Into the Invisible: Infrared Photography Without the Mystery
Infrared photography captures light that your eyes cannot see. With the right camera setup, that invisible light turns ordinary scenes into images that look unfamiliar and often surprising.
Infrared photography stands out because it shows familiar places in a new way. The same landscapes you see every day can look dramatically different once they are recorded using infrared light.
How Infrared Photography Works
Infrared photography captures light that falls within a limited spectrum that is located just beyond the limits of visible light (the visible spectrum). While humans can only see a relatively small segment of the electromagnetic spectrum, cameras equipped with specific setups can see a slightly wider segment of the electromagnetic spectrum and therefore capture more than what the human eye can see.
Most infrared photography takes place in the near‑infrared range. Light in this range interacts with plants, water, skin, and the atmosphere in ways that differ from visible light. In practice, this means plants, skies, and surfaces respond differently once you press the shutter, even though the scene itself has not changed.
Why Plants Appear White in Infrared Images
Another common observation made by individuals who have viewed infrared photographs is the appearance of foliage as brightly colored or appearing white or very pale. Healthy plant matter reflects a significant percentage of near-infrared light. The human eye is unable to perceive this phenomenon; however, a camera detects the reflected near-infrared light, and thus plants appear as the brightest objects in the image. Since skies and other surfaces tend to absorb near-infrared light, they appear darker in comparison to plants, resulting in a reversal of the typical contrast ratios found in natural lighting conditions.
Ways to Take Infrared Photographs
There are two primary methods to achieve infrared photography using a digital camera. Each method has associated advantages and disadvantages.
Utilizing an Infrared Lens Filter
An infrared lens filter attaches directly to your lens, blocking virtually all visible light while allowing infrared light to pass. An advantage of using an infrared lens filter is that it allows for simple modification to your existing camera equipment. However, the primary disadvantage of using an infrared lens filter is that the available light to illuminate your subject is significantly reduced.
Consequently, longer shutter speeds will be required to expose the image properly. As such, a tripod will be your best friend when taking photographs with an infrared lens filter. Additionally, composing images with an infrared lens filter will likely be more challenging than usual, as the filter will obscure your view of the subject as you attempt to write the shot.
Converting Your Digital Camera
Alternatively, a camera can be modified to remove the internal infrared-blocking filter and replace it with an infrared-transmissive filter. Once this process is completed, the camera will behave similarly to a standard camera in terms of handheld shooting and ease of composition. The primary advantage of modifying your camera is that it provides you with a dedicated infrared camera that can be used exclusively for capturing infrared images. Conversely, this approach has a primary disadvantage in that once the camera is modified, it can no longer be used to capture traditional photographs.
Infrared Filter Options
Infrared filters are available with varying cutoff wavelengths for infrared light. Each wavelength produces a distinctly different look.
Filters with lower cutoff wavelengths allow for a mixture of visible colors with infrared light, creating a softer and more subtle effect. Filters with higher cutoff wavelengths allow almost no visible light to pass, creating a theatrical and high-contrast effect that typically translates well to black-and-white images.
Ultimately, there is no single "best" choice; instead, the decision of which filter to use is based on how much realism you desire to retain and how much you wish to exaggerate the surrealism of the infrared photograph.
Practical Shooting Tips
While infrared photography is a rewarding medium, it is a patient art form that requires extensive experimentation and patience. Some practices can help minimize the trial-and-error process:
Shoot in RAW format whenever possible. Many infrared photographs appear flat or unnatural upon initial review, and processing RAW formats provides additional flexibility to adjust white-balance and contrast.
Pay close attention to focus. There is a slight difference in focal points between infrared and visible light. Most current lenses handle these differences adequately, although some require minor adjustments.
Be mindful of the available light. Mid-day sunlight, which is often avoided by photographers working in the visible spectrum, can be excellent for infrared photography. High-intensity sunlight creates high-intensity infrared reflections.
Black and White vs Color Infrared
Not every infrared photograph needs to be rendered in black and white, though many photographers ultimately end up doing so. Black and white infrared photography emphasizes textures, shapes, and contrast, while removing distracting false color that would otherwise interfere with the viewer's perception of the light itself.
Color infrared photographs create an entirely different visual experience. Sky, skin tone, and foliage can develop unanticipated hues. Although color infrared photographs are more unpredictable, this unpredictability is part of their allure.
Why Infrared Still Has an Unusual Feel
Infrared photography is not about gimmickry. Instead, it represents a way of viewing familiar areas – a park, trees, a sky – in a manner that was previously unknown. Once you've experienced a place in this manner, it is easy to begin wondering what else might be hidden in plain sight.