Infrared wedding pictures in colour – first findings

August 13th, 2008

Here is a selection of the infrared files from my recent weddings. I chose to shoot a few infrared pictures to explore the medium rather than make contenders for the wedding album. A Lovegrove album usually follows a fairly strict pattern of style and infrared pictures would stand out like a sore thumb. However, our clients have been very happy to buy albums for both themselves and their parents plus the occasional arty picture for the wall. So with this final product in mind I set about taking the arty picture for the wall. Scene setters with a romantic flavour will do just fine.

Venues as well as couples love pictures like these.

Wide shots of milling groups like this are ideal infrared subjects. This one includes the bride.

Wide shots of milling groups like this are ideal infrared subjects. This one includes the bride.

The mother and daughter look surreal in this striking scene.

The mother and daughter look surreal in this striking scene.

I expect the wedding venue, St Audries Park in Somerset, will love a few big signed prints made on Hahnemuhle Photo Rag. Anyway, this post is designed to trigger chains of thought and stimulate the exploration of further uses of infrared photography either on the wedding day or for taking romantic pictures of historical buildings.

Update:

The following pictures were taken at my latest wedding in Dublin, Ireland. They will certainly make an interesting multiframe or individual prints.

Mozaic of tiny pebbles created in 1875

Sweeping designs in an ornate formal garden.

Sweeping designs in an ornate formal garden.

Wrought iron with gilded bronze detail.

Wrought iron with gilded bronze detail.

Classical stone figure under stormy skies.

Classical stone figure under stormy skies.

Sweeping stone steps.

Sweeping stone steps.

If you found this helpful, you may also like How to shoot digital colour infrared pictures and Infrared portrait ~ Picture and Technique

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7 Comments Add your own

  • 1. Richie Owens  |  August 26th, 2008 at 2:57 pm

    Great shots there Damien. I take it that these were taken with the converted 10D that you told me about?
    What sort of post production do they need out of camera?

    Great stuff

    Cheers

    Richie

  • 2. Richie Owens  |  August 26th, 2008 at 2:59 pm

    Opps just seen the entry on the IR action.

    Ta

  • 3. Dave Stanway  |  November 19th, 2008 at 10:05 am

    Great shots and stunning affect, i am considering having my spare D70s converted, any advice and is there much post production in PS ?

  • 4. jean dawkins  |  January 30th, 2009 at 10:04 pm

    great shots i am going to get my old banger convered i like the white tree,s thank you for showing us something new to us . all the best jean.

  • 5. Joseph Adams  |  September 13th, 2009 at 2:35 pm

    I had an old 10D converted by ACS and to be honest I am finding it to be hit or miss.

    Maybe the white balance is set wrong, but sometimes I get really nice punchy IR pics and othertimes, a washout.

    Do you reset your custom WB for each shoot or is there some magic setting I haven’t found?

    Thanks

    Joe

  • 6. Gary Tapp  |  November 11th, 2009 at 11:44 am

    Damien, I’ve been following all the IR threads and techniques with interest in your blog and know this is a follow-up to an old post but I was surprised to find that only JPEG’s from a converted camera or IR filter setup was being used.

    I did some research and found a way to use RAW files and overcome the 2000K White Balance (WB) limit in Lightroom and Adobe RAW:

    Information can be found here at http://khromagery.com.au/ir_raw.html and basically explains how to produce your own IR profiles from a DNG from your camera. This enables you to drop back the WB much further back than standard thus allowing you set your own IR WB without having to shoot at green grass first and set a WB in camera.

    Sorry if this post is old news but I hope this help.

    P.S I’m practising my IR techniques using a Hoya R72 with a 20D/5D/5D MkII at them moment until my ACS converted old canon camera arrives in the next few weeks.

    Thanks
    Gary

  • 7. damien  |  November 20th, 2009 at 5:44 pm

    Gary, You are a star. Just what I needed. Top suggestion and worthy of a gold star! Damien.

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