Trails and Tribulations associated with HiC's expedition into the genre
This tab is more for my own benefit and to record my progress into this field in the hope, that even now, I am still up to a bit of learning.
Also as a jotter for my thoughts and things learnt along the way. From memories out of a distant and ever more hazy working past, a place for "Lessons Learned". Or in plain language this did, or didn't work, and if it didn't try something else and don't it again.
If raises a grin or initiates some comments I'll be happy.
Added for my Bro! 11.05.20
Hey Sire as I mentioned in my text still battling with the subject and these are the shots I mentioned.
Before I put them up just a bit of background in case you are not aware. The camera itself is converted so that it will only record colour temperatures of 720 nanometers or more. This allows a little of the "visible" light which the eye can see to be recorded plus the infrared portion of the spectrum. This allows us to process these colours, known as false colours to be used to create the images. Some folks, clever sods produce some quite fantastic images. I've included a link below if you want to check it out. This however is not my "thing".
My "Thing" are images taken at a colour temperature of 850 nanometers and more, which is in the area of the spectrum known as near infrared. To do this I put an additional filter in front of the lens to block out anything below.
For each of the above, 720nm and 850 nm I've include three images.
In each group the images are:
1. image is straight out of the camera with nothing done to it. This is what the camera sensor record.
2. image is also straight out of the camera but shot with an in camera custom white balance but not processed in any way.
3. image the image 2 which has a custom camera profile I have created with third party software to handle the white balance problem that exists in taking infrared. This is then processed in ACR and photoshop to suit my taste.
CLiR is a software application for processing infrared stuff and I own it, but I seem to have gone down the road of the intenser blacks and whites that can come out of 850nm work so don't use it much.
Hey Sire as I mentioned in my text still battling with the subject and these are the shots I mentioned.
Before I put them up just a bit of background in case you are not aware. The camera itself is converted so that it will only record colour temperatures of 720 nanometers or more. This allows a little of the "visible" light which the eye can see to be recorded plus the infrared portion of the spectrum. This allows us to process these colours, known as false colours to be used to create the images. Some folks, clever sods produce some quite fantastic images. I've included a link below if you want to check it out. This however is not my "thing".
My "Thing" are images taken at a colour temperature of 850 nanometers and more, which is in the area of the spectrum known as near infrared. To do this I put an additional filter in front of the lens to block out anything below.
For each of the above, 720nm and 850 nm I've include three images.
In each group the images are:
1. image is straight out of the camera with nothing done to it. This is what the camera sensor record.
2. image is also straight out of the camera but shot with an in camera custom white balance but not processed in any way.
3. image the image 2 which has a custom camera profile I have created with third party software to handle the white balance problem that exists in taking infrared. This is then processed in ACR and photoshop to suit my taste.
CLiR is a software application for processing infrared stuff and I own it, but I seem to have gone down the road of the intenser blacks and whites that can come out of 850nm work so don't use it much.
These are the 720 nm images taken today. Remember click on the image to see a larger version.
And these the 850 nm images. Again click on the image to see a larger version.
Hope the above sates your appetite, promise to put a whole bunch more stuff up to my gallery on 1x at the weekend. Promise.
In the meantime go here for the few that I have posted before:
hic0.1x.com/album/5125
In the meantime go here for the few that I have posted before:
hic0.1x.com/album/5125
Added 10.04.20
Since starting this Tab a lot has happened, loved ones passing, a Rugby World Cup, for which the final result caused me to lapse into a severe case of PTSD, and now something very serious, the Coronavirus.
Along the way I have been using my time to delve more deeply into the subject, both on the theoretical side as well as the practical. Most of it has been spent taking images and trying to process them with some minor success. The degree of success however can be guessed at by the zero quantity of work posted. Still trying.
Since starting this Tab a lot has happened, loved ones passing, a Rugby World Cup, for which the final result caused me to lapse into a severe case of PTSD, and now something very serious, the Coronavirus.
Along the way I have been using my time to delve more deeply into the subject, both on the theoretical side as well as the practical. Most of it has been spent taking images and trying to process them with some minor success. The degree of success however can be guessed at by the zero quantity of work posted. Still trying.
Lenses used on camera as of early April 2020.
70-200mm F,2,8. So far no problems.
24-105mm f4,0. So far no problems with it except when shooting towards or into the sun. Big flare. All images shot with it for iR so far were on f8,0
24-70 f/2,8. No problems experienced first time out, even into the sun. All shot in Manual mode as most sites I have visited suggest and must confess it makes life much easier. Was certainly getting to reasonable exposures more quickly.
70-200mm F,2,8. So far no problems.
24-105mm f4,0. So far no problems with it except when shooting towards or into the sun. Big flare. All images shot with it for iR so far were on f8,0
24-70 f/2,8. No problems experienced first time out, even into the sun. All shot in Manual mode as most sites I have visited suggest and must confess it makes life much easier. Was certainly getting to reasonable exposures more quickly.
