Some thoughts on infrared photography.

I know, I know, I promised "next post" I would talk about project ideas, but it's not ready yet...

Would like to take a moment to say a few words, an apology of sorts, for all things infrared-photographic. I know it's not everyone's cup of tea, and after about a year or two of dabbling in it myself, there are times when I can attest I don't care much for it, either - or at least how it usually manifests itself, all-white foliage and bizarrely colored skies. It's definitely striking, when you first encounter it, maybe stays that way after a few more encounters, but starts to get a bit old after a while. Gimmicky, some say, that IR look. I confess I agree with that point of view, a bit.

But IR is just another tool, a technique, after all, and there are really no rules that say you can only use it one way and not in other ways. I've been frustrated more often than satisfied with my IR photography in the last couple years, but persist in it, because...well, partly it's because I'm of the opinion I just haven't figured out the right use for it yet (that "use for it" that yields an image that truly interests me). So I'm still looking for an interesting subject or genre for IR. I think that cloud thing has definite potential, something I should revisit, so long as I approach it as an abstract form - I think if I pulled back the perspective and saw the clouds in their whole environment, it wouldn't quite have the same force. I've also found that I far prefer rendering my IR shots in black and white, with toning sometimes, than in color, and especially in "false color" IR. Bumping the ISO to insane levels also provides a nice bit of grain right there in camera, which translates well in black and white, I've found. Like the example above, I'm starting to actually tease a few images out that I really enjoy looking at.

Dammit, I'm going to find what I like about IR even if it kills me.