A Look Into The World Of Infrared Photography (Ir Photography)

The artist vocation is to send light into the human heart - George Sand.

- Aniket Tiwari

Photographers are always looking for ways to capture light in all possible and artistic ways. Now to an extent where professionals have delved into a form of photography which doesn’t even use light from a visible spectrum, yes we are referring to Infrared. Originally used for defence purposes, Infrared photography has now become really famous amongst professional photographers and has taken to the mainstream pop culture. You can easily spot infrared photography websites and Instagram accounts showcasing vibrant psychedelic pictures. Infrared almost gives a painting like effect and people are already milking out extraordinary content from this technique.

Though the effects of infrared photography have been experimented with, but the return of this technique has created a stir again. Earlier artist like Frank Zappa and Jimi Hendrix used them for their album covers for a darker and intellectual touch. Now infrared has seeped into other genres too like landscapes, portraits etc. It is not used for just the psychedelic effects anymore. It has become a part of serious photography.

History

The first forays into IR photography, using special film plates, began in the early part of the 20th century. During WWI, IR photography proved extremely valuable, as images using the IR spectrum were not affected as much by atmospheric haze as normal photos. IR images were also able to show stark distinctions between vegetation and buildings, better identifying potential enemy targets such as camouflaged munitions factories and other key sites. Rivers, streams, lakes, and other waterways were depicted in a very dark hue, making them much more obvious.

The popularization of infrared photography started in the 1960s when 35mm false-colour infrared film became available from Kodak.

How does infrared photography work?