Starting with Infra-Red Photography Part 1 – Daytime.

This is a bit of a technical post so if you are not interested, just look at the pictures!

A couple of years ago I tried converting an old compact camera (an IXUS 105) for infra red photography as a cheap way of trying it out. This wasn’t successful as the camera wouldn’t focus properly. I bought a second one cheap off ebay but never got round to modifying it.

At the camera club in December there was a zoom meeting with a photographer who does a lot of infra-red (IR) and ultra-violet (UV) photography. I enjoyed the presentation so much I even bought one of his books. After reading the salient chapters I decided to have another go with the second camera.

This was more successful as the filter you have to remove from the sensor wasn’t stuck in place (the first one I had to break to remove it). Using parts from both cameras I managed to get a working IR sensitive camera. This enabled me to make a first step in this world of strange colours…

Note that this camera doesn’t have RAW file capabilities so I used the CHDK software to extend its capabilities and write DNG type raw files. Although this works the processor in the camera is slow so it takes a couple of seconds to process each photo.

My first set of photos (after the initial tests to check it was working ok) was of the scene at the back of my garden just to see what happens. Here I show 3 versions of the image:

The type of image after the IR conversion – colours are skewed – this was expected.
This versions had the colour channels swapped in photoshop
This black and white version shows the classic IR style – dark skies and white foliage (green comes out as white).

In this second set of images I tried putting a red filter over the lens – a classic trick for B&W photography in the days of film to get a dark sky:

In this version you can see the sky has a very strong red cast
Here the colour channels were swapped around making the sky blue in this instance
A monochrome version with darker sky and the white foliage

This has given me plenty to think about and a chance to experiment before I go to the expense of having one of my mirrorless camera bodies converted…

Author: Paul L.G. Morris

I am an amateur photographer whose photography is mostly of gardens, nature and the rural environment. My specialities are close-ups, panoramic views, or a combination of both that I call 'Nearscapes'. I work mostly for my own interest having closed my business PM Studios Ltd.