How to process IR photos?

[TMC]

Been trying out the filter but I got no clue how to get the IR effect like what the rest of you guys are getting. Did the basic and keep getting a greenish tone.anything that i did wrong here?

Thanks in advance.

[PandaOng]

Have you read thru Max2.8's instruction? He had provide a clear guide.
http://forums.clubsnap.org/showthread.php?t=114580

you may also want to post your picture here so that we roughly will know which steps are you stuck in.

Most of us learn the fastest way..that is join one of the outing. there is one this Sunday to the Zoo.

[TMC]

I tried step 6. but I just cant get the colors. Deleted everything liao. going to take another series tomorrow and try again.

[teerex]

TMC, if you're interested to join in this Sunday's IR Shoot at the zoo. Put your name/nick in the list at the below link, so that we know if we should wait for you.

http://www.irphotography.org/index.ir?showtopic=173

[londonray]

Originally Posted by teerex TMC, if you're interested to join in this Sunday's IR Shoot at the zoo. Put your name/nick in the list at the below link, so that we know if we should wait for you. http://www.irphotography.org/index.ir?showtopic=173

Think that he's too far away to actually come... haa haa... In japan now i think... unless he's back! haha...

[TMC]

Hahaha too far to join you guys.

anyways, this is some shots I taken, processed with the action given by Londonray.




Has exposure and a hotspot in the middle. How did you guys actually get colors in the trees as well?

[TMC]

Hmm just read some of the articles in the IR site. Ok, will have to tinker with the PS later on.

[TrailsofLife]

Hi, I you using 20D with cokin filter? If not, I am pretty sure your Custom White Balance on your Digicam is set wrongly.

[TMC]

using D70 with the R72. Havent done anyting besides the basic steps.




Retouched after reading intructions from thom`s website. How did you guys get the effect for like white leaves and still having like slightly blue skies? Seem a lot of effects from the pics but then got no idea how to go about doing them.

[TrailsofLife]

Hi TMC,

When you shoot with your D70 & R72, you didn't do any CWB? Next time before you shoot IR image, do a custom white balance first.
1. Set to Auto White Balance, put on your R72 filter,

2. Set camera's shooting mode to P mode, press and hold the WB button until your LCD screen(the B/W one) starts blinking with "PRE"), aim and shoot at a bright patch of green grass that's right under the sun, or the blue sky (dun ask me why, but it works). Look at your camera LCD screen, if camera says "GOOD" or something like that, then your Custom WB is ok.

3. Set your white balance to custom, then start shooting. You should get sepia sky and slightly blueish tree foliages. if not, redo step 1 and 2 again.

4. When you get your shots right, then we talk about post-process, ok? I'll be here to help

Its really easy, now go out and start enjoying shooting IR!

Cheers
Max 2.8

[TMC]

Alrite, I got everything wrong from step 1. Looks like I have a lot to learn about IR photography.

Before I forget. Thanks!!!

[TrailsofLife]

No worries. There's nothing much to learn to create IR image, like I always say, focus on composition & exposure. IR is just an effect.

Come back with some stunning Japanese IR shots
By the way, second shot looks good in B/W. Very classic IR shot.

[deadpixel]

Originally Posted by TMC Alrite, I got everything wrong from step 1. Looks like I have a lot to learn about IR photography. Before I forget. Thanks!!!

One more detail. You've got very visible hotspots in the center of both your shots. This is usually caused by stopping your lens down too much at wide angles.

I noticed that you are shooting at 12mm and 13mm at f/11 and f/13 respectively. The one thing to remember for IR is to avoid stopping down your lens too much, especially when you are using wide angled zooms. To capture more details with wide angled zooms, use hyperfocus with a larger aperture instead (f/5.6 at the most).

For example, at 12mm and f/4, focusing at 1.8m will allow you to have everything from 1.8m onwards in focus, (Hmm, you might have to focus at 1.7m to compensate for the shorter focal length needed for IR - sorry, I hope this isn't getting too confusing).

Cheers,
Matt

[TrailsofLife]

You are right bout the hot spot.

But for unmodified D70, dun need to compensate focus when using auto focus. His shot looks sharp.
Dun scare him away

[deadpixel]

Originally Posted by Max 2.8 You are right bout the hot spot. But for unmodified D70, dun need to compensate focus when using auto focus. His shot looks sharp. Dun scare him away

Yep! Yep!

But if he ventures into hyperfocus, then it will no longer be auto focus.

Cheers,
Matt

[TMC]

I see, but what do you mean by hyperfocus? Sorry never been had an affinity with things too technical.

[TrailsofLife]

Originally Posted by deadpixel Yep! Yep! But if he ventures into hyperfocus, then it will no longer be auto focus. Cheers, Matt

??? you are scaring me too??? Hyperfocus??? something like hyper space???

So far my D70 have never give me any focussing problem.

[deadpixel]

No! No! Nothing scary.

The hyperfocal point of a lens, given a focal length and aperture size, is the point of focus where everything, from that point onwards, is in focus.

This is a technique that landscape photographers use to ensure that they have maximum DOF.

The formula for this is as follows:

H = (F * F)/(A * C)

Where
H = Hyperfocal Distance
F = Lens' Focal Length
A = Aperture Size
C = Circle of Confusion (For Nikon DX sized sensors this is 0.02)

So in the example I gave TMC above, if I wish to set the lens at 12mm and f/4, then I need to focus at 1.8m:

1800mm = (12mm * 12mm)/(4 * 0.02)

If I am using 20mm at f/4, then the hyperfocal distance is 5m and so on.

I usually carry a laminated chart with me with these numbers all laid out in a table. I know you can buy a Nikonian T-Shirt that has this chart printed on it.

The reverse way to use this chart is as follows:

If you wish to take a shot with an 18mm lens that needs to have everything from 2m in front of you in focus, then you'd set your aperture to f/8 and focus at the 2m mark.

A = (18mm * 18mm)/(2000mm * 0.02)

This shot below was taken using hyperfocus with the 12-24mm Tokina set at 12mm, f/4 to focus at 1.8m:



Notice the DOF dispite the f/4 aperture setting. The advantage of using hyperfocus is that you don't have to worry about your camera not being able to lock-on and focus.

Hope this helps to make it less confusing and scary.

Cheers,
Matt

[londonray]

OT a bit on Hyperfocusing... it's good because u dun have the problem about no light entering the camera coz the filter blocks out the light... but hor.. the lenses dun have a whole series of focus distances right? only gauges like 0.38... 0.5... 0.7... 1.0... 2.0 etc... so if you calculate you need to focus at 3.5m to hyperfocus, how do you ensure that the manual focus is set at 3.5m? or any other focal length for that matter? coz like if say you need to focus at 7m? think that once it hits 4-5m then the next number is infinity already.... so ... i am trying to learn about hyperfocusing... but the manual focus bit really defeats me... hope that you guys can help... Cheers

[deadpixel]

Originally Posted by londonray but hor.. the lenses dun have a whole series of focus distances right? only gauges like 0.38... 0.5... 0.7... 1.0... 2.0 etc... so if you calculate you need to focus at 3.5m to hyperfocus, how do you ensure that the manual focus is set at 3.5m? or any other focal length for that matter? coz like if say you need to focus at 7m? think that once it hits 4-5m then the next number is infinity already

"Guesstimate"

I'm serious! You don't have to be 100% accurate. Anyway, when you use hyperfocus, you are usually trying to capture as much as possible so you would be usually focusing at 2m or less where there would be markings.

Cheers