INFRARED ON A BUDGET

Mike Harris shows you how to shoot infrared images without investing in a costly camera conversion

- Mike Harris

1 HOUR

The human eye has the ability to see an extraordinary amount of colour and detail, but we’re only able to see one part of the electromagnetic spectrum. Just outside our visible light range is infrared, and while we can’t see these light waves, we can use them to create striking images.

If you’re serious about infrared photography you’d probably opt for a permanent camera conversion, but the method we’re going to show you is a much more affordable way of shooting infrared and doesn’t require you to tamper with your camera, so it’s the perfect solution if you want to have a go at this niche genre for the first time. All you need is a DSLR or mirrorless camera, and an infrared filter that’s compatible with the filter thread of your lens.

Cheap infrared filters can be easily picked up online, and you’ll usually find the size of your lens’s filter thread on its barrel or the inside of its lens cap. The filter works by only allowing infrared light to enter your lens and reach your camera’s sensor, blocking all other wavelengths of light.

Digital cameras have a filter that cuts out all but a trickle of infrared light (it’s this that’s removed if you have your camera permanently converted), which means you’ll need to use a very long exposure to get a photo that’s suitably exposed. Here’s how it’s done…