Infrared Landscape

[John Perriment]

Here's one of my first attempts at digital infrared photography:-

Although an experienced film user, I've still got a lot to learn about digital. Any comments or suggestions for improvement will be appreciated. Be as brutal as you want!

Thanks,

John

[guymclaren]

Re: Infrared Landscape

personally I like it, I would love to see it in colour though.

[John Perriment]

Re: Infrared Landscape

personally I like it, I would love to see it in colour though.

Hi Guy,

Your wish is my command! I still prefer the mono image, but I may be wrong.

Thanks for your feedback,

John

[coupekid]

Re: Infrared Landscape

Hi Guy,

Your wish is my command! I still prefer the mono image, but I may be wrong.



Thanks for your feedback,

John

Hi John,

I am going to be blunt here, I think the IR effect spoils a very nice image, the colour version is beautiful and tranquil, and in my opinion the IR just spoils it, there is far too much white in it. I gues (coming from someone who know nothing about IR images) you could darken up some of the hill?

Stick with the colour, its gorgeous!

[Patrick]

Re: Infrared Landscape

Here's one of my first attempts at digital infrared photography:-

Although an experienced film user, I've still got a lot to learn about digital. Any comments or suggestions for improvement will be appreciated. Be as brutal as you want!

Thanks,

John

Have you any experience of IR film, in any event apply your film experience to this picture.
First ask yourself what is the characteristics of IR:
1. Film would use a red filter, therefore very dark skies if not black
2. White greenery except for evergreens.
These are the obvious characteristics.

How Does your image stand up, well the sky is your average B/W not very dark. Foliage and grasses are white but as Ben says too white, but its only because of a lack of contrast.
Here is a increased contrast and darkened sky, I have also added a little noise to represent film grain which IR often displays.
More time I could add that elusive glow IR film has.

Patrick

[John Perriment]

Re: Infrared Landscape

Hi Ben and Patrick,

Thanks for the honest feedback, it's really useful and has helped me see what is fundamentally wrong with my attempt. Patrick, I'm really grateful you took the time to give me a practical demo!

I'll certainly have another go at the IR effect, but I won't give up my colour work just yet!

Regards,

John

[guymclaren]

Re: Infrared Landscape

John
I agree with Coupe, The colour is lovely, The IR shot just seems like a very bland mono shot to me.

[Patrick]

Re: Infrared Landscape

Hi Ben and Patrick,

Thanks for the honest feedback, it's really useful and has helped me see what is fundamentally wrong with my attempt. Patrick, I'm really grateful you took the time to give me a practical demo!

I'll certainly have another go at the IR effect, but I won't give up my colour work just yet!

Regards,

John

Hi John

IR is something to apply to selective images, you perhaps didn't use at least for your first attempt the best image for this experiment.
The IR effect likes lots of foliage and grasses, it particularly works well on young foliage in spring time, although I have seen some beautifully produced portraits. Select your image carefully to work this effect.
Don't forget traditional B/W some pictures convert beautifully, although in my opinion just converting isn't enough, work is necessary to get mood & drama into the images. This is were darkroom and film experience helps the photographer going digital, this usually gives them an edge.
What makes an exceptional image using film also makes an exceptional image using digital capture.
Digital is simply the method of capture essentially everything is the same, replace a sensor for film, replace your processing program for chemicals and your editing program for your darkroom.
The approach to making fine pictures is just the same and all the values remain constant.

Patrick

[Ian]

Re: Infrared Landscape

I must admit I assumed that John had used an IR filter but I now get the impression that an IR simulation effect was used?

Patrick has hit the nail on the head - foliage, especially deciduous trees and tall grasses, plus big deep blue skies with wispy clouds really do it for IR.

Ian

[John Perriment]

Re: Infrared Landscape

I must admit I assumed that John had used an IR filter but I now get the impression that an IR simulation effect was used?

Patrick has hit the nail on the head - foliage, especially deciduous trees and tall grasses, plus big deep blue skies with wispy clouds really do it for IR.

Ian

Hi Ian,

Yes, I did use an IR72 filter, in RAW, converting to B&W in Elements but I take Patrick's point that this was not the ideal scene for this technique.
However, I will definitely continue to try this technique, hopefully with more success following the advice I've been given and from viewing some of the excellent examples in the IR Gallery.

I also took the shot without the filter (with a polariser instead) so that I had a colour version as well. One critisism I have of the colour image is the uneven spread of saturation of the sky, always a danger when using a polariser with a wide angle lens.

Thanks again,

John