See The Light
An infrared photo, I converted it to black and white and I love the way it captured the unseen light out in the pasture and the sky. It inspired me, I want to get a full-frame infrared camera, it will take me awhile to get the $4,000 I need. Some things are worth waiting for.
Posted in GeneralPainter and Ridgewater College professor Andrew Nordin is interested in Northfield Arts Guild's new exhibition "Sacred Space," featuring the work of painter Michon Weeks and photographer Patrick Judd. Weeks juxtaposes everyday tools with the Old Testament prophet Ezekiel's visions of a wheel. Judd investigates rural decay with infrared photography, giving the landscape a ghostly appearance. "Sacred Space" runs from Sept. 29 through Oct. 29 at Northfield Arts Guild. There's a reception for the artists on Friday.
Dancer and found-object artist Kathryn-Sonja Inoferio recommends Jawaahir Dance Company's new production "Shoma," an evening of Middle Eastern dance and music. This performance focuses on dance and music from the Gulf region. The dance follows a narrative — women are gathered for a pre-wedding henna party, to which the storyteller Shoma has been invited. Someone plots to ruin the wedding; Shoma attempts to use her storytelling skills to avert disaster. Performances run Sept. 29 through Oct. 2.
Jay Peterson, co-editor of "Sky Blue Water: Great Stories for Young Readers," is looking forward to this weekend's Arab Film Fest, put on by Mizna. Peterson says the Arab Film Fest is an opportunity to see captivating works of art while also gaining a better understanding of a region that's dominating the news. Peterson is particularly excited to see "Iraqi Shorts + Iraqi Voices," which pairs short films from Iraqi filmmakers with some made here in Minnesota. The Arab Film Fest runs Sept. 29 through Oct. 2 at St. Anthony Main Theatre in Minneapolis.
Through The Apple Tree
I took this photo with the Infrared camera, a view through the leaves of the apple tree down the road and into the sky. Infrared photography is the photography of the unseen, it sees on the light spectrum beyond the human range and captures the true light.
Posted in GeneralFirst Posted: Sep 27, 2016 06:29 AM EDT
Food photography reached a new height recently when New York-based artist Brea Souders collaborated with VSCO, an art, and tech company, to create a series of thermographs that capture the radiation emitted from popular American foods. On the list are all time favorites, which are not just restricted to the US, such as pizzas, hot dogs, and fries among junk/fast foods.
According to the company, thermography is a scientific procedure that detects infrared energy emitted from objects and converts that energy to relay temperature, and then showcases that data as an infrared photo known as the thermogram. The result is a series of pop art like images that show the amount of radiation emitted by some of the most favorite foods in the US, as their temperatures increase.
"This is accomplished through the use of a thermal camera, which, unlike the human eye, can see the infrared spectrum and deliver a visualization of how heat is distributed," stated VSCO. "A quality camera will record a specific temperature for each pixel in the image, with an accuracy of plus or minus 2 °C."
As a result of the photographs, you can now see how your Sunday brunch looks when captured thermographically, and how much radiation each food item is brimming with, even if it was not heated in the microwave. However, as per a report, there is nothing to be really worried about as we have contact with infrared radiation every day, it is simply heat. Moreover, all objects that have a temperature more than absolute zero emit electromagnetic waves. It is only when you touch an item that is exceedingly hot or looks at an infrared radiation source for too long that it can become dangerous.
Incidentally, infrared thermography is usually used more often by firefighters or military for dangerous situations. Doctors also resort to thermography for breast cancer diagnosis. For now, you can take a look at some of the food items captured with thermal photography.
©2016 ScienceWorldReport.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The window to the world of science news.Chromatic aberration is the effect produced by the refraction of different wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation through slightly different angles, resulting in a failure to focus. It causes colored fringes in the images produced by uncorrected lenses.
You may be surprised (or not) to learn that when passing through a lens light waves of different color and wavelengths don't focus on the same plane. Much like light through a prism, the glass elements in a lens produce a rainbow of color called chromatic aberration as light passes through them. When light passes through the Extra Low Dispersion optics found in some lenses, these specially formulated glass elements minimize the amount of refraction that occurs when forming an image to produce a straighter path for the light.
