Under normal circumstances, an inbuilt filter will block the infra-red light from reaching the camera's sensors, but with an infra-red filter, the light is able to reach the sensor. Different structures and materials absorb or reflect infra-red light in different ways, giving rise to the potential for some very creative images.
You do not need expensive equipment to take infra-red pictures, just certain optimum conditions and patience as the technique does involve some trial and error.
I use an infra-red filter for my images, which is shown here drying out after I inadvertently submerged it in a river. The infra-red filter is the part at the back with the serrated edges. This slides into the holder which is on top of the pile in the picture, and which in turn screws onto the front of the lens. I generally screw it into a UV filter (in the middle of the wet filter sandwich) for a bit of extra lens protection.
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It is best to try infra-red photography when it is sunny as this gives rise to the highest volume of infra-red light for your images. You will notice when looking through the viewfinder that you cannot see anything with the filter in place. To work around this, some people like to line up their shot before attaching the filter. I prefer to attach the filter and line the shot up afterwards but that is a personal preference. Once the camera is in place I find it easiest not to try to attach extra equipment.
As the infra-red filter is so much darker than other filters, the shutter will need to be open for longer. The best way to control the length of time that the shutter is open, set the camera to bulb mode (B) and use a remote shutter release to avoid camera shake.
When I first tried infra-red photography it was a dull overcast day and the conditions really weren't suitable. I left the shutter open for almost 5 minutes but found my results were little different to just having shot in monochrome in the first instance.
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The image above is as taken with the filter. I haven't trimmed the edges of the picture so you can see the side of the filter holder creeping into the photo.
The following image is converted to black and white and as you can see, although the picture has a certain spooky feel to it, there's not much in it which could not have been achieved with a simple monochrome image. My mistake here was to try shooting in very overcast conditions, I really did need some sunlight to make the picture work.
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Learning from my first attempts, I waited (not altogether patiently) for sunnier weather. I also changed location as I wanted to take advantage of having the shutter open for longer to create some smooth effects with flowing water. I took the following image on a very sunny day and left the shutter open for a minute.
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You can see that the longer exposure has led to a very smoothing effect across the water, and the sunlight has created much greater contrast across the landscape. I was very pleased with this image and will definitely be experimenting more with infra-red photography. Watch this blog!
