Sunday, 28 April 2013

Infrared Photography: Tips on How to Get Started

Infrared Photography: Tips on How to Get Started

Link to PictureCorrect Photography Tips

Infrared Photography: Tips on How to Get Started

Posted: 27 Apr 2013 04:23 PM PDT

Quick Reminder: Only 2 days left! in the deal on: Trick Photography Guide (Includes Infrared)

You have always wanted to try Infrared photography. You have been lead to believe that this can only be done using expensive IR cameras. Then this article is for you ! Read how you can build yourself a digital IR camera for just a few dollars.

infrared photography tips

“Infrared in Sykesville, MD” captured by Sean Naber (Click Image to See More From Sean Naber)

Notes to the reader:

This article covers some of the basic principles of IR photography. It also tells the story of a project involving the modification of a number of digital cameras. The cameras were converted to be used as IR cameras. The aim of the project was to do the IR conversion as cheaply as possible.

Important disclaimer – Taking apart a perfectly good, fully functional, digital camera, is risky in more ways than one. There is the possibility of electrocution (through highly charged capacitors within the camera) and there is a real chance that the camera may never work again. I take no responsibility for any such mishap. The risk is yours completely; so are the rewards afterward if you get it right !

At the time of writing this, the NZ$ is worth about 70 cents American.

The trigger and the motivation

I am a simple man. I sometimes get involved in projects of a complex nature and may on the odd occasion fiddle with technologies which may be classed as “modern” or “advanced”. By nature though, I like to simplify things if at all possible. I also believe that many times we are precluded from doing worthwhile things by society telling us that “It is difficult”, “It is too expensive”, or “You will never be able to do that. Only certain people can do that and you are not one of them”.

In this article I aim to prove to you that you too can do IR photography. In fact, you can produce stunning IR photos using a home-built camera on a very tight budget if: ·

  • You are prepared to invest a very modest sum of money in getting together the parts needed.
  • You have the practical skills needed to take something apart and put it back together again (or know someone who can help you with that).
  • You can cut and shape a small piece of glass (or get someone to do it for you).
  • You have any knack at all for taking decent photographs.
  • You are prepared to risk “getting it wrong” or “screwing it up”.
how to get started in infrared photography

Photo captured by Ruel Tafalla (Click Image to See More From Ruel Tafalla)

Resources

Before you set off on this journey, you may want to get some more information on the subject. Fortunately there is a lot of information accessible on the Internet. If you wanted information on camera conversions you could go to:

(This article serves as a very good starting point for information on digital IR photography.)

(This is a very comprehensive article. Definitely read the paragraph on what makes a good IR camera.)

(Different cameras are compared here. You can also go to the page on digicam modification for detailed instructions on how to modify an Olympus 2040.)

(This article covers a whole raft is issues and contains links to many more resources.)

(This article contains instructions on modifications on a Canon G1. It has very well documented steps and photos.)

infrared photo techniques

“Greenwich Park” captured by Sean Nel (Click Image to See More From Sean Nel)

In some instances the articles mentioned above will give you all the details needed to convert a specific camera. Some of them refer you on to other sites where once again modifications to cameras are described and detailed. Even if you do not intend to convert one of the cameras covered in these articles, it is worth the while to scan through them. You then get an idea of what a digital camera looks like on the inside and how they are constructed. You will learn a lot by just scanning through the articles contained in this list!

Some more information on IR photography (using digital cameras) can be found at: http://www.lifepixel.com/ and other similar sites.

You can also search the Internet for sources of your own using phrases such as:

  • "Infrared camera conversion"
  • "Infrared photography"
  • "IR photography" etc.

If you do not have easy access to the Internet, you may go to a local library and ask about IR photography. Many libraries will only have books and references on IR film photography but you may be lucky and get info on digital photography from yours. It all depends on how modern and up-to-date your library services are.

I am going to assume that you have a basic grasp of the principles of IR photography. Even though you need not be an expert on these, I suggest you familiarize yourself with the following before you proceed with this article:

  • What is infrared light, how does it differ from light in the visible spectrum, why is it we can not see it but digital cameras can ?
  • How does a digital camera capture a picture, what is a CCD, what does a camera's mega pixels(MP) value indicate etc.?
  • What does a “hot filter” do and why is it found inside most digital cameras ?
  • The manipulation of JPG-files on a personal computer, utilizing graphics software.

The mere fact that you are reading this article, tells me that you have an interest in IR photography. You may also be keen on taking your own IR photos and manipulating them. I take that to be a good sign and trust that you will “fill in the gaps” around missing information where and when needed.