Most lenses, however, can't focus infrared wavelengths on the same plane as visible light. That's why when you shoot infrared images it may be necessary to slightly shift the lens' focus. Typically, the smaller the lens' aperture and the longer its focal length the greater this shift will be. That's why lens manufacturers used to place an infrared mark on their lenses to help you make this shift. With autofocus lenses, I set the camera in Aperture Preferred mode, set the lens aperture at f/16 (and sometimes f/11) and just shoot excpecting that the image will be in focus. And this technique usually It usually works for landscape images.
Hyperfocal distance is the point of focus where any object that is between the distance to this point and infinity is in focus. Here's how it works: You pick an aperture, such as f/16 or 22, then rotate the focusing ring setting that aperture opposite the infinity mark. On the 15mm lens this produces a depth-of-field from about five inches to infinity—more than enough to take care of any focus shift cause by invisible infrared light waves.
If you're interested in infrared photography, I've found that LifePixel does a good job of IR conversions who converted the Lumix G5 used to make the above images. If you use coupon code: Farace-IR, you can get $50 OFF the Priority Processing Upgrade
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Today's Post by Joe Farace
Convergence. The first thing I did after receiving the 12mm Leica DG Summilux f/1.4 ASPH lens for testing was head down to McCabe Meadows to shoot some infrared images using my IR-converted (by LifePixel) Lumix G6. I did that for two main reasons:
For whatever reason, and I think Mark agrees with me (shout out if you don't Mark,) that infrared images shot with wide-angle lenses seems to have more power than those made with longer focal lengths.
By the time I received the lens it was early fall—in Colorado anyway—at about the same time when the Wood Effect was beginning to fade. One of my favorite trees at McCabe Meadows already had a surprising number of leaves that were already turning. If I didn't shoot it now, later would be too late. This is good advice no matter what kind of photography you do. Don't think about it, shoot it now.
A word about flare: Not only is noon the best time to shoot infrared photographs but because the sun is directly above, flare is less of a problem. And if you've shot an IR converted camera away from prime-time IR hours, you know flare can be a big issue. In that respect the nicely made lens hood Panasonic includes with the lens is not much help and in making these images flare free even at noon-ish MDT, flare kept creeping in and I had to use my hand to shade the front element of the lens for some of these shots.
The other thing this session taught me that as soon as I think I've got a handle on the proper exposure for infrared, I discover that I don't. Don't count on the camera's LCD to give you any help. What looks good on the EVF or LCD may not look so good when you open the RAW file. I'm convinced that with this camera (Lumix G6) and this conversion (Enhanced IR) I am going to start shooting a wide (two-stop) bracketed sequence—at least until all the leaves drop off. In case you're wondering how it all works out, I'll get back to you with what I find,
If you'd like more details about the Leica DG 12mm Summilux f/1.4 ASPH, you can read more of the technical nitty gritty about in last week's post. Click here.
If you're interested in infrared photography?? LifePixel does a great job with IR conversions. You can get $50 OFF with Priority Processing Upgrade by using coupon code: Farace-IR. Don't miss out on this soon to expire offer, order your conversion today!
My book The Complete Guide to Digital Infrared Photography is currently out of print but you can get an affordable used copy or not-so-affordable new copies of the book from Amazon.com.
Sami Palta , Sep 23, 2016; 09:28 a.m.
Don't know if it is correct section to ask this question but couldn't find out where to post this question...
Used to take IR pictures with color and B/W IR film + filter...Film days past now.Considering a IR converted camera... 750 or 820 NM different sort of IR converted cameras. I think one gives B/W and the other a bit blueish pictures.Found out out also possible to convert the taken color pictures to IR picture with software. But I have a problem, I can use some LR but not PS and I am not a software guy...Any recommendations please ?
All the best
Jochen Schrey , Sep 23, 2016; 10:01 a.m.
