A Magnificent Oak captured in the Infrared Spectrum
Polly Terriberry - Oak Tree in Fauquier County, Virginia
A standard DSLR has a filter mounted in front of the sensor that blocks the light in the infrared spectrum wavelength longer than that of visible light. It’s possible to replace this blocking filter with a different filter that allows photography in the infrared spectrum which is what Polly had done to a Nikon D70. It should be pointed out that once this change is made, the camera is no longer suitable for normal photography.
Polly had driven pass the oak tree above many times, thinking that it should be photographed. Finally she and a couple of photographer friends decided to meet at the site and take their different approaches to working with the tree. She chose a 28-80mm lens set to its widest angle with an aperture of f/11 and a shutter speed of 1/125 and an ISO of 200. In post processing, she dialed the clarity setting to a minus 100 to obtain the soft, dreamy look in the final image. The result is a totally different and dramatic look at a somewhat ordinary scene.
Thanks all, you have been very kind.
Kelly:
I had my conversion done at:
http://www.maxmax.com/
Another popular place to have conversion done is Life Pixel:
http://www.lifepixel.com/
I bought a used Nikon D70 from a friend and had that converted at maxmax. I am now having problems with my camera getting a CHR error message from time to time. Apparently, this message can be generated by multiple causes and I have yet to figure out what is causing mine. I sent the camera back to maxmax when this first started happening and they were unable to replicate the problem and sent the camera back to me unfixed. It actually seemed to work well for awhile but the problem is now back. I suspect a contact is loose somewhere. Did this happen during the conversion process? I have no idea. Although I tested the camera before sending it in for conversion, I didn’t have it that long and didn’t take a whole bunch of pictures with it before sending it in. It cost me $150 for the camera and $450 for the conversion. Life Pixel is cheaper but I liked the sound of maxmax because all they do is camera conversions and they do it in a dust free environment. Don’t know if that is the case with Life Pixel. Also, a fellow that works in a local camera shop here had a bad experience with Life Pixel and recommended that I use anyone but. Yet, I have several friends that have had multiple cameras converted by Life Pixel with no problems and they were very happy. I am still trying to work around my problem without having to send the camera in for repair. When you have a camera converted, they are actually removing a glass filter that blocks the IR light so you get normal pictures and they replace the filter with one that allows the IR spectrum to be transmitted to the sensor. Dust becomes a real issue and once the camera is converted, cleaning the sensor is not recommended. It’s best to pick a lens and stick with it so you don’t get dust on your sensor. I have one big dust spot on mine but I deal with it by cloning it out in post processing. It’s a big decision to make because once the camera is converted, all it will take is IR pictures. I started out with an IR filter that I held in front of my point-and-shoot Canon AS710 camera. I had lots of fun with this arrangement but the IR filter is very dark which means you will have long exposures. Many times you will see motion blur in your images resulting from the long exposures. The IR filter is not that expensive and if you have never done infrared photography, it is a good way to try it out to see if you like it enough to spend the $250 to $450 to have your camera converted.
Let me know if you have any other questions. I will be glad to help you if I can.
Best of luck,
Polly
I love the softness and the contrast of the branches like veins spreading throughout the tree giving it an…xray of the fullness of life inspite of its monochromeness. Have thought about doing this to one of my old Nikons as well. Where did you have it done Polly?
Awesome picture
Polly, you have done a great job on this one. I would never think of going negative on the clarity, but I think I will in the future. It has a very nice soft touch. I have been seeing more and more infrared pictures and I may have to convert my old digital to this. Great job. Ron
I dig shots of trees….especially infrared shots of treees….so I can only add “Cool beans.”
fantastic work..!!