From experience I can tell you that:

  • You do not need a specialized IR camera costing hundreds (or thousands) of dollars to do IR photography.
  • You do not need to use a digital SLR for infrared photography. A cheap digital camera that has been converted for IR photography can take stunning IR photos. It will most likely not suffer from long exposure times and can be utilized as easily as any other digital camera.
  • It is not that difficult to convert a suitable point-and-shoot digital camera for IR photography.
  • Suitable cameras and the materials needed to build your own dedicated IR camera can be sourced cheaply if you have access to the Internet and a reliable postal service. You may already posses some of the tools and/or may be able to get the components and tools in stores close to home.
how to take infrared photos

“IR Queen’s” captured by Reza (Click Image to See More From Reza)

What you will need

You will need the following during the construction phase of your IR photography project:

  1. A suitable camera. There are numerous references to suitable cameras on the internet. You may want to read my comments on what I considered suitable cameras below. This will give you an indication of how I went about it. As you will most likely be buying second hand goods, ensure that the deal includes a memory card, charger for the battery (if applicable) and some software (good to have) for downloading the photo files. A carry case is good to have but not essential.
  2. A suitable IR filter. You will most likely be able to get this from a photography shop, photographic retailer or the like. If you are able to source goods over the Internet and can have it delivered to your home, you will not find it difficult to get a suitable filter. Consider buying at least two or three different filters. If you do, the filters should be spaced far enough apart (in terms of their respective cut-off points) to allow you to experiment with different lighting conditions, more or less Woods effect etc. Note that you may not only have to buy filters for use as filter elements, but you may have to buy some filters to cannibalize for their parts.
  3. Some basic tools. These include one or two jeweler's screwdrivers, a glass cutter, a diamond-impregnated file, masking tape, a fine-pointed semi-permanent pen, tweezers and blu tack. You may or may not want to use vernier calipers to measure the glass element that needs replacing inside the camera. More about that later.
  4. A suitable workplace. The workplace should be clean, uncluttered and well-lit. It should preferably be set up such that you can leave the project there indefinitely while searching for, constructing or waiting for parts.
  5. A few consumables like paper cloths, cleaning liquid, epoxy glue, earbuds and a clean handkerchief or two.
  6. Enough time to complete the project. A typical build can take an evening or two of full-on work but may extend out to a week or two if you have to wait for delivery on goods which had been ordered

Some of the basic tools needed for the job

infrared photography tools

Infrared Photography Tools

You may not need all of the tools shown in the two photos. Most are cheap and easy to find.

ir photography tools

Additional Infrared Photography Tools Needed

Once you have completed your camera you will need:

  1. A memory card suited to your camera. Some cameras have internal memory allowing you to store photo files on the camera itself. It is however always worth the while to get a memory card. The files are downloaded so much easier and the storage capacity is increased many times over.
  2. Batteries, a battery pack, or power source for your camera.
  3. If your camera allows for manual white balancing you will need a gray card to allow for this action. You need not spent lots of money on this; see notes later in this article.
  4. Suitable subject material for your photo shoot.
  5. Sufficient light and suitable weather conditions for the shoot.
  6. Means of getting the files from the camera on to the computer. You may transfer the information by means of a cable connection or by taking the memory card from the camera and slotting it into a suitable card reader. Consult the instruction manual for your camera for more information on how to do this.
  7. Access to a personal computer and suitable software for image manipulation. Once again this need not cost you a cent. You can download GIMP from the Internet and use it to process our photos. There are Gimpuser tutorials which teach you how to take a color photo and convert it to grayscale or how to change around the colors for false-color photography. You will basically be doing one of these two actions to convert your IR photo into a stunning work of art. See http://www.gimpusers.com/tutorials/infrared-monochrome.html
  8. A tripod is handy in that it allows you to take photos in poor lighting conditions.

Things to keep in mind about IR photography

  • IR photography is as much an experimental process as it is an art form. You never quite know what you are going to get when you press the shutter release. You are for ever experimenting, always trying different things and you need to take lots of photos to maybe get the outcome you hoped for.
  • IR photo’s need not be sharply focused, crisp and clear. In fact much of the allure of this art form is contained in its ghostly appearance, its dreamy atmosphere and sometimes surrealistic appearance. I will be referring to this later on within the article.

Things to keep in mind about digital IR photography

  • Digital IR photography has very real advantages over IR film photography. The old IR films had to be treated with great care to prevent fogging and had to be developed by experienced photo laboratory staff or dedicated amateurs. It was not easy and it was not cheap. Digital photography and the process of producing an IR image of your own does not cost a cent. That is right ! Once you have modified your camera and added the bits needed to get it to do IR photography, the only real expenditure will be toward batteries for the film shoot. You can down-load your own photos, “process” them, and produce results without any real cost. This is especially important when you consider that you will be taking lots of photos to see which ones are useful and which ones are not.

