Black and white photography tip: Otherworldly effect with an infrared filter

Wednesday 8 May 2024, 14:07 by Elja Trum | 2,086 views | 2 comments

This article was translated from Dutch with the help of AI. Read the original.

An infrared filter creates a very unusual effect. Despite what its name suggests, this type of filter blocks everything except the infrared spectrum.

f/6.3, 1/320s, 100 ISO @ 18mm
The effect of the filter is unusual. Green is shown as white and blue becomes black. It produces a very unnatural-looking image that resembles a winter scene.

Because these are colours you normally do not want to see in your photo, most cameras contain a filter that blocks infrared light. You can have this filter removed, but your camera is then less suitable for ordinary photography. Removing the infrared filter is beneficial for astrophotography, however.

You can of course also recreate the effect in Photoshop.

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About the author

Elja Trum is the founder of Photofacts and online photography course website Photofacts Academy. He has been writing about photography since 2006. Elja is also the author of (Dutch) books on composition, black-and-white photography, flash photography and portrait photography.

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2 comments

Donald Willemsen wrote on Tuesday 14 May 2024 at 10:51 | reply
If you only have one body, I wouldn't have the filter removed. If you happen to have an old body lying around, it is worth it. Especially if you also want to start doing astrophotography.
Translated from Dutch.

Nando wrote on Wednesday 15 May 2024 at 09:32 | reply
For those who do have a converted camera, you could use an IR filter to take normal images again.
Instead of the IR filter for the sensor, you have one for your lens.
Translated from Dutch.

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