Shoot infrared this summer

Create images that are out of this world by capturing light that’s invisible to the eye

Summer is the perfect time of year to shoot infrared photography. There is lots of light, and all that green foliage makes the landscape turn into a snow-like scene when it’s captured through infrared light.

There are two ways to shoot an infrared image, like this shot by Przemyslaw Kruk. The first (and cheaper) is to use a filter. You have to use a long shutter speed setting, and you may encounter hotspots. The more expensive way is to use a converted IR camera. Many photographers convert an old DSLR or CSC model: once you’ve converted, you can’t go back! If you are going to convert a camera, we recommend you get a professional IR conversion company to do it for you.

Alternatively if both of these techniques sound like too much hard work you can always fake the effect in Photoshop. Add a Channel Mixer adjustment layer to your image. In the Red channel, set Red to 0% and Blue to 100%; in the Blue channel, set Red to 100% and Blue to 0%.