Digital Infrared Photography; Imaging With Invisible Light
By Megan • Sep 19th, 2007 • Category: News for Creatives (archives)Joe Farace reports for Shutterbug:
“Every photographer knows about visible light being used to capture photographic images digitally or with film, but there are other kinds of light that we can’t see. Light with wavelengths from approximately 700 and 900nm (nanometers) is called infrared light. Interestingly, this band of infrared light is a thousand times wider than that of visible light, but is invisible to our eyes.
Shooting infrared has the power to transform mundane subject matter into unforgettable images. Everyday scenes that you might walk by and never think of photographing take on a more dramatic look when seen in infrared. Back in the bad old days of IR film, you needed to use special film stock and load and unload your camera in total darkness to reduce the damage of infrared fogging. To shoot IR film you also needed special—that part hasn’t changed—filters and either process the film yourself or find an ever-dwindling pool of specialty labs to do it for you. When shooting infrared film it’s more click and hope, but digital IR images can be made in camera and you’ll immediately see the results on the LCD screen.”
Megan is a creative producer at Wise Elephant.
Email this author | All posts by Megan
