Light
exists that the human eye can’t see. I could elaborate further (well,
not me, since I don’t understand science, but someone who knows things
could), but this is the only basic premise you need to understand (near)
infrared photography.
So if our eyes can’t see it, and our cameras typically can’t see it,
how the heck do we photograph infrared light? Well, the camera actually
can see it. The camera’s sensor is actually quite sensitive to infrared
light, but camera manufacturers place a filter called a “Hot Mirror” to
block this light from reaching the sensor, meaning that only the
“regular” light (or visible light as it’s properly known) reaches the
sensor. However, this filter only blocks the vast majority of infrared
light, but not all of it.
Thus, by using a filter (the Hoya R72 is a popular choice) on top of
the lens that blocks out all visible light, we can use standard cameras
to capture infrared photos. Unfortunately, because the camera’s Hot
Mirror blocks out almost all infrared light, and the filter on top of
the lens is blocking out all visible light, really long exposures are
required to achieve properly exposed infrared photos. I’m talking 60
seconds or more in broad daylight. The exposure times are typically
longer with newer cameras, as the camera manufacturers continue to
improve upon the sensors, making them less sensitive to infrared light.
So, with this method, you can use your camera mounted to a tripod for 60
plus second exposures in broad daylight. That’s how long it was taking
me to capture infrared photos with my Nikon D7000 when I first purchased
an infrared filter.
Being
lazy and impatient, I bought a DSLR that had its Hot Mirror removed so
that it shoots only in infrared, allowing me to capture infrared shots
with exposure times roughly equivalent to those used with a normal
camera. The downside here is that most of these cameras are going to be
older models, such as the Nikon D50, D70, or D100. If you haven’t used
any of these bad boys in a few years, and you purchase one of these
cameras, you’re going to be in for a surprise: the LCD review screen is
significantly smaller and the dynamic range is significantly worse,
among other things. That said, I still think this is the far superior of
the two options.
With
the gear in hand to properly capture an infrared photo, your best bet
is to go out and find some greenery. Infrared light tries to hide from
us humans in trees ‘n’ stuff, making foliage and flora shots the best
bet for infrared photos. Unsurprisingly, the Disney theme parks are rife
with photo opportunities. Animal Kingdom is a great park for infrared
photography (the only time I enjoy photographing the place!), as are the
untrodden paths around Cinderella Castle in the Magic Kingdom. Flower
and Garden Festival at Epcot makes for great infrared photography, as do
topiaries around property, in general. Even the Studios, with its many
palms lining Commissary Lane and Sunset Boulevard, has some great spots
for infrared photos.
Out west at Disneyland, the hub makes an excellent place to shoot, as
does Rancho del Zocalo in Frontierland and Hungry Bear Restaurant in
Critter Country. Across the Esplanade at Disney California Adventure,
the forests of the Golden State and palms of Paradise Pier make
excellent options.
Once
you’ve taken pictures, the next step is processing the photos. When you
dump the photos onto your computer, you’ll find that most of them are a
red hot mess. This is easily corrected by performing a red/blue channel
swap in Photoshop. Using the channel mixer, set the red channel to 0%
red and 100% blue, and the blue channel to 100% red and 0% blue. Your
mileage may vary on this, and you may find somewhere less extreme (say,
3% and 97%, 97% and 3%) is best. I haven’t found that to be the case
yet, and actually now use a Photoshop Action because I got sick of doing
this manually.
At this point, you’ll have blues where there were once reds, and the
image will look a lot more realistic (well, relatively speaking, since
trees and grass don’t “realistically” appear white), but it will likely
be a bit flat. You’ll want to do a curves adjustment, picking black and
white points. I usually use an adjustment layer to do this, and then I
use another adjustment layer to add brightness, masking out the areas
that would otherwise be blown out if I brighten them. It may sound
difficult, but I’ve found infrared images are some of the
easiest-to-process images!
Alternatively, if you prefer the classic black and white look to your
infrared photos, you can simply convert them to black and white. I
usually do this by opening the channels palette, but there are a number
of methods you can use to do this–there’s really no wrong or right way.
From there, you’ll want to make curves adjustments, as the image will
likely be a bit flat.
So
there you have it, my “simple” guide to Infrared Disney Photography!
All you have to do is purchase a new camera, take a trip to Disney, and
then process the images. That’s all!
2.
Zermatt - Although there are many beautiful ski resorts in Switzerland,
Zermatt stands out as one of the top Switzerland tourist attractions
because it is located at the foot of the Matterhorn, the most famous
peak of the Swiss Alps. Even if you're not into skiing, you can still
enjoy the view while dining at a gourmet restaurant or shopping around
the town.
3.
Geneva Jet D'eau - This fountain in the heart of one of Switzerland's
major cities is one of the tallest fountains in the world, projecting
water up to 140 meters high. Built in 1891, it is also considered one of
the symbols of the city of Geneva.
4.
Swiss National Park - Although you cannot pitch a tent and spend the
night at Swiss National Park, you can certainly appreciate the different
views of the Alps as you go hiking, which is why it is one of the
Switzerland tourist attractions worth seeing. It is also Switzerland's
only national park, covering almost half the area of the entire country.
It is a sanctuary for various wildlife such as elks, marmots and
eagles, as well.
5.
Swiss Transport Museum - Located in Lucerne, the Swiss Transport Museum
is home to an exhibit of locomotives, ships, aircraft, automobile and
other modes of transport and communication. It also houses an extensive
collection of the works of Hans Erni, a Swiss painter and sculptor.
You're sure to enjoy the Planetarium and the IMAX theatre, too.