My understanding: You can wildly alter colors in software. - But if you are after a specific IR trait, you can only get it from an IR camera.AFAIK there are no color to B&W camera conversions happening anywhere. The Bayer- & X-Trans patterns allowing color results are too close to the sensors to get removed or replaced after production. - Whoever posts B&W from a converted camera desaturated the image for artistic reasons.I'll buy some visible light blocking filters for my M9 some day. - Shooting IR with a converted camera would give the benefit of an in that range working AF, while filters in front of normal cameras demand manual focus compensation.
Michael Chang 
An IR converted camera means its sensor's IR-cut filter is removed which will make it a broadband sensor - visible light + IR.
An IR-pass filter of any desired wavelength can then be (optionally) added, usually externally.
An unmodified camera will only take color pictures which you can synthesize IR through B/W conversion, but it won't be real IR.
I have a Sony DSC-F828 camera which has a Nightshot (IR) mode, but it's crippled deliberately so you won't be able to "see through clothing" which was all the rage when the feature was first introduced in the late 90s. However, I'm able to trick the camera by lifting its IR-block filter's solenoid with an external neodymium magnet and make it work in all modes; I can then screw on an external IR pass filter and use it as an IR-only camera.
Cycling the power of the camera will bring it back to its normal factory operation.
Detroit Lions coach Jim Caldwell and quarterback Matthew Stafford speak with reporters Wednesday, Sept. 21, 2016, in Allen Park. Video by Carlos Monarrez / DFP
RB Ameer Abdullah put on IR.(Photo: Raj Mehta/USA TODAY)
When Bob Quinn became Detroit Lions general manager, he looked at the roster in astonishment.
"Are you serious? Um, where are the rest of your players?"
Then, he went into a deep panic and started crying. "Take me back to New England!"
At least that's how I imagine it.
In reality, at his introductory news conference, Quinn was a little bit more diplomatic. "I think one of the deficiencies is the overall depth," he said.
Which is the nice way of saying there is some talent here, just not enough.
The lack of depth, more than anything, is the big problem facing the Lions after a rash of injuries on defense that includes DeAndre Levy (quad), Kyle Van Noy (calf), Antwione Williams (thigh) and Ziggy Ansah (ankle).
That's a frightening list.
To make it worse, running back Ameer Abdullah was placed on injured reserve Wednesday, which is a serious blow to the running game.
"Guys have to step up and play," coach Jim Caldwell said Wednesday, refusing to play the woe-is-me card. "Somebody has to take a few more carries than they would have ordinarily, and obviously I think we have a number of guys that can do that for us."
The Lions will try to replace Abdullah by spreading the ball to three backs, all with different skill sets.
Theo Riddick becomes the featured back. Riddick is a fantastic talent, catching passes out of the backfield, carrying the ball in the open field and making people miss. But he never has been a workhorse in the NFL.
On Sunday, he carried 11 times for 37 yards, which is the first time he has rushed more than seven times in an NFL game.
It would be a mistake to give all the carries to Riddick. He's not that type of back. He has proved to be at his best when used sparingly.
"Obviously, Theo (Riddick) is the veteran guy back there, the most productive guy that we've got back there at this particular point in time," Caldwell said. "So, yeah, he's the lead guy, but the fact of the matter is, it'll be some other guys carrying the ball as well. It just depends on what type of attack we decide to use."
Which brings us to Dwayne Washington.
Quinn drafted Washington in the seventh round, trying to add depth at running back, taking a chance on a guy who carried the ball only 47 times as a senior at Washington.
Washington has size, power, explosion, strength and speed.
"He's a smart kid, obviously a big, physical kid," quarterback Matthew Stafford said. "Probably our biggest back, does a really nice job in the run game. Like you said, he's a young kid, he's obviously still learning the game. Everything we've given him he's done a nice job of soaking up, taking to heart and going."
This becomes a huge opportunity for Washington, who showed all kinds of promise during the exhibition season, gaining 104 yards on 18 carries, although more than half of that came on a 58-yard run. He's young and inexperienced. Will he be able to take a bigger role? Can he do all the little things, like pass protect and make the right decisions?
"He's young, got a ways to go, but is a talented football player," Stafford said.
Then, there's Zack Zenner — Mr. North and South from South Dakota.