Added 20.06.2019
No new images taken just playing with the processing. Just using standard Photoshop methods as opposed to using some of the expensive add ons I've allowed myself to indulge in. Just using PS boosts the image size considerably but one of the add ons drives it out through the roof. This image went to 2GB plus and I hadn't before I stopped with the processing. This doesn't matter for the web site as only jpeg's can be posted on it, even so this jpeg comes out a 6,1MB.
With this one the aim was to get an image that is very dark but maintain the white leaf effect and detail.
No new images taken just playing with the processing. Just using standard Photoshop methods as opposed to using some of the expensive add ons I've allowed myself to indulge in. Just using PS boosts the image size considerably but one of the add ons drives it out through the roof. This image went to 2GB plus and I hadn't before I stopped with the processing. This doesn't matter for the web site as only jpeg's can be posted on it, even so this jpeg comes out a 6,1MB.
With this one the aim was to get an image that is very dark but maintain the white leaf effect and detail.
Added 18.06.2019
First comments are in on the 17.06 start entry and I have to agree with some. Essentially a lot more practice and effort required and composition and subject selection leave a lot to be desired. The later comment I could have saved had I taken the time to point out the sole object of my walk about was to get my head around the process of "taking" iR images and no effort was made as to image selection. I just had to accept what the area had to offer. This being said I did try to make the best of what was being offered.
But no excuses and a blind man can see there are no masterpieces amongst the offerings.
Yesterdays attempt was to show how the images come out of the camera and my efforts at creating black and whites from the infrared data. The image below was also taken during the same walkabout yesterday and has been processed in the colours that the sensor is actually recording in the iR wavelength.
Different? Guess so.
Oh yes, got distracted this morning and didn't manage to try my hand at any Architectural's, in case anyone had expected to see them.
Added 17.06.2019
The first set are Landscapes taken on one of my favourite walks through the Neanderthal. The camera used is as mentioned on my Home Tab, my converted 5D MkII. The first step after downloading is to create a Camera Profile from the iR image straight out of the camera so that the software can recognise the wavelength 720nm Front Infrared band.
This is done in the DNG Profile Editor from Adobe (who else?), this profile once created is applied to the images in Adobe Camera Raw along with any desired processing changes, exposure, contrast, highlights, Shadows, etc. etc., blah blah blah. Here I also applied some black and white presets and just loaded up into Photoshop.
In Photoshop all that has been done on the images I'm showing at present was to apply a black and white adjustment layer with a black and white gradient map layer on top. Thats it no great creativity attempts at this stage, just going through the basic steps to try and get my head around the concept. Must say though I'm pretty excited with the possibilities and can't help drooling a bit.
In the field for each change in lighting situation a custom white balance was made and the camera set to it for the images to be made in the same lighting condition. All goes very quick I guess, although for the first part of the walk I was all fingers and thumbs, big fat sausage ones.
For each of the images I've processed I've included the base Raw Image that came out of the camera to give an idea of what the camera sensor is recording.
All of the following were made with my 24-105 mm at f8,0. Each shot has to be checked for the best exposure on the camera histogram display as the meter cannot measure the infrared wavelength. Tomorrow I'm going into the old Düsseldorf Hafen area to try for some Architectural's.
Also each lens I own must be tested in the two fields that interest me (Landscape and Architectural), as they are not all suitable for infrared work. As a friend of some of us says, "slowly slowly catchee monkey"
Enjoy and have a laugh. Once I get a hang of it maybe I shall try to get some weird surrealistic colours in the images. Don't know how yet, but new toys are certainly fun.
The first set are Landscapes taken on one of my favourite walks through the Neanderthal. The camera used is as mentioned on my Home Tab, my converted 5D MkII. The first step after downloading is to create a Camera Profile from the iR image straight out of the camera so that the software can recognise the wavelength 720nm Front Infrared band.
This is done in the DNG Profile Editor from Adobe (who else?), this profile once created is applied to the images in Adobe Camera Raw along with any desired processing changes, exposure, contrast, highlights, Shadows, etc. etc., blah blah blah. Here I also applied some black and white presets and just loaded up into Photoshop.
In Photoshop all that has been done on the images I'm showing at present was to apply a black and white adjustment layer with a black and white gradient map layer on top. Thats it no great creativity attempts at this stage, just going through the basic steps to try and get my head around the concept. Must say though I'm pretty excited with the possibilities and can't help drooling a bit.
In the field for each change in lighting situation a custom white balance was made and the camera set to it for the images to be made in the same lighting condition. All goes very quick I guess, although for the first part of the walk I was all fingers and thumbs, big fat sausage ones.
For each of the images I've processed I've included the base Raw Image that came out of the camera to give an idea of what the camera sensor is recording.
All of the following were made with my 24-105 mm at f8,0. Each shot has to be checked for the best exposure on the camera histogram display as the meter cannot measure the infrared wavelength. Tomorrow I'm going into the old Düsseldorf Hafen area to try for some Architectural's.
Also each lens I own must be tested in the two fields that interest me (Landscape and Architectural), as they are not all suitable for infrared work. As a friend of some of us says, "slowly slowly catchee monkey"
Enjoy and have a laugh. Once I get a hang of it maybe I shall try to get some weird surrealistic colours in the images. Don't know how yet, but new toys are certainly fun.
