Unlike normal photography, infrared photography usually does not contain much colour. Ideally the photographer should do a custom white balance of the scene when using an IR-modified digital camera because automatic white balance often results in images that have a reddish or purplish colour cast. It is usually considered correct to do a custom white balance by measuring white balance on green grass/leaves on a sunny day. This white balance measurement renders the IR image looking similar to black and white (B&W) images.
If custom white balance was measured on something else, say blue sky or red brick, the resulting IR image may contain some rather strange colours. This colour is called “false colours”, and some photographers like it. Predicting the occurrence of false colours is difficult because it varies between digital camera models. Based on research and experience, it seems that some cameras do not produce false colours. The appearance of false colours also depends on how the custom white balance was done.
In June 2010, I shot some infrared images using an unmodified Canon PowerShot A650IS with a Hoya R72 filter held in front of the lens, and was surprised to observe that it does not produce the hot spot flare in its images. Its smaller brothers, the A630 and A640, also do not produce the hot spot flare when shooting IR images.
In July 2010, I shot more infrared images using my specially-modified Canon PowerShot SX120IS with a 680nm infrared filter. Shot at Mount Buller and at Echuca, it was at Echuca that I discovered the custom white balance I did using a 950nm infrared filter tended to produce a sepia-tone appearance in images shot with a 680nm filter.
Some of the images shown were not post-processed, but some have been enhanced to improve visual appearance.
Digital cameras can be modified to full-spectrum and have different infrared filters used in the front of the lens for greater freedom in IR photography.
In July 2010, using a full-spectrum Canon Powershot SX120IS specially-modified for myself, I took this series of images to illustrate the effect of full-spectrum images and the effects of images with different IR filters. Each IR image was shot with its own custom white balance to match the IR filter in use.
Full-spectrum image with a full-spectrum modified digital camera.
Full-spectrum image with a full-spectrum modified digital camera.
Infrared image with a full-spectrum modified digital camera.
Infrared image with a full-spectrum modified digital camera.
Infrared image with a full-spectrum modified digital camera.
This experiment again demonstrated that as the transmission wavelength was increased (deeper into the IR spectrum) the exposure time is also increased. It was shows that images in the higher IR spectrum tend to look soft, hazy and have less colour and less contrast.
The annual photo expo by PMA (Photo Marketing Association of Australia) in 2010 was held in the Melbourne Exhibition and Convention Center. Issued with industry passes bearing our names, Averal and I attended this event together on 5 June 2010.
She tries out the Nikon D300s with a massive expensive 500mm super telephoto lens.
The opposite of me, she prefers Nikon to Canon, and was keen to try out the professional Nikon equipment on display.
Still reeling on a high by our recent Good Friday Easter Sunday long weekend road trip, Averal and I decided on another road trip during the ANZAC Day long weekend; this time to Grampians National Park. This popular park is about 3 times the size of our island homeland of Singapore.
Adding a few days of annual leave to extend the ANZAC Day long weekend, Averal and I did a 5-day-4-night road trip to, and around, Grampians National Park in a Toyota campervan from a popular company called Britz. This was my very first time driving a campervan, and of course, leading to my very first experience with caravan parks in Australia.
The neatly modified Toyota HiAce had a battery-powered fridge, mains-powered microwave, gas stove, wash basin with water from a built-in refillable tank, several drawers of crockery and cutlery, a clothes closet with hangers, a bed to fit 2 adults, an upper-deck bed to fit 1 adult, a indoor dining table, and an outdoor dining table. Almost everything required to live inside the van was provided. How cool is that?
After filling the campervan with our clothes and toiletries, we departed Melbourne for Grampians National Park. Along the way, just outside the regional city of Ballarat, we stopped to visit Castle Kryal. Then we continued our journey stopping at Ararat for some groceries. Our first night was at Grampians Paradise Caravan Park in a village called Pomonal in the Grampians region.
On route to Grampians National Park in our Britz campervan.
Arriving Pomonal village in Grampians National Park in our Britz campervan.
At Grampians Paradise caravan park.
At Reed Lookout in Grampians National Park.
At MacKenzie Falls in Grampians National Park.
At Lake Wartook in Grampians National Park.
At Lake Bellfield in Grampians National Park.
On the way to another Aboriginal rock art site in Grampians National Park.
Like motels and hotels, check-out time at caravan parks were typically 10am or 11am, and as expected, late check-out surcharge applies. After having breakfast cooked by her inside the campervan, by about 10am every morning, we would have washed up and locked away all crockery, cutlery and stuff in the cabin, and left the caravan park for the drive to our next intended destination.
By night, we are checked into a caravan park having self-cooked dinner.
At Wonderland carpark in Grampians National Park.
During the day, we drove many kilometers to visit and enjoy several sites around the huge national park. By nightfall, we would arrive at a pre-booked powered site in a caravan park where she would cook food from our on-board fridge for our dinner.
At Grand Canyon in Grampians National Park.
Sunset on Mount William in Grampians National Park.
My first ever use of a modified full-spectrum digital camera, a Nikon D70, occurred on this road trip.
This 5-day long campervan road trip traveled us 980km.
More images of our road trip are in our Facebook profiles.
Infrared photography appears to be gaining exposure and popularity in Australia.
In June 2010, I received the discontinued Canon PowerShot G5 for infrared modification at work. I dismantled the camera, removed the imager and the bandpass filter (glass with blue tint) then replaced the latter with a clean infrared filter. Like with all such modifications, all surfaces had to be painstakingly cleaned of dust.
Infrared modification of Canon PowerShot camera.
