A week or so ago I shared some infrared photos with no post processing. Since then I have been beavering away to try and post process these RAW files, experimenting with all kinds of tints, temperatures, white balance and sharpness.
I settled on monochrome, because this is what inspired me to take infrared photography in the first place. I confess, it wasn’t easy to post process these – the desire for sharp and defined shots is hard to shake off as a photographer and I kept having to remind myself that I was inspired by infrared photography because I loved the rawness of the images produced – the ‘olde world’e feel of the final shots. I like the opportunity to unashamedly experiment with grain, soft focus, and allow the definition to be dictated by the contrast of black and white alone. This is what I wanted to trial and it was as much about getting out of my comfort zone as it was in finding another one.
I am encouraged by these… don’t get me wrong, they are not award winners, but they were taken in low light, with a compact camera on a tripod which was slipping on the ice, and at minus 38 degrees Celsius (needless to say my patience for sharpness was compromise by the fear of frostbite that day!) .
I feel comforted that these shots make me want to continue exploring this style of photography… but I do welcome feedback and thoughts. I am keen to learn and experiment further.
Additional infrared images are available in the Taraji Blue infrared photo library which is freely available online.