JohnSwanda Loc: San Francisco

I started IR photography years ago with Kodak High-Speed Infrared B&W film. I shot 35mm and 4x5 with a Calumet field camera. The film was so sensitive that it had to be loaded into the camera in darkness, so we carried a changing bag. I have always been attracted to photography which doesn't look like the way the eye sees things, and I found IR a good way to do that. The attraction was the white foliage, but also this film had a kind of haze to it that doesn't happen with digital IR.

I tried the color IR film, but the red skies and just the overall color was just a little too far out. But after I went digital, I saw some examples of the digital color images with the red/blue channel swap which gives blue skies and I loved that. The color is somewhat surreal, but the blue sky grounds it some in reality, even if it isn't a natural blue. I had an old Nikon D70s converted by Lifepixel with their Enhanced Color filter, which is 665. I knew I wanted to do the false color work, and they told me I could convert it to B&W. I tried that, but digital B&W printed on an inkjet just couldn't compare with the silver prints from B&W IR film from back in the day. After a couple years shooting the D70s I thought my IR photography could use an upgrade in resolution (the D70s is 6mp.) so I sent my studio workhorse for many years, a D2X, to Lifepixel for conversion, with 12 mp. I used that for several years, and it just recently died. With no more old cameras to convert, I just bought a used 7100 with a conversion from Lifelpixel for $660, and I've only been out to shoot with it one time.

I do a WB from sunlit green grass as recommended, which cuts down the excessive red in the files. Then with the red/blue channel swap the image still doesn't seem to have much color. But by adding saturation applied to each individual color I could really pull a lot of color out of them. I know some people don't care for a lot of saturation, but it seems to me that since the color isn't meant to be realistic anyway, I can get away with it. Here are some shots from the first two cameras. I live half a block from Golden Gate Park, and these were all shot there. A couple of them have an accompanying JPEG of the RAW file. It just amazes me that I can pull all those colors out of them.

mvetrano2 Loc: Commack, NY

nice

pixelmaven Loc: Reno, NV

Super! #2 really stand out despite the color "push." I agree that exploration with IR is open totally to interpretation. A fine representation of choices and subject matter.

Fotoartist Loc: Detroit, Michigan

Very cool and unusual color schemes!

chasgroh Loc: Buena Park, CA

I like your approach, John.

petrochemist Loc: UK

Some great results John - 2,4 & 10 are my personal favourites.
It takes dedication to shoot IR with film, it's not something I plan to try!

My own IR journey has all been in the last dozen years & totally digital.
So far it's involved a moderately sensitive DSLR, a compact with 'nightshot', a pre converted (full spectrum) mirrorless, followed by a converted to order mirrorless & a self converted foveon.

Results from each differ (sometimes fairly subtly). I'll use a range of things for WB, green grass, concrete, the back of my hand, or simply set kelvin scales & find the results of one will suit a particular subject better than another.

joecichjr Loc: Chicago S. Suburbs, Illinois, USA

Makes every one look like a shot of Paradise 🎯🎯🎯🎯🎯