I also re-modified my Canon PowerShot SX120IS by removing the infrared filter I had previously fitted inside it. Now without the infrared filter, the camera has become a full-spectrum camera. I carefully glued a 43mm-58mm step-up ring on the front of the lens so that 58mm-diameter infrared filters can be easily used on the camera.
Modified full-spectrum Canon PowerShot camera with adapter ring to fit various filters.
I now have 3 infrared filters at different transmission frequencies, one at 680nm, one at 720nm, and one at 950nm.
Full-spectrum modified digital cameras can be used to do infrared photography. To do IR photography with a full-spectrum digital camera, an IR filter is attached to the front of the lens.
Probably for convenience, most photographers choose to modify their digital cameras specifically for infrared by having an infrared filter fitted inside the camera. However, modifying for full-spectrum allows the photographer to choose the infrared, or even ultraviolet, transmission desired for the purpose, probably for a scientific application.
With a Hoya R72 (720nm transmission) filter and an unbranded 950nm transmission filter, I tried them using a full-spectrum modified Nikon D70 belonging to my company Camera Clinic. This was my first use of a full-spectrum digital camera. Shot at Grampians National Park in Victoria state of Australia, the images below show the expected reddish cast of a full-spectrum digital camera due to sensitivity to red and infrared.
Forming 2 sets of 6 images each, they were shot in a consistent sequence as follows:
[1] Auto white balance without IR filter
[2] Custom white balance without IR filter
[3] Auto white balance with 720nm IR filter (Hoya R72)
[4] Custom white balance with 720nm IR filter (Hoya R72)
[5] Auto white balance with 950nm IR filter
[6] Custom white balance with 950nm IR filter
Photography with a full-spectrum modified digital camera.
Photography with a full-spectrum modified digital camera.
Photography with a full-spectrum modified digital camera.
Photography with a full-spectrum modified digital camera.
Photography with a full-spectrum modified digital camera.
Photography with a full-spectrum modified digital camera.
Photography with a full-spectrum modified digital camera.
Photography with a full-spectrum modified digital camera.
Photography with a full-spectrum modified digital camera.
Photography with a full-spectrum modified digital camera.
Photography with a full-spectrum modified digital camera.
Photography with a full-spectrum modified digital camera.
This experiment also demonstrated that as the transmission wavelength was increased (deeper into the IR spectrum) the exposure time is also increased.
HDR is the abbreviation for high dynamic range. Sometimes known as HDRI (high dynamic range imaging), it refers to techniques that expand the range of illuminance of a standard digital camera image to more accurately represent the wide range of intensity levels in real life scenes.
Many digital cameras, even today, are incapable of capturing both the brightest and darkest areas in real life scenes accurately. Technically speaking, film has a wider dynamic range and is better at reproducing images of a scene more accurately as seen by the human eye. For this advantageous reason, many Hollywood movies are still shot on film even today.
HDR images are most commonly produced by photographing a scene with a series of images at different exposure levels; some images overexposed, some images underexposed, and an image correctly exposed. Then, using specialty HDR software, or imaging software capable of producing HDR imagery, the series of images are aligned and blended to produce a HDR image not possible to capture in a single exposure.
Since about 2 years ago, I considered doing HDR photography but never began doing it. Finally in June 2010, after acquiring a popular HDR software called PhotoMatix Pro, I began experimenting with HDR photography.
The above gallery of images contains my very first HDR images using a recently acquired second-hand Fujifilm FinePix S9500. I found and bought this old digital camera based on a false tip-off on the internet that this camera could perform infrared (IR) photography without the hot spot (flare) phenomena, and also because Fujifilm FinePix cameras can produce beautiful colours with their proprietary Fujichrome mode. Photographers who use the professional Fujifilm FinePix S2 Pro, S3 Pro and S5 Pro, or other Fujifilm FinePix cameras, would know this well.
Very few digital cameras are manufactured to be compatible for infrared (IR) photography, and the biggest blame for this incompatibility probably goes to lenses. Many lenses are not able to capture IR images without causing the annoying hot spot in the center of IR images. Usually appearing as a whitish or reddish circular patch, hot spots are always more prominent when using smaller apertures, and less visible or even absent when using bigger apertures.
Generally, the occurrence of hot spots can be greatly reduced, if not totally eliminated, by modifying the digital camera for IR photography.
In April 2010, I repaired a dead Canon PowerShot A640 camera to test its capability for infrared photography. Together with this revived unmodified Canon camera, I also tested an unmodified Canon PowerShot SX120IS and an unmodified Fujifilm FinePix S6500fd with the ever popular Hoya R72 filter.
In the above gallery of images, it is observed that the Fujifilm FinePix S6500fd produces hot spots.
In March 2010, I bought a Canon PowerShot SX120IS camera specifically for spectral modification. With compliments from my boss at Camera Clinic who provided me with a Wratten 89b equivalent polyester filter, I dismantled the camera, cleaned dust off the filter as best as possible, fitted the filter, and set down the imager sensor to a height for correct focus. The camera is now able to see infrared from about 730nm and higher.
I used this infrared modified camera during my Good Friday Easter Sunday super long weekend road trip to Port Campbell National Park, Warrnambool and Port Fairy.
Like wearing a condom, wearing a filter in front of your lens has very good reasons. If disregarded, the consequences can be costly. Therefore, wear protection or pay dearly!
Wear protection or pay dearly! Front elements of 3 Canon lenses with scratches and torn coating.
Unlike the internal elements of a photographic lens used on cameras, the front element is most vulnerable to smears, spills, splashes, and knocks. A damaged front element can be expensive to replace.
The front elements of the Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8 L USM and EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L USM zoom lenses are roughly AU$450 each excluding labour charge.
If any optical adjustment is required to set the lens to its optimal resolution and correct infinity focus, labour charge can be substantial.