Proceed to Part 2: My own Infrared Camera Project

About the author:
Pieter Albertyn is a self-confessed "tinkerer" and amateur photographer. He lives in Napier, New Zealand. Pieter has previously been involved in product development and systems engineering. He loves to modify utility products, enhance their features and develop basic logistical support systems for them. Though he works in an English dominated workplace, English is his second language.

For Further Training on Infrared Photography:

One of the best-selling photography eBooks on the market is marked down drastically for only 2 more days and covers how to do many photography techniques that produce unusual, eye-catching results (including extensive chapters on Infrared). Found here: Trick Photography Guide


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Article from: PictureCorrect Photography Tips

See a Professional Photographer’s Workflow in Adobe Lightroom

Posted: 27 Apr 2013 01:46 PM PDT

The life of a professional photographer can be strenuous at times. Photo shoots often consist of hundreds to thousands of photographs that need to be sorted through and processed. Nick Fancher, a professional photographer, has perfected his Lightroom workflow specifically for processing several images at once. In the following video Nick demonstrates how he easily sorts through hundreds of images quickly (for those of you reading this by email, the video can be seen here):

Nick utilizes the review system to sort through images, quickly scrolling though the pictures and pressing the right bracket key to give the images he wants to process one star. Afterward, he views only the starred photos and narrows the list even further.

Once the images have been narrowed down, he takes notice of the different types of lighting in each photo and edits the first image of each set. He then copies the settings he used for each finished photo and uses them as a starting point for each remaining image; tweaking the settings slightly each time.

professional photographer adobe photoshop lightroom workflow nick fancher
 

He develops a theme by working with similar photo settings, but gives each individual photograph the attention to detail it needs (Via Fstoppers). By working through the images in this way he speeds up the process of sorting through and editing photos significantly.

For Further Training on Digital Workflows:

There is a new complete guide called The Photographer's Workflow. With 130 pages of rich content, it is a 10-step guide with lots of tips and realistic advice, from which you can build a process which suits you. It will reduce the amount of time you have to spend managing your digital photos, leaving you with more time to do what's really important – taking photos.

It can be found here: The Photographer's Workflow


Go to full article: See a Professional Photographer’s Workflow in Adobe Lightroom

What are your thoughts on this article? Join the discussion on Facebook or Google+

Article from: PictureCorrect Photography Tips

Starting a Photography Business in Today’s Economy

Posted: 27 Apr 2013 10:41 AM PDT

Zack Arias is perhaps one of the most well-known photographers because of his web presence. Not only is Zack an amazing photographer, but he is a wealth of knowledge, and he doesn’t shy away from sharing his ideas and experiences online. In a recent podcast, Zack talks about what he would do if he started a photography business today from scratch. As a successful businessman and photographer for almost 10 years now, Zack presents from very helpful and insightful knowledge (for those of you reading this by email, the presentation can be listened to here):

Here are a few of Zack’s main points:

  • Seek Advice/Help from an Accountant – Even before you get into photography, even if you’re going to shoot just on the weekends. Your photography business will be more business than photography, so prepare yourself.
  • Slash Your Expenses – Get rid of everything you can. Drive a cheap car, live in a cheap apartment, don’t go out for drinks every night. Every dollar counts.
  • Know Your Numbers – What is you living costs? How much do you pay for rent, utilities, insurance, food, entertainment, etc? If you want to make enough money, you have to know how much you need to live. (This is where the accountant comes in handy.)
  • Gear – Yes, you need some decent gear, but there’s no need to go overboard when starting out. Buy a nice DSLR, some nice primes (this varies depending on what you’re shooting), a nice computer, some extra cards, batteries, etc, and a nice flash and a way to control it (reflector, lightstand, etc.)
  • Create a Basic Website – So much happens on the web now that this is pretty much a must if you want to successfully promote yourself.
  • Make Basic Business Cards – Don’t expect to get all your business through your website. Business cards are a great and inexpensive way to spread the word about your business.
  • Find Your Niche – Is it sports? Portraiture? Weddings? Fashion? Food? Nature? There are a lot of areas to pick from, but if you try to tackle everything, it’s not going to work well. But if you find a very specific niche and focus on it and become really good at photographing that one particular subject, then you’re more likely be successful.
recommended gear for new photography business

Zack says spend more money on your computer than your camera

For Further Training on Starting a Wedding Photo Business:

Check out Simple Wedding Photography, it covers everything you need to know to photograph a wedding and the business behind it. From diagrams of where you should stand throughout the ceremony to advice on all the final deliverables to the client. This 200 page ebook will be useful to wedding photographers of any experience level. There is also an interesting book of techniques on quickly building your wedding business through relationships and referrals.


Go to full article: Starting a Photography Business in Today’s Economy

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Article from: PictureCorrect Photography Tips

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