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Rangefinder
Magazine Digital Infrared Photography
by Patrick Rice
Through research and discussion, I discovered that I could still produce my unique style of wedding photography using one particular digital camera, the Nikon Coolpix 950 (photo A). The camera has a 2.11 megapixel CCD with Nikon’s 256-element Matrix Metering system. So, what is it about this camera that makes it special anyway? For starters, Nikon makes a screw-on fisheye adapter lens for this and the other models of their Coolpix line of cameras. This was important because I was able to achieve a “true” fisheye image on a digital capture system. Other digital cameras either do not have a fisheye lens as an option or have a multiplication factor of about 1.5 on the SLR lenses used with the camera. By attaching the Nikon fisheye adapter lens to the Nikon Coolpix camera’s zoom lens, you can get “true” focal lengths from 8–24mm (35mm format)!
The other unusual feature with the Coolpix 950 is this camera’s ability to shoot true infrared images. To understand why this camera can shoot into the Infrared range and others cannot, you must first understand how digital cameras are made and how infrared images are recorded. With digital cameras, manufacturers are always working to get the “cleanest” image capture possible to give the photographer the best image file. As manufacturers learned more about image capture, they discovered that they could get a cleaner image by blocking infrared light from being recorded. Apparently, invisible infrared light contaminates the visible light being captured on the digital media and thus degrades image quality. The solution was to install an infrared cutoff filter to block the transmission of all infrared light to the camera. In technical terms, these are referred to as “Hot Mirror” filters. As the name implies, these filters reflect heat and transmit visible light. The latest Hot Mirror filters transmit over 85% of the wavelengths between 400–700 nanometers (the visible light spectrum) and reflect (block) over 90% of the wavelengths between 700–1000 nanometers (the near infrared spectrum). This discovery was made after the release of the Nikon Coolpix 950 camera, so this particular camera does not have an effective Hot Mirror/infrared cutoff filter. The Nikon Coolpix 990, 880 and other models now all have the more efficient cutoff filter. The other reason that the Nikon Coolpix 950 can record into the infrared range is the fact that the camera has both color and black-and-white modes for recording images. In the black-and-white mode, with the proper filtration, a photographer can digitally record infrared images. The Nikon Coolpix 950, as well as many other digital cameras, can photograph in the black and white mode directly.
How It Works The near infrared spectrum of light starts at about 700 nanometers and goes to about 1000 nanometers. Visible light ranges from about 400 nanometers to 700 nanometers. The #87 filter only passes light from about 800 nanometers to past 1000 nanometers. Thus, the #87 filter is not recording the visible spectrum of light at all, only the infrared spectrum is being recorded with the camera. Exposures are relatively long using this filter, ranging from about 1/15 to 2 seconds in the sunlight. Exposures are even longer in overcast conditions, which makes it difficult to record in-focus images of people because of subject movement. As with infrared film, I generally place my subjects in the sunlight to accentuate the infrared effect of the image. Because opaque filters like the #87 cannot be seen through, I compose my images using the camera’s small viewfinder window and not the larger LCD display, which is seeing through the lens itself. The image in the viewfinder corresponds to the image being recorded, even changing as the lens zooms in and out for different focal lengths. This 28mm opaque filter is even more beneficial when you consider that now all of the Nikon adapter lenses can be used to record digital infrared images. Thus, I can use the Nikon fisheye lens, wide-angle lens and telephoto lens attachments. The creative possibilities are limitless!
The possibilities are endless and the results speak for themselves. The ability to still provide my clients with Infrared images from their wedding day makes the digital transition possible for my studio. I feel it is important for photographers to embrace the changes in technology and look for new and better ways to give clients a unique product. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at Prfisheye@aol.com. *All of the infrared images appearing in this article were created using the modified Coolpix 950 in which the Hot Mirror filter was removed and replaced with clear glass—a modification costing around $125. Some images were made using a red #25 filter, some an orange filter. Patrick Rice is an award winning professional photographer
with over 22 years experience. He was the first photographer to earn all
five levels of the WPPI’s Accolade Degree and also received the
WPPI Honorary Lifetime Achievement Award. His highest achievement was
being selected to receive the Leadership Award from the International
Photographic Council at the United Nations in New York City as the top
international wedding photographer for the year. Patrick, along with his
wife Barbara and stepson Travis Hill will be presenting a program at WPPI
2003 at BALLY’s Las Vegas entitled, “Total Wedding Success.”
