Journey into the Red
Red in this case is infrared photography. I have always been intrigued with this form of photography, maybe because it is so different and for the surreal images this technique can produce.
My first attempts were with my Minolta Dimage5 fitted with a Hoya R72 filter. This filter will only pass light in the 720nm spectrum and when looking through it looks completely black as our eyes cannot see in the infrared range. Though not ideal, this is an inexpensive way to experiment.
There are of course a number of drawbacks. Because the viewfinder is essentially black with the filter in place, everything has to be done before screwing on the filter and pressing the shutter. Exposure is usually measured in seconds with a lot of guessing and you have to deal with any focus shifting at that wavelength. Not easy but not insurmountable, certainly inconvenient.
Some examples of images with this setup converted to black and white.
My current setup is a Nikon D300 that has been converted to ir by Life Pixel. The process involves removing the hot mirror from the sensor and replacing it with an appropriate ir filter and the camera is then recalibrated for focus. Once converted the camera can no longer be used to take pictures in normal light. The removal of the hot mirror allows more normal exposure times, the ability to see your subject and proper focusing using live view. Using live view also allows for the use of different lenses. The conversion process can also be optimized for a particular lens but changing lenses will result in focusing errors. As infrared photos are best taken under bright sunlight conditions, I attached a Hoodman Loupe over the rear lcd.
