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Digital Infrared Photography – A Cut Above The Rest

Do you know what infrared is all about? Infrared is a spectrum of light further than that which you normally see. If you wish to take “infrared” pictures all you need to do is filter out the visible light and allow the infrared spectrum all the way through to the lens. The best you can do is use a Wratten filter, which you can avail from any professional camera shop. These Wratten filters are very dense filters, nearly opaque in appearance.

Digital infrared photography has revolutionized the art of photography in the recent past. The film or CCD sensor is sensitized to infrared light in infrared photography. In this type of photography the wavelengths vary from 700 nm to about 900 nm. An “infrared filter” ensures that the infrared (IR) light pass through to the camera but obstructs the entire observable light spectrum.

The moment these filters are clubbed with the infrared-sensitive film or sensors, the in-camera effects can be achieved. Like for instance the false-color or black and white images with an illusory or sometimes garish appearance. This happens mainly because of the foliage strongly reflecting in the similar way light is reflected from snow. What else the infrared photographs does is that it produces very dark skies and dispersion of atmospheric mist, brought about by reduced Rayleigh scattering and Mie scattering in the environment in contrast to visible light.

The things you should consider in digital infrared photography are as follows: – Focus, once the filter is put on. – Now, all that is needed is to lay the infrared filter in front of the lens. – You need to enable the manual exposure mode to get the proper exposure. – Remember to rest the camera to a higher ISO rating than standard. – Finally, when you are through with your infrared shot and you want certain manipulations, you can do it with the help of any image editing Software. Whether you want to remove the color, balance the image levels, sharpen the edges or even make it look grainy or add edge glow, all can be done via such software.

Setting your camera to B&W mode is a safer option as infrared filters get rid of most of the usable color information. Make sure that the incandescent lamps don’t put out much infrared. You may come across another problem, as you’ll find out that when you filter all the visible light, exposure times will be quite extensive.

You can convert an appropriate digital camera for digital infrared photography. But factually speaking, it makes more sense to leave any camera conversions to experts to be in safe hands.

Digital infrared photography, no doubt adds a new dimension in the world of photography.

About the Author

Connie Fillmore is a successful writer and publisher of photography related issues, for more informative articles go to www.digitalphotographyguy.com –

Digital Photography is a highly complex activity, with a steep learning curve and many advanced techniques that take years to master! However, we all have to start somewhere. So, here’s a list of 5 Great Tips that will ultimately help you improve your digital photography, and set you off on the right foot.

1. Use a Tripod or Bean-Bag.

Yes, these can be such a pain to carry around, but they’re definitely worth the time. Using a Tripod or alternative such as a bean-bag will add stability to your camera, meaning you have greater control over exposure times and composition. You’ll also never see that annoying camera shake ruin a picture again whilst using a tripod!

2. Get a High Capacity Memory Card.

Have you ever had one of those photography days which is going perfect? The light was great, your subjects look fantastic, the weather is holding off, your capturing the shots you only dreamed of…Then it happens.. Your Memory Card is full and you don’t have a spare! You could manually sort through and delete, but it’d take hours. It’s a much better idea to spend a bit more and invest in a high capacity memory card. They’re now available up to 8GB!!

3. Use a UV Filter.

Using a UV filter on your camera lens is a great idea. They’re small circular pieces of glass that screw over the end of your lens, and offer great protection from scratches, dust, finger prints and also filter out UV rays, improving the color of your images. Best of all they’re dirt cheap!!

4. Add Warmth To Your Tones.

The White-Balance settings on your digital SLR control the tonal effects of your images, so try experimenting with them. Don’t think that just because a setting is called ‘cloudy’ that you can only use it when it is cloudy! In fact, using the ‘cloudy’ setting when taking pictures adds warmth. Perfect for a sunset or evening landscape shot.

5. Shoot, Shoot, Shoot!

This will obviously depend on your memory card size as discussed in point 2, but is still very important in trying to get those great shots. Simply put, do not rely on a single shot to capture a great image. Imagine taking time finding a fantastic composition, only to find later that the shot you took has a lens flare or dark shadow in it! Its very frustrating indeed! Take several shots for each composition, try slightly changing the angle each time. This way you can compare and choose the best one later. Remember you can always delete the images you don’t want, that’s the beauty of Digital Photography!

About the Author

For free Digital photography Tips, Tricks and Tutorials visit www.Your-Digital-Photography.com

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