Cyanotyping an IR Image

[Ed Vatza]

I went out for a walk yesterday afternoon and came across a small stand of Purple Coneflowers not far from a small creek passing through a lovely greenway in Allentown, Pa. All I had with me was my IR-converted (LifePixel) Rebel XT with a 24-70 2.8 lens. I quickly decided that I wanted to go soft with the image so I dialed up an f/3.2 aperture and made a few images handheld.

When I opened up the image on the computer, I felt it really needed something so I dialed up the contrast a little and, after looking at the black/white image for a while, decided it needed a touch of color to lively it up a bit. Sepia wouldn't do it but then I hit upon Cyanotype in the Hue/Saturation drop down menu. I tried it. I liked it. And here it is.

Obviously, I am trying to look at IR imaging beyond the typical landscapes. Let me know what you think. Thanks.

1/1600 sec @ f/3.2; ISO 100; 0 EV

[denise ippolito]

Ed, I like it-I think the comp. and color is simple and beautiful. I wish it were a bit sharper in the center of the flower.

[Michael Pancier]

I think a contrast boost and a slight boost of the blacks would bring out the detail a bit. I love the soft background and image.

[Jackie Schuknecht]

Saw this one earlier and I think it is lovely Ed. Like is as presented and personally wouldn't change anything. Love the blue and the softness of the image.

[Dave Woeller]

I like what you've done with this Ed. I've played with some IR images beyond the normal conversion also, but have never posted any. This is really nice. I do agree that i would like just a a touch more detail in the center of the flower. Just personal taste :)

[Julie Kenward]

I agree with the others - a bit more detail and a little more sharpness in the center and I think this would totally rock!

I also think you might want to experiment with going even softer - adding a little liquify or diffuse glow and really softening it into a "dream" feel...might be worth playing with on a long hot summer night.

It's great to see you stepping outside the box in this arena, Ed. I love the IR work that Michael and others do here and this is just one more great reason to be a part of this forum.

[Ed Vatza]

Appreciate the comments/feedback folks. I tried cyanotyping another IR flower image today. I may post it somewhere down the road.