filter and stuck it on my camera.

At that time I had no idea what I was doing. The filter made everything so dark and off color. The 720nm filter I purchased created super long exposures with a black and pinkish tint to everything. I soon learned that the way to go Infrared was to have a camera modified.

I found a place where they sold a used pocket camera that was modified. I figured it wouldn't be overly expensive and I could try it out.

For the first several weeks that I had the camera, I carried it everywhere turning it on just to look at the back screen and enjoy the view of seeing everything in a different light spectrum. I didn't understand how it worked really, but it was fascinating to see green turn to white in the camera. Or greens turn blue and skies turn orange.

The Infrared works best on very sunny days with foliage. These are the times when a regular camera in our visible light spectrum doesn't work as well. Suddenly I found myself taking the pocket IR camera everywhere and trying it out on everything I could find.

I admit, shooting in a different light spectrum can be very challenging. The photos come out with a strange color to them. The photographer can choose to edit the photo or leave the strange colors in. No matter what, the photos become an experiment in magical, mystical, and artistic formats.

My first Canon ELPH shots were of everything and anything around the farm.

The grass looked like snow, the sky had some incredible depth to it. 

I read that IR photography was popular only in the spring and summer. Yet I found that I could have fun with it in the winter.
What was a boring mid afternoon photo turned into something a bit different.

Eventually I took my old Olympus camera and had it converted to 'Full Spectrum'. That meant I could use different filters for Infrared on the lens.

The most amazing thing about infrared and its different light spectrums is that sky details are more intense. The shot above was taken in the winter. The trees and some of the dead plants had a tint to them. The spectrum of light picked up clouds I could not see with the naked eye.

Last year, I sort of left my IR camera at home and didn't pick it up very much. I was really focusing on toy photography and macro photography. Besides, with our drought, everything was so dull and uninteresting.

Then this past week, the weather proved remarkable. 

Another foggy morning with sunbeams shining through the light fog. 

A storm approaching...

This was when we had a severe storm warning, with possible gusty winds and hail coming in with the front.

The last shot was done inside on a rainy day. I took a photo of a red geranium. I lit up the geranium with an Infrared Flashlight and got this beautiful ghostly blue tinted flower portrait.

Infrared Photography to me is an outlet for creative art. 
Watch out...I'm finding my groove again in IR.

Hike at Weister Creek

 

I'll be parking at Pott's Corners, I told hubby as I was getting ready to go on my B-day hike with Charlie. I'd wondered about taking him on the sort of new-ish grass trail I'd planned on doing.

Only local folk really know what 'Pott's Corners' is. I never did find out the story behind it, but I assume that it is where a farm used to be and generally I would think the families last name would have been Potts.

Potts Corners 

with a new sign!

The local names for places like Mule Camp, Horse Camp, Ma & Pa's Camp, Pott's Corners Camp, have changed slightly over the years. Some places retained their original names but now are labeled on a map with letters. The letters aren't as charming as the fun names were.

There used to be an old trail along Weister Creek and the Reserve changed it to only foot traffic. It runs along a beautiful trout stream. I had never explored this trail and thought it would be a nice one to try.

It was relatively cool and breezy so walking in the grass and alongside water might be pleasant.

I took my infrared camera because all of the amazing things that are combined for good IR were absolutely perfect. Clouds, green grass, leafed out trees, and water.

I nearly turned back right away. They had just mowed and poor Charlie was struggling to walk through the thick chaff left by the mower. Pretty quickly he started to gag and cough. I scooped him up and decided to go ahead and carry him. 
What is an extra 14 pounds anyway?

The scenery did not disappoint at all. In fact in its natural colors of green and blue, it was amazing also.
I could see a woman walking with her dog on the other side of the creek and knew our paths would eventually cross if she didn't turn around.

Charlie and I stopped on a bridge and found a shady spot to have some water and share an apple. My arms needed a break and sitting in the grass seemed to be just the thing to do.

The woman and her dog came around the bend. She said her dog was friendly, could our dogs meet? I asked her for sure was... her dog friendly? Charlies last dog encounter was a bitey dog.

She assured me so and introduced us to her dog Kona Tree.

He was friendly. He actually paid no attention at all to Charlie other than to check out his parts and then walk over and pee on a weed to show Charlie how a bigger dog marked his territory.

We chatted a bit and then she told me she was just going up to the bridge and then taking this road...she pointed back to where she parked. 

I pointed to the road she was talking about and said it was a dead end and no road would take her back to her car. I explained that the roads in our area were not usually what they seemed to be.

I pulled out my map and showed her the layout. 

Her husband had taken the day off work and come out to Weister Creek to go trout fishing and she thought it would be fun to take a nice long walk with Kona.

Kona Tree

We eventually found her hubby who was enjoying his fishing. Tayanna [her name] introduced Charlie and I. The hubby then went on to tell her how the roads ran and when he pronounced Weister Creek properly I laughed out loud.

I said the locals pronounce the creek as "Wooster" Creek even though it isn't spelled that way." 

We laughed over local name pronunciation and spelling. Looking back, I hope I didn't offend anyone.

Apparently not. Tayanna and I walked to her car with our dogs and she offered Charlie and I a ride back to Pott's Corners. I didn't want to cause more confusion as technically Pott's Corners didn't exist and I couldn't recall the name of the road I did park on.

Besides with the rest of the trail ran along Wolfe Hollow Road Charlie's nose wouldn't be in the chaff and he'd be fine.

We exchanged numbers for texting as she asked if she came out again, could we hike a trail together. I said of course.

What a nice unexpected birthday surprise. 

