What Is Infrared Digital Photography

One of the most amazing and beautiful photographs are ones produced using infrared photography. Additionally, digital infrared photography is one of the best in producing this kind of photos. Infrared photography techniques has been available for many years, however due to its expensive nature not a lot of people are able to utilize this kind of technique. The onset of digital cameras made infrared photography a lot more affordable and easier.

The technology in most digital cameras allows any person to enjoy the different world of infrared photos. Nowadays, anyone can add and produce a different kind of infrared photos by simple changing the settings of the camera. Additionally, there are also lenses that make infrared photography much more amazing.

Infrared photography can be achieved by using a film or sensor that makes an object sensitive to infrared lights. Infrared photography can be categorized as part of thermal imaging. It is a part of the spectrum that allows distinction from far infrared to near infrared. Wavelengths utilized for photography ranges from 700 nanometers to 900 nanometers. When using an infrared filter, the light passes through the camera but it blocks all other light spectrum allowing only the black or the red light to be visible.

When using special infrared filters with the infrared sensitive film or sensor, an in camera effect can be obtained and produce false colored objects. This false color effects is also known as the wood effect.

The History of Infrared Photography

Infrared photography has not become available until the 20th century. This is because of the presence of silver halide emulsions which are the components of films before, are not sensitive to long wavelengths of light without adding dye to be the color sensitizer.

The first infrared photos were published in the February 1910 issue of The Century Magazine as well as the 1910 October issue of the Royal Photographic Society Journal. It was made by Robert W. Wood, who was the one who discovered the unique effects which now is famously bearing his name (The Wood Effect). The infrared photographs made by wood were taken using experimental films which needs a long exposure time, meaning most of his work focused on landscape.

Infrared sensitive plates were produced in the United States during the First World War to make spectroscopic analysis. The infrared sensitizing dyes were made to improve the penetration of haze when aerial photography is made. During the 1930s, Kodak as well as other makers of films made new emulsions that are used for infrared photography.

During the 1930s infrared photography became more popular with the availability of more tools. This was also the time that the infrared photography became a commercially available form of photography.

Infrared photography nowadays are utilized not only by photographers but as well as scientists and technicians for various purposes and reasons. Today, infrared digital photography is used by photography enthusiasts and is more becoming a hobby rather than something that is unusually done.

IR photography is unusual in way since it relies mostly on the settings of the camera to make images using different colors that are not usually available to the naked eye. Infrared waves are able to penetrate different and unusual kind of haze which produces a different kind of photos. Moreover, infrared photography also makes the long wavelength heat released by objects to become visible. This makes infrared digital photos very important to many physicists as well as astronomers.

There are plenty of ways to take photos using infrared photography technique. This kind of technique produces a one of a kind photography and is considered an important part of many medical and scientific work.