POTD 22 June 2015 - Swannery Infrared

[Mike Farley]

I have not done much infrared work this year, which seems to be as a result of not carrying my DSLR gear around so much as I used to. This was taken at the Swannery at Abbotsbury, a much loved location of which I have taken many shots. This was an attempt to do something a bit different.

Swannery Infrared.jpg (137.87 KiB) Viewed 3620 times

[Ronald Barker]

Well done Mike, I like this image a lot particularly the boarder you have applied.

[Mike Farley]

Hi Ron

Thanks for your comments. It's always good to get feedback, good or constructive*, and we do not encourage each other enough around here by doing it more often.

*

[davidc]

In the spirit of constructive feedback then...

With so much greenery there are a lot of competing highlighted areas in the scene. The grass in the foreground is the biggest distraction for me, almost like a barrier to clamber across to look at the rest of the picture.

The little house works well and the trees on the left are nice but I think the area covered with cloud at top right is really interesting. Would an infrared scene with more cloud patches on the hills be stronger perhaps? More alternates of light and dark then.

Overall it's quite a "busy" shot, made perhaps more busy by the IR treatment.

[Mike Farley]

Well, I asked for it.

I can definitely see where you are coming from and maybe the infrared treatment does not entirely work here - it can be an acquired taste. It was taken in the middle of a sunny day and the location is not open when the light is optimum, so a conventional shot would not have fared any better. The best option was to use the conditions to my advantage and infrared works best in bright light. I was attempting to create layers within the image leading from the foreground to the hills beyond, but accept that the light tones in the grass could hinder that. Possibly darkening them down a bit might help.

Would I enter this into a club competition? Possibly. So far as judges are concerned, the use of infrared could well be marmite. It would very much depend on what else I had available, my view of the judge and what was happening at that particular stage of the competition.

Thanks for the feedback. Does this mean that you have unreservedly enjoyed everything else I have posted recently, or is that too going to be Candlished?

[davidc]

I can Candlish the lot if you want, though typically don't do it in photo sharing unless asked or I think it's worth saying

The IR one caught my interest because of what I'm looking to do in this field myself. I'm trying to look at and learn from as many different types of IR image as I can to see what works and what doesn't. What I've noticed (and I definitely don't mean this image here) is that there are lots of IR shots taken that seem to only be IR for the sake of it - as in, I can't see any reason why the shot was taken other than to say "here is an IR photo" and there are very few cases where using IR as a tool to convey a message actually works.

I still think it's a very interesting genre and want to try it. However when converting my 550D to IR the guy ended up breaking it so I'm now left without a suitable model to get converted

If you are looking for critique/feedback I'm always happy to give it
Just try to read it how I'd say it in person on a club night and don't think I'm being overly critical I think I'm going through a very picky phase right now, I've seen lots of bad photography lately.

[Mike Farley]

One of the benefits of this forum is that we know each other in real life and it is not just a virtual relationship, which makes discussion easier I feel. We might not always agree, but I have never considered rancour to be an issue. Something I sincerely hope you feel as well. Photography is a combination of aesthetics and the technical; getting to grips with both can be a challenge and I for one know that I do not always get it right. For me, the forum is a useful way to explore both and allows others to do so if they wish.

With my POTD series, I am mainly posting images which I think people will enjoy. Inevitably not all will be competition winners, nor even competition entries in some instances. Even though they are posted in the Photo Sharing forum, it does not preclude feedback and comments of any kind are always welcome. As I said at the beginning, we should all be friends here and appreciate each other's contribution.

For me, IR is a useful way of creating images which are different, but I do agree that that the subject needs to suit the treatment. Camera conversion is clearly a skilled task, which explains why it costs so much here in the UK. I have a 450D which I bought discounted as a Grade B refurbished model and swapping it to IR came to substantially more than I paid for the camera. At least the process was undertaken at the other party's risk. I am sorry that you experienced problems, but it is definitely worth persisting when you have an opportunity.

[Mike Farley]

The IR one caught my interest because of what I'm looking to do in this field myself. I'm trying to look at and learn from as many different types of IR image as I can to see what works and what doesn't.

Ctein is an infrared devotee as well.

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