Hobbies And Interests
Things You'll Need
Instructions
Take off your camera lens and check for dirt on the mirror. If necessary, carefully clean the mirror by using a camera-cleaning tool that directs a puff of air at the mirror. Do not use liquid cleaners or canned air that's designed for electronics and office equipment to clean the inside of your camera because they might damage the shutter.
Put a 67mm lens of your choice on your camera. Clean the lens if necessary and make sure there are no fingerprints or dust on it. Use lens cleaners and lens paper or microfiber cleaning cloths designed for photography purposes. Do not use paper towels or tissue; they can scratch or leave dust.
Load your infrared film into your camera if you are using a film camera. You will need to do this in total darkness or use a changing bag to load and unload your film. You can use either black-and-white infrared film or color infrared film. Skip this step if you are using a digital SLR.
Take your infrared filter out of its package and hold it carefully by its rim. Do not put your fingers on the glass when you are handling it. Make sure the filter is clean. You can use the same cleaning products that you used on your camera lens. Hold the camera in one hand, supporting the body and lens, and hold the filter in your other hand. Carefully screw the filter onto the front of the camera's lens and tighten it.
Attach your camera to a sturdy tripod or other support. Turn off the autofocus on your camera. Cameras aren't designed to focus on infrared light, so this feature won't work properly. Set the focus manually to a distance that is about a third of the way into your scene.
Determine your exposure as best as you can. This is difficult because the infrared filter is so dark that you can't see through the camera lens. Read your camera's meter, but be ready to experiment with exposure times, which can take several seconds. Take your photographs.
Remove the infrared filter from your camera and put it away. Unload your film in total darkness and send it to a lab for processing. Mark it "infrared" so the lab knows to handle the film properly. Download your digital images to your computer.