Infrared Photography Collection

Surreal Infrared Photography from Sam Dobrow

 

Infrared Photography Collection

The Infrared Photography Collection is a body of work, mostly landscape photography, created with the use of a DSLR camera converted for infrared photography. The infrared spectrum is not visible to the human eye. It may be difficult, but its not impossible, to pre-visualize an infrared image when photographing a subject. Through extensive use of his infrared camera, Sam has learned how various subjects reflect infrared light. He says learning to pre-visualize an infrared scene is similar to pre-visualizing a black and white photograph; you begin to see how certain colors translate into shades of grey. After a while, you understand how a particular surface will reflect or absorb the infrared spectrum. Skies and clouds always offer dramatic contrasts. Brightly sunlight scenes with hard shadows also create dramatic scenes; and green foliage adds a mystical glow to any infrared landscape.

Processing Infrared Photographs

Composing an infrared image is only the first step toward creating a beautiful infrared work of art. When an infrared image comes out of the camera, it is mostly a harsh red monotone image. The first steps in post processing is to adjust the white balance to distribute the invisible infrared light spectrum along the visible color light spectrum. Sam has developed several custom LUTs (Look-Up Tables) to create unique color pallets for his infrared images. Sam’s use of custom LUTs create surreal worlds of color to enhance the moods of his beautifully composed infrared photographs.