Category Archives: Infrared

Experimentation & Practice

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‘Color Infrared Practice’
Heatherwood Japanese Garden

I have been practicing infrared photography in preparation for an upcoming photography workshop in South Dakota’s Badlands. All of my previous infrared (IR) work has been in monochrome. I thought I would play around with a little color IR processing as a change of pace. This image was created using a color IR filter which adds a yellow/orange tint to elements that reflect IR and a blue tint to elements that absorb IR.

The jury is still out regarding the color processing.

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Place for Peace and Quiet

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‘Southeast Corner Rest Stop’
Heatherwood Summer

This quiet spot is in the southeast corner of our garden. We planted a set of various conifers and a few deciduous trees to provide a cosy corner to rest and view the lower section of Heatherwood. The corner is highlighted with several uncommon conifers that provide special interest as we sit and enjoy the sights.

In the spring we admire the blossoms from a field of daffodils and trees from our crabapple grove. In the summer we view our multicolored meadow as we gaze up to our house above. In the fall, splotches of yellow, orange, red, and purple of the fall foliage pepper the garden in front of us. During the winter, the green and yellow conifers dominate the view complemented by the red, yellow, and oranges of the red, yellow, and midwinter fire branches of the dogwood shrubs. It is a great place to just sit and enjoy the world around us.

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More Infrared Practice

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‘Japanese Garden Waterfall in IR’
Heatherwood Summer

I am working hard to learn and experiment what makes an interesting infrared image. I look for contrasts that infrared will highlight. In this image the infrared pulls out the greens and yellows of the trees and shrubs surrounding the dark shade of the pond, rocks, and sky. The reflections from the water makes the stream flowing over the rocks and the ripples on the pond stand out.

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Hot, Hot, Hot!

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“Dog Days of Summer”
Heatherwood Lower Yard

This week has been a scorcher with temperatures rising above 105 degrees! By 10 AM, the temperature reaches above 90 degrees. It is really too hot to do much of anything outside. But, it is a great time to create a few infrared images. I need to do a little IR photography practice as I prepare for a workshop in the Badlands of South Dakota in September.

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Looking Northeast, I Dream

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‘Lower Yard Looking Northeast’
Heatherwood Summer

My eyes follow the lawn path through the lower garden up to Selah Bluff on the horizon. The infrared perspective puts me into a dream-like state. I wonder what is beyond the bluff. Beyond, the Wenas valley slopes to the Yakima River. Then another set of ridges rise up then down to the Ryegrass plateau. The plateau rolls along then descends down to the Columbia River. Ridges of the Yakima folds rise up from the river and level off into the farmlands of the Columbia Basin. A few small farm towns sprinkle the basin. Two-hundred miles away lies Spokane.

I then think of the sprawling metropolitan area between Olympia and Everett, and am thankful for where I live. I am a country boy at heart.

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Home

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‘Lower Yard’
Heatherwood Summer

I enjoy a nice peaceful day at home. A morning cup of coffee overlooking the garden is a nice way to start the day. After a simple breakfast on the patio, we enjoy a few hours of work in the yard to fill out the morning. A casual lunch in the shade of the patio awning is a good time to think what we want to do do for the balance of the day. Maybe it is running an errand or two, a little reading or computer work inside where it is cool, or maybe even a little nap. Then as the temperature cools down a bit, it is time to mow the yard. A glass of wine or cold beer sitting by the pond is a good way to finish off the afternoon. Finally as we have dinner again outside on the patio, we talk about how great a day it has been.

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A Different Way of Looking

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‘Lower Garden’
Heatherwood Summer

It’s midday. the sun is directly above, the temperature is close to 100 degrees. It’s not the ideal time to photograph the garden. But wait, the harsh sun reflecting off the garden vegetation and bright blue skies make an ideal opportunity to work in the infrared spectrum. The bright reflections from the grass and foliage contrast with the dark tone of the blue sky providing an interesting perspective.

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Looking Up

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“Tree Abstract”
Yakima Arboretum, Washington

I have a habit of standing near the trunk of large trees and following the limbs up to the sky. I almost always find an interesting abstract if I twist around a bit to get just the right composition. One time back in Peace Valley Park near Doylestown, PA, I slipped standing on a log and fell into the crotch of the tree and got stuck. Luckily after several minutes, I was able to wriggle myself free. I am not quite as persistent to get the right angle these days!

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Foot Zoom

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“Japanese Garden Pond”
Yakima Arboretum, Washington

I must remember, “simplify, simplify, and simplify” when I use a wide angle lens. For this image, my subject was the Japanese lantern balanced by the rock jutting out into the pond. All the additional stuff to the right was not essential and just cluttered the image. I just needed to “foot zoom” a few steps closer to make it a better image.

“Foot Zoomed”

I must remember to get in close and intimate when working with a wide angle lens. On the positive side, working with infrared allowed me to achieve a reasonable dynamic range with the harsh highlights and shadows.

I am humbled with my progress, but still encouraged. As my website theme highlights, my photographic excursions are a “Never Ending Journey.”

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Change of Pace

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“Japanese Garden”
Yakima Area Arboretum, Washington

Today’s post moves away from Heatherwood to the Yakima Area Arboretum. Almost all of my recent photography work has been in our Heatherwood garden. I feel like I need a little change. Reviewing this week’s “Nature TTL” web site, I noticed the weekly challenge to be wide-angle images. It has been over a year since I created my last infrared images in the Palouse. So I gave myself the assignment to go to our local arboretum and photograph wide-angle infrared scenes. I quickly noticed how “out of practice” I was. I had to focus much harder on managing contrasts between tones, highlights and shadows, as well as details. Critiquing my work, I feel it was about a 3 on a scale of 10. But that is OK … it just means that I need to practice more! More to follow on future posts …

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