"I feel like one of my strengths is getting north and south, making the vertical cuts," Zenner said.
I asked Zenner about Washington, about how he makes people miss, and Zenner admitted he isn't exactly sure how Washington does it. "I'm still getting a feel for how he's making these people miss," Zenner said. "But they are certainly slipping off him. He's an explosive guy, has good cuts."
The Lions on Sunday play at Green Bay, which features the top-ranked defense against the run, allowing an average of 1.6 yards per carry.
So, there will be even more pressure on the young offensive line.
It all adds up to something that sounds a bit scary: a young line facing the top defense against the run without its best running back, while an injury-depleted defense is trying to contain Green Bay, even if the Packers have been struggling offensively.
Translation: Stafford better have a great day throwing the ball.
Contact Jeff Seidel: jseidel@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter@seideljeff. To read his recent columns, go to freep.com/sports/jeff-seidel/.
Above: LEAFFESTers observing the deployment of a trail camera (arrow) near a small stream.
Jeff brought a new trail cam to LEAFFEST to see how it worked for monitoring streams. There are many potential uses of this type of camera for documenting disturbances to water bodies. The cameras are designed to be installed outside and take photos or video at regular intervals or when motion is detected. They are sensitive to near infrared (NIR) light and have NIR LEDs to illuminate the scene at night. In addition to capturing animal activity, they could record when unnatural discharges into streams occur. This could provide important evidence in many situations where human activity might be compromising stream health.
Above: The model of trail camera we installed by a stream during LEAFFEST. I don't know what all the things on the front of the camera do.
We strapped the camera to a tree after dark and pointed it upstream along Halnon Brook. The stream flow has been very low, and in the last month aboveground flow has been intermittent (it was completely dry for short stretches) for the first time in about 14 years.
Above: this is the view of the stream on September 8, 2016, nine days before the trail camera was installed. The flow was intermittent.
We did not install a measuring pole in the scene to get good information about changes in water depth. We expected a half inch of rain overnight, but did not expect a dramatic surge in stream flow because the watershed is very dry, well forested, and completely undeveloped.
Above: One of the photos taken by the trail camera in the morning after the overnight deployment. The inset is a ruler in front of a rock that provides a good gauge for water depth in the timelapse video made from the series of photos. The increments on the left side of the ruler are inches. The inset was taken on September 19 after additional rain fell and the water depth was four inches -- about as high as it was for the entire trail camera deployment.
The trail camera was set to take one photo every minute. When it is dark, the camera automatically turns on its NIR LEDs for each exposure and captures an infrared photo. When it got a little bright in the morning, it stopped using the LEDs but continued recording grayscale NIR photos (note the whitish leaves). When it got bright enough, it started taking regular color photos.
Between 9:22 PM Saturday night and 12:32 PM Sunday afternoon the camera captured 910 photos. These were added to Adobe Premiere Elements as "numbered stills" and became the frames of a 30 second video with 30 frames per second. The camera puts an information bar at the bottom of each photo with the date, time, and temperature. In addition, I added some text annotations, but the video has no audio.
The video records two periods of rain during the night, and each downpour results in a noticeable rise in stream water level of about an inch. Although the rain had stopped by 7:00 AM, at 11:10 AM the level of the stream quickly rose an inch or more. At the end of the video I repeat several times a three second clip which spans the time from 11 AM until noon. During this time you can see the quick water level rise, especially in a pool above the fallen log. This must have been a surge flowing downstream from a rain event high in the watershed. I don't know how much time elapsed between the rain event and the appearance of the surge near the camera, but it had not rained near the camera for more than four hours.
The quality of the color photos taken by the camera is very good. The quality of the grayscale NIR photos taken in good light is also good. The quality of the NIR photos taken under illumination by NIR LEDs is not so good. The photos are grainy because the LEDs do not provide much light and the sensor is being operated at a very high ISO. These NIR photos are also vignetted because the LEDs do not illuminate the edges of the scene well. There is still a lot of information in the photos, but the evidence of pollution events at night will be very different from daytime evidence. And nocturnal bears and wapiti captured at the edges of the frame will be very dark.
