Psychedelia at Bodiam Castle
Colour infrared is an acquired taste, but one that has been part of David's photographic toolbox for more than ten years
One of the best things I ever did to my photography was to change frequency. In 2009, ephotozine, an online camera resource, asked me to ‘donate a camera’ for an infrared conversion and to provide a review. My donor was a 6D Mark I, which had been lounging around at home, since an EOS-1DS Mark III forced it into retirement. This new medium was so compelling, that I didn't take another colour photo for four months.
So what is all this about? Well in brief, your eyes see between violet, a wavelength of 350nm, to around 700nm, the wavelength for red. This is only approximate, but it gives a good indication of how we perceive the world. Below violet, there is ultraviolet, where insects see attractive flowers and above 700nm there is infrared, which extends upwards towards thermal imaging infrared, to microwaves and beyond. The key is to mix a little of the colour spectrum with infrared, so my 6D (a 665nm conversion), can produce some exciting ‘colour’ infrared.
I take an infrared body everywhere I travel. In this instance, the target is Bodiam Castle. Historical buildings, neolithic sites, standing stones and moorland all make exciting subjects in monochromatic infrared, but how are these turned into colour? The answer is channel swapping – using the Photoshop colour mixer to swap the red and blue channels. I can then change the colours of the skies back to blue, the trees to pink, peach or, indeed, any fascinating colour combination. It’s extremely exciting.
I am hovering on the edge of the moat. Unruly children seem to carpet-bomb gravel into the water like machine-gun fire, tricking unsuspecting geese into thinking they're being fed. My wife Rachel unleashes a burst of schoolteacher counter fire at them, before going on a guided tour of the castle.
“This new medium was so compelling, so addictive, that I didn't take another colour photograph for four months”
Bodiam is a classic castle design – a square keep with a wooden access bridge. Considering where to shoot, I wander around the edge of the bank. As I walk to the corner, it all comes together. A great architectural photography rule is to shoot the subject symmetrically positioned in the centre and again at 45º, so you can see the length and the depth of the subject. This reveals everything you need to know about the subject's dimensions, with light adding the necessary shadows to give it a 3D pop.
It is a duck and dive underneath branches with my Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8l II USM, but I can see a shot coming together using the river bank as a foreground. One of the best tips I can give when looking for the sweet spot is to sketch. Move around the subject, shoot and review. This won’t be ‘the masterpiece’, but it gives you everything you need to assess the elements.
I am too high. I edge closer to the water. The gentle wind has dropped, reflections appear – the geese are back. They swim right through the reflection, but it still holds; in fact it makes the shot! I shoot f/16, 1/30 sec, ISO400 and quickly switch to portrait. The fluffy clouds are delightful. It all comes together in the hardest of lunchtime light.
Back in the camper van, I cook up pink and blue. It’s a delight. I mask the trees to make the other peach. This is the magic of colour infrared. Do not think like a landscape photographer – become a digital artist, think home decor. Go wild with concept, but be gentle, or people might think you’ve lost your marbles!
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