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Digital
imaging is quickly taking hold in all aspects of amateur and professional
photography. As a wedding photographer who likes to create unconventional
images, I have always enjoyed the unusual in photography. Many years ago,
this quest to be different led me to fisheye lenses. In recent years,
I have rediscovered black-andwhite photography as well as black-and-white
infrared photography. Unfortunately, in the digital world, these “outside
the box” techniques are not as readily available.
With
a filter in place, the exposures can get somewhat long and the camera
is not equipped with a cable release socket. I approached the designers
at Custom Brackets Inc. about designing a suitable camera bracket for
the Nikon Coolpix cameras (photo E). I then heard that some photographers
were “modifying” their digital cameras for better infrared
image recording. In a nutshell, photographers are removing the Hot-Mirror
filter in the camera and replacing it with clear glass of the same size.
It is important to replace the filter with glass or the camera will be
“near-sighted” and not record images sharply. I contacted
my local camera repair shop, Pro Camera Inc. in Cleveland, Ohio (216)
661-8666, and asked them to consider modifying one of my Nikon Coolpix
950 cameras. They removed the Hot-Mirror filter from my camera and had
a piece of clear glass ground to the exact dimensions to match. This modification
cost $125 and is worth every penny. The images with the #87 opaque filter
were almost too extreme for my taste. I then started experimenting with
other filters to find a filter combination that best suited my needs.
I tried a #25 red filter and I ended up with an orange filter in front
of the lens. You can decide what infrared “look” is best for
your studio and choose a filter accordingly. With the orange filter in
place, the digital infrared images look almost exactly like Kodak HIE
Infrared film, but with several advantages. First, Kodak HIE Infrared
film is expensive ($12–$18 per roll). Secondly, with the LCD screen,
you know instantly if you got the shot you wanted. There is no more need
to bracket exposures. Third, with the camera modified, my shutter speeds
are faster and I have less problems with subject movement during the exposure.
Fourth, it is possible to modify almost any digital camera by having its
Hot-Mirror filter replaced. Remember, however, that this modification
will severely alter the images recorded in the color mode. Your color
imaging will no longer record correctly.
If
you are searching for the “look” of Infrared, but do not want
to create it with a digital camera as explained above, I found another
alternative. A photographer I heard about named Fred Miranda offers an
inexpensive downloadable infrared action to roughly simulate an Infrared
image. I purchased his action as a download directly from his website
www.fredmiranda.com for only $8.50. After loading the action into my Photoshop
actions menu, I was able to quickly and easily convert any digital image
into an infrared-like image. There are some subtle differences between
using an infrared action and actually recording a scene in infrared with
proper filtration. Most notably, the Infrared action does not render clothing
in the same way as Kodak Infrared film or digital infrared capture. One
of the qualities of true infrared that I have found very appealing is
the differences in infrared reflectance of different materials. Black
tuxedos with synthetic trim are very striking because the jackets and
pants may record black, while the piping and trim are nearly white. Tuxedos
that are made entirely of synthetic materials will record in gray or even
white. True infrared can even detect a person’s real hair color.
Sound strange? We photographed a bride with beautiful blonde hair only
to have her hair recorded in infrared as dark gray. When I asked the bride
about her natural hair color, she admitted that she has her hair dyed
blonde. I have also seen infrared images where a man or woman has dyed
their hair a dark color to try to hide gray hair. You can’t hide
from infrared. Infrared actions will never be able to magically see like
true infrared can. Infrared capture from film or with a modified digital
camera is still my personal choice.