It’s always a treat when other photographers recognize the amount of work and high quality we put into our photographs. Rick Sammon, one of Canon’s skilled Explorers of Light, has collected more than 200 tips from himself and other incredibly talented photographers in his new book entitled Digital Wedding Photography Secrets. He asked if he could use one of my images, along with a brief explanatory article about the photo for the chapter, “Pros Share Their Shooting Secrets”. I was excited and honored to offer whatever help I could.
Here is the image that caught his eye and the article I wrote to go along with it (you will find it on page 118 in the book):
GOT IR?
When shooting weddings, it’s always my goal to find a way to bring just an added touch of the surreal to an already unbelievable day. Sometimes that means playing with f-stops or looking for interesting angles. And other times it means using an entirely non-traditional tool to create imagery the bride & groom have never seen before. One such tool is a DSLR modified to photograph in infrared light.
Since I’m always experimenting with new gear and cameras, I had a Canon Rebel that wasn’t seeing a lot of day-to-day use. So I had it modified for IR-only photography. The resulting tool was exactly what I needed to create some of our favorite and most compelling images.
On the technical side of things, I always shoot my IR images in the RAW file format. This gives me the greatest amount of headroom for recovering blown highlights in the initial file capture. Additionally, creating and using a custom white balance for your camera will help you to more easily visualize and review your images during your photo session. I find that one of the joys of photographing in infrared is the unexpected surprises you get after pressing the shutter release button. While you generally need strong sunlight to produce optimal IR photos, break the rules now and then. Make sure you EXPERIMENT with your camera settings and shooting conditions to find something special and unique.
Of course, photography is about so much more than technical details. It’s also about emotions, feelings, and reactions. If you have a love for photography and an eye for the unusual, then you may well find yourself drawn towards an infrared romance.
Click this link to find Rick Sammon’s book at Amazon.com.
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