Jeff wants to post this activity as an "activity" in a format that others can follow so they can repeat what we did. I was going to do that, but old habits are hard to break. This might be a good opportunity to compare the two types of posts and see what the advantages of each are.
When objects approach a black hole, they become stretched under immense gravitational force – a phenomenon fittingly known as "spaghettification." The black hole then devours its cosmic meal, before finally letting loose a massive, flaming cosmic belch.
For the first time, scientists have recorded this explosive event. By examining infrared light from black hole disruptions, which is captured and "echoed" by surrounding space dust, two separate research teams were able to measure the intensity of the flares. One study, which describes three such cases, was published last week in the Astrophysical Journal.
"The black hole has destroyed everything between itself and this dust shell," lead author Sjoert van Velzen, a postdoctoral fellow at Johns Hopkins University, said in a statement. "It's as though the black hole has cleaned its room by throwing flames."
When a black hole consumes a star, it releases an incredible burst of energy. This phenomenon, c alled a "stellar tidal disruption," produces bright flares surrounding the black hole's event horizon. A handful of these events have been described in recent years, but those studies weren't able to provide details beyond the mechanics of the "burp."
Black hole flares are loaded with X-ray and ultraviolet radiation, which vaporize dust and other small pieces of matter. But particles can survive the radiation at a certain distance, leaving a shell of superheated dust a few trillion miles from the black hole's center.
The surviving dust itself gives off infrared radiation, echoing the flare. This infrared emission can be detected for up to a year after the flare hits its brightness peak, say researchers.
Using data from NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE), researchers were able to capture these "light echoes." By measuring the delay between the original flare and the infrared copy, they could determine the distance between the black hol e and the dust. The WISE spacecraft performs scans every six months, so researchers were able to capture gradual changes in the emission.
The technique, called photo-reverberation, allows scientists to glean new information about stellar tidal disruptions and the location of dust circles around black holes.
"Our study confirms that the dust is there, and that we can use it to determine how much energy was generated in the destruction of the star," co-author Varoujan Gorjian, an astronomer at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, said in a statement.
Ning Jiang, an astrophysicist at the University of Science and Technology of China, led a second study which used light echoes to identify a fourth flare.
Click photo for larger image 
Camera Used: NIKON CORPORATION NIKON D700Exposure Time: 1/50Aperture: f/8.0ISO: 3200Date Taken: 2016:09:18 07:53:59 More images 
Details: The Earths shadow shows well at 830 nm IR, this photo shows the harvest Moon in the Tucson AZ predawn. The photo is a stack of 8 images varying by 0.3 stops taken with a converted Nikon D700 and Nikon F1.4 50 mmm lens. Comments You must be logged in to comment. 
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Another guide from 37 in 1 sensor, in this illustration we will going to wire the light interrupter sensor or photo interrupter. A photo Interrupter is transmission type photo sensor that integrates optical receiving and transmitting elements in a single package please see the diagram below. Since the method involves light blocking commonly named photo interrupter. A long life infrared photo diodes is applied for output while a single photo transistor and photo IC are integrated on the other side for light detection.
