Infrared Color Schemes

I've been trading some emails with my brother about the IR color scheme that exists on my photos from the Photowalk. I'd worked with him on getting a more cyan/yellow scheme, but as I processed the photos they seemed to shift. He built me a camera profile like the ones you'd use in Camera Raw for Nikon Standard, Nikon Vivid, etc. to get a basic balance from my modified D7000. But from there it didn't go the way I was planning, though I'm happy with the results.

Here's what I came up with, and it is a schema that I was able to consistently reproduce across all the photos:




He took a look at my shots and commented how he liked the consistency of the look across the set, but it wasn't his preferred look for IR, and gave me a couple tips on things he does to get the look he likes. In following those I was able to get something closer to what I was originally shooting for:





I like them both, and I'm having a tough time deciding whether I want to go back and redo them all (you know I will). That said, I know a lot of you aren't crazy about Infrared Photography, but from an aesthetic perspective, which do you prefer?


And after you tell me that, do you prefer that or this B&W conversion?

I <3 IR photography because it's another tool in your arsenal. Once you've done enough of it, you get a feel for how things will look in IR when you're out in the world looking for shots. Maybe something catches your eye, but it's not suited to color, B&W, or even HDR. IR gives you another option to think about.

Personally, Jake, I like the first one.

The yellow one doesn't seem to run the full tonal range. There are some areas where you're starting to lose detail because the highlights are too strong. Maybe some additional tweaking will render it differently.

I'm in no way a purest, yet I like the B&W the best. In my opinion, any color creates an unbalance.

Browncoat said:

Personally, Jake, I like the first one.

The yellow one doesn't seem to run the full tonal range. There are some areas where you're starting to lose detail because the highlights are too strong. Maybe some additional tweaking will render it differently.

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I like the color of the first one, but I also thought the first one is slightly darker than the other two. Can you tweak the exposure of the last two?

hark said:

I like the color of the first one, but I also thought the first one is slightly darker than the other two. Can you tweak the exposure of the last two?

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I could, but I went dark with the red sky to reflect mood. I actually prefer the exposure on the last two.

BackdoorHippie said:

I could, but I went dark with the red sky to reflect mood. I actually prefer the exposure on the last two.

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Hmm. Difficult call. I'll still go with the first one. The second reminds me of sepia. The last one is nice though, too.

Of the three I prefer the first....

OK, what about this with the additional contrast?

I like it, but I know I need my monitor calibrated again (as of earlier this afternoon). Some of the dark, shadowed areas on the building now have a purplish cast to them, but it just might be my monitor. However, I do like the color and exposure of this one.

Does anyone else have an opinion on BackdoorHippie's IR coloring or B&W photos? We have until 12 noon ET on October 14th to submit one photo for the Scott Kelby contest. Sorry, I didn't mean to monopolize BackdoorHippie's thread!

hark said:

Does anyone else have an opinion on BackdoorHippie's IR coloring or B&W photos? We have until 12 noon ET on October 14th to submit one photo for the Scott Kelby contest. Sorry, I didn't mean to monopolize BackdoorHippie's thread!

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No worries, Hark. I've got the information I need. My main reason for asking is that the color scheme my brother prefers seems to be less popular than the cyan/magenta (i.e. cotton candy) that you usually find in IR shots, and I'm trying to figure out which I prefer, or if I need a preference? There's something to be said about consistency across your body of work, and there's something to be said about pleasing your audience. But ultimately it's about what I like, and for me that can change with the subject. Nothing wrong with that, I suppose, and it's nice having the ability to fly the colors in either direction. I was just curious if there was a preference among the folks here.

I'm still on the fence about my submission, but am leaning towards a non-IR shot anyway.

I think the edited yellow IR is an improvement for sure.

Difficult call on which to submit. Knowing this is a Kelby contest, he does tend to be a bit more outside the box than others and would probably appreciate an IR shot versus something more traditional.

Browncoat said:

I think the edited yellow IR is an improvement for sure.

Difficult call on which to submit. Knowing this is a Kelby contest, he does tend to be a bit more outside the box than others and would probably appreciate an IR shot versus something more traditional.

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Yes, but the problem is that Scott Kelby won't even see BackdoorHippie's shot unless Jake wins the Princeton contest first. So it depends upon the local leader's choice of a group winner and whether or not she even likes IR.

Yeah, good point.

Just like anything else, all you can do is put your best foot forward and hope for the best. Any of the IR edits are nice, but you run the risk of a judging panel who doesn't care for IR. It's a gamble.

Of the first three, definitely the first shot. It has more depth and warmth to it than the other two. At the same time, it has a surreal look to it that adds to the interest. I'm not a fan of IR, but like Browncoat said, it does add an extra element to ones arsenal of shooting styles.