Infrared Look

[TPPhotog]

I seem to remember from the dark pit where my brain should be that using a Polarizing filter and Red filter together with a standard black and white film produces an infrared look.

Does anyone remember anything like this or have experince of trying it?

Tony

 

[Les McLean]

Red and Polariser together will give you the dramatic skies associated with infra red when there are white clouds in a blue sky. From memory I think you need to allow about 5 stops in compensation for the filters. You can further increase the contrast by under exposing and increasing development which will probably increase the grain.

 

[TPPhotog]

Thank you Les I'm in your debt once again. I'll give it a try as soon as we get some good light and a sky full of clouds which could be anytime with the weather conditions here at the moment.
Tony

 

[Dave Miller]

I seem to remember from the dark pit where my brain should be that using a Polarizing filter and Red filter together with a standard black and white film produces an infrared look.

Does anyone remember anything like this or have experince of trying it?

Tony

I've used the combination as an emergency neutral density set and have never notice any infrared enharncement. So I think the short answer to this is a simple no!
As Les says the use of these two filters together will dramatically darken blue skys, but they will not effect green in the same way that infrared film does.

 

[roy]

As Les says the use of these two filters together will dramatically darken blue skys, but they will not effect green in the same way that infrared film does.

Dramatic contrast yes, but I canot visualise the 'bleaching' effect on the greens.

 

[Lee Shively]

It's "kinda" an infrared effect but it depends on the light. To me, it's more of an interesting night-time effect that can be done at noon.

 

[bjorke]

Really depends on what you're shooting -- skies, foliage, people... To test, shoot some bracketed color frames with the polarizer, drop them into photoshop (or similar) and examine the individual RGB color layers. Do any of them look sort of like what you want for this subject? Then using that as a guide choose an appropriate filter and tweak the development is whichever direction you feel would be most appropriate (for an IRE look, go grainy and contrasty). Of course, by the time you're done testing you might have had time to scare-up some proper IR film

 

[jd callow]

Bjorke, discribes how I've created faux B&W IR effects from digital RGB files.

 

[jim kirk jr.]

One note on the red/polarizer combo.In my experience at least the polarizing effect with a wide lens is not consistent over the whole sky so the sky may not be uniformly black.Of course alot has to do with the position of the sun-usually at 90 degrees is best.

 

[TPPhotog]

Many thanks for the additional advice everyone. Les did say the combo should give me "the dramatic skies associated with infra red when there are white clouds in a blue sky" and not mention foliage btw Since I made the posting we've had nothing but flat light around here but when I have the conditions I'll give it a try and see what happens. Might even pick up a couple of real IR when I have the change as Bjorke suggested

I'm trying to stay away from PS as much as possible which is why my neg scanner is up for sale in the other forum (shameless plug warning - any reasonable offers considered btw folks ). From now on it's flatbed of my wet prints only to post up here and to finally get around to updating my tatty site LOL

 

[glbeas]

I've shot true infrared even on flat lighting days and gotten good detail in the clouds, not seen in the visible. The infrared look has a lot to do with how IR is scattered or not depending on what it hits. There is no scattering in a clear sky, hence the ultra darkness of it, but water vapor scatters it strongly so accentuates cloud traces almost unseen in the sky. Vegetations chlorophyll reflects it strongly so live leaves glow while dead leaves dont. It's not even the green color that does it because I've seen plants with other colors turn just as white. Many dyes are transparent to it, film dyes are for example seen by using two layers of unexposed and processed Ektachrome as an IR filter. Thats where the see through clothing scandal came about with the Sony video night shot cams. Many synthetic clothing dyes are no better, turning sheer at the drop of a filter. Infrared portraits are interesting in that the light penetrates the skin to a degree and you can trace veins underneath fairly easily. Helps with that soft waxy look you get.