Required Components
Wiring Guide
Source Code
/* 14CORE Test Code for: Light Photo Interupter .:+osysso++:` `+yhs/-` `-+s+` `:/+++++++++` .:/++ooo++/-` .ooooooooooo+: :///////////- `odh/` `:y+` /ddhsooooooo+ /hddhsooooydddh sdddoooooosdddy` `////////////` -hds` `sy. +ddy` .ddd: sddy.dddo +ddd- .-----------` `hds :sssss/ -ossssso-yy` `hdd: oddy `ddd/oddd:......+dddo .++++++++++++ +dd` :sdddh` :ydddddddo +y/ .ddd+........ `hddy:.....:yddy.hdddddddddddy+. ```````````` ydy .hddd/+hdddhydddh/.+yo /hdddddddddd. :shddddddddhs/`+ddd:````-yddy- :ooooooooooo+ odh` sdddooyyyyyhddddyy.sy+ ` `......... ``.... ....` ```...` ` `` `` ` -dd+`::::` .:::- /yy. -oos+:-oos+--oos+: /o `+y o/: o:+/ h:`yos /+-`/+/+ s:y/y. /dd/ `+yy: +//+ +/:+ +/:+ -. `/ -:o.:/:`//+- + +:- :`-+:`://: +`o`+. -yds. `/yys- .`-.. .``` ```` .`` ` ` ``` ``-..` ` :ydy/.`````.-/oyhs: `+++oo+oo+:.+-++/-/ooo+o +:o/oo///:+/ .:oyhhhhhhhso:` `. ``` */ int LedOutput = 12;// Define as LED Output Pin 12 you can change this to 13 if you dont use pin 12 as output indicator int SensorPin = 2; // Define as Sensor Pin Input int Value;// Define as variable void setup() { pinMode(LedOutput,OUTPUT);//Set as LedOutput pinMode(SensorPin,INPUT);//Set as photo interrupter sensor output interface } void loop() { Value=digitalRead(SensorPin);// Set as sensor read SensorPin if(Value==HIGH) //If value is equal to HIGH estate then turn LED output = high { digitalWrite(LedOutput,HIGH); // Set LedOutPut to HIGH or ON } else { digitalWrite(LedOutput,LOW); // Set LedOutPut to LOW or OFF } } 14CORE Test Code for: Light Photo Interupter .:+osysso++:` `+yhs/-` `-+s+` `:/+++++++++` .:/++ooo++/-` .ooooooooooo+: :///////////- `odh/` `:y+` /ddhsooooooo+ /hddhsooooydddh sdddoooooosdddy` `////////////` -hds` `sy. +ddy` .ddd: sddy.dddo +ddd- .-----------` `hds :sssss/ -ossssso-yy` `hdd: oddy `ddd/oddd:......+dddo .++++++++++++ +dd` :sdddh` :ydddddddo +y/ .ddd+........ `hddy:.....:yddy.hdddddddddddy+. ```````````` ydy .hddd/+hdddhydddh/.+yo /hdddddddddd. :shddddddddhs/`+ddd:````-yddy- :ooooooooooo+ odh` sdddooyyyyyhddddyy.sy+ ` `......... ``.... ....` ```...` ` `` `` ` -dd+`::::` .:::- /yy. -oos+:-oos+--oos+: /o `+y o/: o:+/ h:`yos /+-`/+/+ s:y/y. /dd/ `+yy: +//+ +/:+ +/:+ -. `/ -:o.:/:`//+- + +:- :`-+:`://: +`o`+. -yds. `/yys- .`-.. .``` ```` .`` ` ` ``` ``-..` ` :ydy/.`````.-/oyhs: `+++oo+oo+:.+-++/-/ooo+o +:o/oo///:+/ .:oyhhhhhhhso:` `. ``` int LedOutput = 12;// Define as LED Output Pin 12 you can change this to 13 if you dont use pin 12 as output indicator int SensorPin = 2; // Define as Sensor Pin Input int Value;// Define as variable pinMode(LedOutput,OUTPUT);//Set as LedOutput pinMode(SensorPin,INPUT);//Set as photo interrupter sensor output interface Value=digitalRead(SensorPin);// Set as sensor read SensorPin if(Value==HIGH) //If value is equal to HIGH estate then turn LED output = high digitalWrite(LedOutput,HIGH); // Set LedOutPut to HIGH or ON digitalWrite(LedOutput,LOW); // Set LedOutPut to LOW or OFFInfrared Nature Photography
Motion and digital creative director GMUNK unveils a series of infrared pictures, that turns the landscapes into a surreal world. I love the contrast between the blue skies and pink tree's in some of the photos.
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NotesIf your digital camera is not IR sensitive there are other options than using filters for shooting infrared, including converting your camera into an IR-only digicam.
After modification your camera becomes a dedicated infrared camera and you will not be able to shoot conventional images again. The cost to retrofit the camera is not inexpensive and the camera only records reflected IR radiation; so it's not a thermal camera in case you want to see how well your home's windows are sealed.
