Infrared vs. Standard Black & White

Infrared Test Shots from Joshua Tree NP

Visitors to my gallery often ask about the otherworldly lighting effects they notice in my Infrared Trees Collection. So, to demonstrate the differences, I recently made some test shots during my recent visit to Joshua Tree National Park.  I photographed several scenes from the same vantage point in both infrared and full color raw.  I converted the color raw file to monochrome to see how it compared to the infrared exposure. Check these out and be sure to scroll all the way down to see what the original scenes looked like in color.

All photos were made with my Sony Nex-7 which has had its sensor converted to full-spectrum capture. The full-spectrum conversion, done by LifePixel, allows me to use one camera to capture both full color raw and infrared digital files. I highly recommend Lifepixel’s  website for a wealth of useful information about digital infrared photography.
The original color capture versions can be seen at the bottom of this post.

Click on any of these to see an enlarged view.

color converted to grayscale

Black & white converted from color digital file.

infrared converted to grayscale

Full-spectrum Sony sensor. Lens filtered with Hoya 72R

MKnapp_16.1111

Black & white converted from color digital file.

MKnapp_16.1112

Full-spectrum Sony sensor. Lens filtered with Hoya 72R

Fallen Branch, Barker Dam - color mono

Black & white converted from color digital file.

Fallen Branch, Barker Dam - Infrared

Full-spectrum Sony sensor. Lens filtered with Hoya 72R

And, in case you were wondering what the scenes looked like before converting the files:

ColorOrigs

Color digital files used to make the black and white photos

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Few of My Favorite Things

I was feeling kinda blue the other day. I was in a rut and couldn’t find my way out of it. I was working on an essay about why I photograph and what it is that inspires me. Just couldn’t get it going…. Then, for some reason, the lyrics to Rodgers’ and Hammerstein’s “My Favorite Things” started running through my head. The day brightened. This song reminds me of the joy I get from photographing my own favorite things.  So, with a little re-write of one of their stanzas (… my apologies to Rodgers and Hammerstein), here is an illustrated version of a few of my favorite things:

Raindrops on roses
And dewdrops on lupines
Bubbles on puddles
And new moons in deserts
Sunlight that kisses the foam on the beach
These are a few of my favorite things.

155 3rd st, CALIFORNIA, roses
Raindrops on roses…

Bejewelled Lupines 213
And dewdrops on lupines…

CALIFORNIA, MACRO, bubble, puddle, reflections, wetlands
Bubbles in puddles…


And new moons in deserts…

CALIFORNIA, Marin County, Pacific, beach, clouds, foam, kehoe beach, ocean, photograph, point reyes, point reyes seashore, reflections, storm break, sun, surf
Sunlight that kisses the foam on the beach…

These are a few of my favorite things.
And now I don’t feel so bad…

The Right Photograph for Your Wall

Choosing the right photograph for your wall

Choosing the right photograph for your wall can be a difficult task. The biggest hurdle to overcome is visualizing it in context with your furnishings and decor. Taping a piece of paper to the wall can help you decide how large your artwork should be. However, the aesthetics and emotional character… the “feel” of the prospective artwork is impossible to assess with only a piece of paper tacked to your wall. Because of this difficulty many of us  postpone our decision, thus delaying the enjoyment that a well-chosen artwork brings to our life. As a gallery owner, I also struggle with choosing the photographs, their size and placement, that I want to show on my walls. Because of these obstacles we all face, I’ve looked for and have now found a powerful and effective solution.

ClearLake w. Couch Pano

Picturing Your New Photo

Last fall I acquired an application that enables me to simulate & virtually display photographs on any wall. I can move these photographs around, try different ones, re-size them, put up a single framed piece or even arrange a group. All I need is an image of your wall to provide you with simulations of my photographs hanging on your wall! I’ve used this service to help more than a dozen clients select their framed artwork… to assess the right size and the right compositions that works in their space.  I’ve also planned exhibits for my own gallery before making the prints and framing them! My recent New Work exhibit of infrared trees was arranged this way.

Service is Free

This service is free – available to anyone choosing photographs from my catalog for their location. It’s simple. Just take a photo – phone photos are fine – of the space you’re considering. Include a standard sheet of printing paper taped on the wall so I can calibrate.  Email me the image(s) with a list of the photos you’re considering. I’ll send you back pictures of your wall with sample photos laid in. So easy! If you’ve been thinking of adding a beautiful photograph  to your home or business, I hope you’ll contact me. Please check out the easy instructions with helpful hints here: Picturing Your New Photo.

Sample Photos

Following are some examples of artwork I placed virtually on photographs of walls that my clients emailed to me. These simulations were used to help folks select & size their new artworks. This process has been satisfying for all of us as  selections were made directly from these working files.

This large abstract image featuring bubbles was considered for a bathroom.

bubbles above bathtub

My client selected between the Eastern Sierras photograph and the Drakes Beach Moonrise for their living room.

road alabama above couch

drakes lrg above couch

The Tamalpais Ridges & Fog  photograph below now graces the wall above the mantle of a collector’s fireplace.

Tamalpais Ridges over Fireplace

A large oak seems fitting above this fireplace:

Stout Oak.

The Bolinas Ridge Triptych was printed large and presented in separate frame for this room.

Bolinas Triptych in Single Frames Bedroom

This large panorama of Double Sun, Abbotts Lagoon was considered for this bedroom.

Double Sun over Large Bed