Chalk it up to serendipity.

Two guys fishing under the bridge over

Wooster [Weister Creek].

Infrared Day

The Meadow - not in infrared. 

This is the area I'd like to be able to clip in some fashion. 

I just don't see that happening for me. At one time hubby would clip it with his tractor and brush hog.

In other places where I'd knocked down the burdock and sourdock, the motherwort is flourishing. 

I just can't win!

This scene is peaceful and calming.

It was too hot to do a lot of things outside. I usually clip the herds' manes by this time of the year, but I'm going to wait for my 'farm' help to do that this coming week. Charlie was nagging me for a walk so I headed up the driveway with just the Infrared camera.

Driveway: 665nm Filter

While hot days with a midday sun are horrible for most photography, those are the prime conditions for Infrared. Different filters with different wavelengths of light give different looks. 

Charlie was very unimpressed with the heat and hot sun. I thought I'd cool him off by heading into the forest...

Charlie in Infrared. Zombie Dog!

Infrared does some weird stuff to the eyes of people and dogs! They look really odd.

I gave Charlie a ride back to the ridge and started home.

This was neat in IR but I sure liked it in Sepia black and white better.

Neighobor's Vintage Tractor. 

He has put it up for sale.

I dropped the Hot Dog off at the house with hubby. They proceeded to watch really old strange Westerns on TV. I am not into blurry crappy movies at all. 

I grabbed a 720nm filter from my pile of ancient filters I had. I wanted to experiment and enjoy the summer day some more.

The herd under one of the boxelders they love to use for shade. I took this shot in Infrared with a 720nm filter which turns anything with chlorophyll in it basically white. 

Infrared is fun to experiment with. Thank goodnes
the mules didn't appear to be Zombies!

The 720nm filter will produce white leaves and blue sky
if you have a converted camera and use the green grass to set
your white balance.

Weird, right?

I got mesmerized by the backwards light of things. The dark greens I saw with my normal vision were bright white while the trunks and branches of the trees were dark and moody.

I got caught up in gazing up at the branches into the light. I shot a lot of photos more for the dark patterns of the branches than for anything else. 

Most of them didn't turn out as I 'saw' them in my mind, but it was fun to see the intricate patterns of the leaves and the branches.

Infrared offers so many possibilities in a creative way.

Locust tree budding out next
to our house. Those are leaves
not flowers.
The flowers will come in a few
days.

Yes, I do experiment a lot. It is the one thing I am passionate about. Monday was just a great day for it.

Color my world.

Oh not the song!

I recieved my 550nm filter on Monday and have trying it out in all sorts of lighting circumstances with the full spectrum conversion on my Olympus camera.

Infrared Photography let's me explore a different light spectrum than what the human eye can see.
Our eyes see green from the reflection of light. All of our colors are seen that way.
Okay, that is not a scientific explanation, but it is the best I can do in layman's terms.

Different spectrums allow the camera to see light reflected differently. The above shots appeal to the kid in me who still believes that a person should be able to color their art in any way they want to.
How fun is it that the leaves and grass turn out red?

Another question.
How will these look in the fall? As the chlorophyll is no longer produced in the trees, the absorption/refection of light will change too.

We see leaves as green because of the absorption by chlorophyll of the red and blue light wavelengths.

Okay. Enough of that.
If you want to read more about Infrared Light and Photography here is the Link:
Introduction to Infrared Photography.

All I know, is that I am having a blast.

Here is a shot with a 665nm filter.

665nm Filter unedited version

The light was poor and I took my white balance off from the dirt at my feet. A storm was coming in quickly so I had to work fast. I call this tree my Lolipop tree...well for obvious reasons. I thought it would be interesting to take the same shot with different filters.
Same shot now edited with what is called a Channel Swap of Red and Blue:

Last night I pulled out my Hoya R72 filter and put it on a different lens. White balance changed according to the grass at my feet.

I did a quick channel swap with this filter and got the shot above. I was really excited as to how the sky appeared behind the tree. To my normal eye it was blue but the clouds were not distinct like they are in IR.

I could have probably pulled some more yellow into the foliage of the trees, but I really like the way it turned out.

Then another shot with the 720nm filter on the Canon ELPH pocket camera that was converted. Same tree, morning light and fog.

The shot above is still one of my all time favorites. So otherworldly and dream like.

The twisted tree, yesterday with the Hoya R72. Again, the pale blue just appeals to me.

Then a few more experiments in the 550nm filter from my hike in the woods with Charlie and Sven. I found that in shady areas the shots would work for black and white conversion, but not very well for wild colors.

I did however have some luck with the elements, of sky, leaves, water, and grass.

For me, the wild colors are exciting and fun.

Oh I still do regular photography. I still love it.
But I have so much fun exploring the non visible spectrum.

This morning in fact I found out that little tiny Charlie could follow me on my bike.
I have to wait for him, but he sure was up for the pre dawn bike ride this morning! 
So many smells!

And for the parting shots.

IR 850nm. Used for stark black and white photography.

I took these on Monday night as the storm blew in.

Last word.
Many of my shots this week didn't turn out. I was simply experimenting with angles.
Can I shoot towards the sun? Not well.
Can I shoot at 90 degrees? Not so bad.
Shady? Good for black and white contrast.
Water reflections? Neat, but not always.
Overcast? Less color.
White Balance? Adjust often and know which color to balance off from. 665nm, 550nm balance off from grey, but you can use concrete or sometimes in my case..light colored dirt.
The higher ones? White Balance off from foliage.

What will happen in the winter? Ahhh, at least there are pine trees for the green!