Infrared Photography

At our August meeting, Paul Griffin shared a presentation on infrared photography with the FotoKlub. This post is based on his talk, with his sample images and a list of resources for anyone who wants to dig deeper.

Standard film and digital cameras record the visible light spectrum. Infrared photography records a narrow band just beyond it, known as near infrared (NIR) light, roughly 700 to 1,200 nanometers. Foliage turns bright white, skies go dark, and familiar scenes take on an otherworldly look.

Infrared photography dates back to 1910. Infrared film was developed further during the world wars as an aerial surveillance tool, and after the war it was marketed as a specialty film for creative use. Kodak produced an infrared aerial film in the 1940s and in the 1960s released Ektachrome Infrared, which became the film of choice for false color infrared images.

Infrared Camera Conversation

Most digital cameras have an internal filter directly in front of the sensor that blocks infrared and ultraviolet light so photos look natural. To use a camera for infrared photography, this filter needs to be removed and replaced with one that lets infrared light through. Once converted, a regular camera can shoot handheld infrared photographs without long exposures.