Tag: optics

Entries for tag "optics", ordered from most recent. Entry count: 1.

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# Infrared Photography

Sun
03
Jun 2012

I'd like to share results of my first experiments with infrared photography. Infrared is the frequency of light invisible to human eyes. Cameras also shouldn't register it, so manufacturers put special filters to block these frequencies. Some of them are better, some are worse - the latter make a camera better candidate for IR photohraphy.

To take an infrared photo, one needs a special filter (see this category on Allegro.pl). Such filter blocks all visible light, so it looks totally opaque black. When using it, only infrared light enters the camera. Some additional issues:

• Manual, long shutter speed should be used - like several seconds.
• Manual focus should be used because camera can have difficulties finding correct focus when behind IR filter.
• Automatic white balance should not be used because camera won't find correct white balance for IR photo anyway.

After transferring a photo straight from the camera, it looks totally red.

But after correcting while balance in some application, it turns out that other channels also register some of the IR light, so it's not totally black and white - we can see some colors and achieve interesting effects, especially after applying some additional filters in a graphics program (like Channel Mixer command).

An image registered in infrared has some interesting properties:

• Plants are white and very bright.
• Sky background is quite dark comparing to clouds and the rest of the image.

You can find more of my infrared photos in gallery: Infrared @ Picasa Web.

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