Once converted the camera will capture infrared images that look similar to images shot with Kodak's HSI film using a #89B filter (there's more about filters here) but without the grain/noise. There is no need to place an IR filter on the lens, leaving the viewfinder clear so the camera to be hand held something IR film photographers can only dream about.
Here's a typical daylight unprocessed (into black and white) exposure shot with my Canon DSLR that was converted for IR capture. I used an inexpensive EF 22-55mm zoom lens with an exposure of 1.125 sec at f/8 and ISO 200.
Interested in infrared photography? LifePixel does a great job with IR conversions. You can get $50 OFF with Priority Processing Upgrade by using coupon code: Farace-IR. Don't miss out on this soon to expire offer, order your conversion today!
My book The Complete Guide to Digital Infrared Photography is currently out of print but you can get an affordable used copy or not-so-affordable new copies of the book from Amazon.com.
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Bob Coates is no stranger to SCU and Luminary Corner. In fact, he's become one of our most published guest post authors and it's always with strong helpful content. In this new post he's sharing some great images and suggestions to help you get into infrared photography, which is simply a kick to add to your skill set and expand your creative technique.
Bob's also a Panasonic Luminary and all of the images below were captured with a converted LUMIX G6 camera. You'll find more of Bob's work on his blog, and in the link he shared below about infrared. And, if you're interested in checking out the rest of the Luminary team, you'll find some incredibly talented and diverse artists in the Lumix Lounge. It's just a click away.
by Bob CoatesConversion to infrared is a great way to expand your photography options throughout the day. Bright sunlight is not exactly prime time for wonderful images with visible light as the contrast can block up shadows and you end up with "blah" everyday images. Infrared and bright sun mixed with some clouds and green lawns, trees and water you end up with a recipe for striking photography! One way to put some older gear to use is to convert your camera to infrared. In the days of film cameras you had to buy extremely light sensitive film that was easy to fog if it was exposed to the least bit of stray light. And a filter had to be added to the front of your lens that made it almost impossible to see well enough to focus. And then, you had to back off the focus just a bit to make up for the fact you were exposing for a different light spectrum. Oh, and all that PIA stuff you had to go through in the film days? Done. Over. Finished. Once you have your camera converted to in frared you can see your focus right on the back of the camera with no fuss, no muss. If you set your camera to show you black and white you'll get a pretty close approximation of what the final photo will look like. There will be some post processing with your files to finish them off, but that can be a fun time exploring the possibilities.
I used LifePixel for the conversion of my Lumix G6 camera.
Just click here for some links to blog posts on infrared post-processing with which I've been experimenting. Lots of creative options there! Yours in Creative Photography,
Bob
Images copyright Bob Coates. All rights reserved.
Jupiter really is one of the coolest planets in the solar system.
Not only is it the biggest planet and has dozens and dozens of moons, it is one of the most colorful planets, too.
As we all know, the giant planet's red, yellow and white cloud bands race around the globe at great speed. We can see them in even the smallest telescopes: hints of milky white and bronze encircling the orb, kind of like the swirly bands on a marble.
Believe it or not, the one thing we haven't gotten to have a good look at is Jupiter's polar regions. However, thanks to NASA's Jupiter orbiter, Juno, we've finally gotten a good look at the very northern and southern regions of the King of Planets.
What Juno has revealed to us about Jupiter's north polar region is nothing short of startlingly beautiful and magnificent: A grand vista of swirling blue towers rising above lower portions of the planet's vast atmosphere.
The towers are thought to be elevated thunderstorms, rising high above the planet's gaseous plains. We know this because these clouds cast shadows on the ones below.
Story continues below video
And unlike Saturn, there is no mysterious hexagonal cloud pattern surrounding the pole. Why this is the case is unknown; perhaps Juno will reveal more information about this as the mission continues along.
Juno has also been able to take infrared photos at Jupiter's south pole. These photos show absolutely gigantic auroras that have been speculated about but had never actually been seen.
We have gleaned all this information from only one orbital fly-by of Jupiter. And the best part is, there are 35 more fly-bys to go.
This ride is just beginning. Soon we will know more about Jupiter than ever before.
