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B+WThough it’s by no means essential, if you
like infrared images why not buy an IR
transmitting filter and create your own?
The Hoya R72 and B+W 093 are both
popular infrared filters, though you can buy
cheaper ones if you do a search online.
The majority of unmodified digital
cameras are sensitive to infrared light. By
placing an IR transmitting filter on the lens,
you block out most of the visible light so the
image is formed using light at the red and
near infrared end of the spectrum.
IR filters are visually opaque, so you
need to mount your camera on a tripod and
compose the shot before fitting the filter.
Focus the lens manually too and stop your
lens down to f/11 or f/16. Exposure times
can be quite long and getting the exposure
right is tricky, so bracket until you get it right.
Shoot in sunny weather for the best results
and include foliage in your shots, which
comes out white and wispy. The images will
have weird colour casts, but convert to black
& white and they’ll look stunning.
10 INFRARED
TRANSMITTING FILTER
Lucignano d’Asso, Tuscany, Italy
An infrared filter on the camera lens turned
the foliage in this scene ghostly white,
adding a surreal feel to the image.
Canon EOS 5Ds with 24-70mm zoom lens,
IR filter 1sec at f/8, ISO 1600