Infrared ImagesInfrared – Reflection Lakes – Mt. Rainier National Park, Washington
I love to make infrared images, but late last year, my trusty infrared sensor camera died. I didn’t realize how much I missed making these photographs!
Most people know that the visible light spectrum is only a small part of the full light spectrum in the universe. The full range of the electromagnetic spectrum spans from extremely low frequency radio waves to gammar ray radiation. What the human eye can see spans a very small set of frequencies and wavelengths between near infrared and near ultraviolet.
You don’t need a lot of technical know-how to realize that infrared images are very interesting! The color cast has an otherworldly tint, and some people like my friend and colleague Jeremy Long use these images to make very deep and contrasty black and white images.
I feel the need to replace that camera! While you can simply buy a filter for your camera lens, those images require very long exposures to block all visible light. Any moving subject can then be problematic. It is alway preferable, albeit more expensive, to find a second-hand DSLR that has an infrared sensor added to the camera.
Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy this small selection of images!
T.M. Schultze is a San Diego-based photographer, traveller, and writer. He writes, photographs, and draws things of the outdoors that have inspired humans for thousands of years. He co-authored the Photographer’s Guide to Joshua Tree Park which can be purchased here.
