Friday 8 February 2013

The Dreamlike Infrared Photography




 

This stunning photo series owes its beauty to a special infrared lens. In infrared, or “IR” photography, the film or image sensor used is sensitive to infrared light. It offers photographers the opportunity to explore a new 'unseen' world. That is because our eyes are not equipped to see IR light as it lies beyond the visible spectrum – that which human eyesight can detect.


The part of the spectrum used is referred to as near-infrared to distinguish it from far-infrared, the domain of thermal imaging. Wavelengths used for photography range from about 700 nm to about 900 nm.


Film is usually sensitive to visible light too, so an infrared-passing filter is used; this lets infrared light
pass through to the camera, but blocks all or most of the visible light spectrum, that's why the filter appears black or deep red.


When these filters are used together with infrared-sensitive film or sensors, surreal "in-camera effects" can be obtained; false-colour or black-and-white images with an ethereal and sometimes lurid appearance known as the "Wood Effect," an effect mainly caused by foliage (such as tree leaves and grass) strongly reflecting in the same way visible light is reflected from snow.

There is a small contribution from chlorophyll fluorescence, but this is marginal and is not the real cause of the brightness seen in infrared photographs. The effect is named after the infrared photography pioneer Robert W. Wood, and not after the material wood, which does not strongly reflect infrared.


Everything looks different using infrared-equipped film and cameras; colours, textures, leaves, plants, and human skin. It's an exciting new way to explore our world. The outcome is a mesmerizing new dimension for the art of photography showing a different kind of beauty. More on Infrared Photography, its history and usage can be found on this Article. Enjoy.






















































































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