Joe Malan attended Valparaiso University from 2004-08, where he conducted observatory and planetarium shows for the public. Email him at jmalan@enidnews.com.
Note: For this tutorial I am using Photoshop CS6, however every version from CS2 up will work for this technique.
What is Infrared Photography?Infrared (IR) light lies just beyond the visible spectrum, so we can't actually see it with the naked eye. However, IR photography allows us to view this spectrum with a camera, to capture a whole new world of invisible light.
In basic terms, anything that reflects a lot of infrared light, will appear red in IR photography. As healthy vegetation absorbs blue and red-light energy to fuel photosynthesis and create chlorophyll, organic matter is the most popular subject for IR photography. The surrealistic effects that are created when IR comes into contact with plants and grass makes the method very popular for with landscape photographers, and is a great way to diversify your portfolio.
There are a few ways to capture IR photos in-cameraAs most digital cameras are somewhat sensitive to IR waves already, screw-in filters are a reasonably straightforward way to make IR photographs. They are, however, fairly expensive and significantly reduce the amount of light that reaches the sensor of your camera, thus also increasing exposure times. Infrared light also focuses at a slightly different point than visible light. Once the filter is on, you won't be able to see much at all, a combination that makes for a difficult time focusing. Autofocus is also rendered useless.
You can also use a film camera with special infrared film. This type of film is quite expensive and requires special handling, but shooting IR photos with it requires no modification to your camera.
Your third option is to pay for your digital camera to be altered to capture infrared light exclusively. But the procedure is expensive, and involves altering the internal layout of the camera, meaning it will never photograph light in the visible spectrum again.
This simple tutorial will show you how to mimic the distinct, surrealistic effect of in-camera IR photography, without the hassle or expense of buying an IR filter, IR film, or doing a camera-overhaul.
Open up your image with Adobe Photoshop. The image I've chosen for this tutorial has plenty of organic material in it, so the finished result will be pretty intense. However, if a subtler effect is what you are after, simply pick an image with less dense greenery. As demonstrated in the conclusion, sometimes less can be more with this effect.
Now, duplicate the image layer via Image > Duplicate Layer or by using the shortcut CMD/CTRL + J. Rename this layer "Infrared" via the command box or by double-clicking on the layer name.
Next, invert the colors of the layer you just named "Infrared" by using the Invert option in the Adjustments Layer Panel. We will be using a few tools in the Adjustment Layer Panel. This method adds layers over the original image rather than directly editing it, which reduces the overall image quality and its ability to be altered again later if you change your mind. This is called non-destructive editing.
Once the layer is inverted it will look like a color negative.
With the Invert Adjustment Layer selected, change the Blending Mode to Color, from the dropdown menu in the layers panel.
The image should now have a nice orange and blue tone.
Select Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Channel Mixer, or select the Channel Mixer icon in the adjustment layers panel.Now, in the Channel Mixer, first set the output channel to red, and move the red slider to 0. Move the blue slider to +100.
Then set the output channel to blue. Increase the red to +100 and move the blue slider to 0.
Leave the green output channel as it is, making sure that the green slider it is set to +100.
The image will now look a lot more saturated, color wise.
This step is going to vary depending on what photo you have selected, but the overall goal is the same: isolating the pink/red colors and converting them to whitish/yellow color.
Make a Hue and Saturation adjustment layer via the Adjustment Layer Panel. Select the red channel. Reduce the saturation down so the result is almost grey.
Following this, adjust the hue slider until you get a hint of yellow. Feel free to play around with the other channels slightly to get the best results.
My image now looks more faded and subtle:
To finish up, I adjusted the contrast of the image using the Curves Adjustment Layer on the Adjustment Layer Panel.
Here are some examples of other landscapes I've used this technique on:
The image below started with little or no blue tones. The final image takes on the appearance of a black and white, hand painted with a slight yellow tone.
Inorganic material isn't really affected by the IR treatment, so only the grass and plants in this image take on a surreal hue.
I hope this tutorial was useful as a quick trick to diversify your landscape work.
Enjoy playing around with this technique, because the results are often unpredictable and can lend a completely different perspective to an image. Please share your questions and IR image results in the comments section below.
