IR Pine Tree

[Cheryl Slechta]

I finally got a chance today to spend some time with my IR converted camera. I went to Kanapaha Botanical Gardens so I could get an idea about how different foliage came out. I was on a quest for a weeping willow tree but unfortunately the only willow on the property was beside a bridge that was under construction so I made do with what I had.

Thanks for looking. C&C always welcome:)

[Patti Edens]

Cheryl, I think you found some great foliage to show off what that IR filter can do. This is just beautiful - the IR effect and the composition!

[Julie Kenward]

Cheryl, it's a very nice first image! You should go back in the OOTB forum posts about 1 to 1-1/2 years and look at the work Michael Pancier and Oscar Groniz did with their IR cameras - there are some amazing images in these archives!

Unless this soft look is what you were going for, I'd take the contrast waaaaay up and really make this pop. Get some white whites and some deep blacks and see what you think.

How nice to have an IR camera! I hope to add one some day as this style of photography fascinates me!

[denise ippolito]

Cheryl, I love the curve of the tree trunk(good eye for that). The IR is nice but I feel like your mid-tones may be a little muddy. I might try to get the whites a bit brighter also, as Jules said but I do like the slight softness to the image.

[Michael Zajac]

Cheryl, I like the composition. I agree w/ Denise about the mid-tones. You should be able to do a curves adjustment.

[Dave Woeller]

Hi Cheryl, I really like your shot and am glad your getting out to experiment. Composition is great, too bad about the willow. I've found that setting a really good white balance is critical with my IR camera. I still need to fuss with things in post a bit though. I often have to push up the exposure in LR and then use the adjustment brush to recover some of the too bright areas. Julie is right on target mentioning Michael Pancier and Oscar Groniz, they are my heros :D. I hope you dont' mind, but I did a little adjusting on your pic. I added a graduated filter from top to bottom and lowered the exposure, brightness, and clarity to get more cloud detail. I then used the brush to bring the exposure back up in the main tree and the tree on the left. I added multple brush strokes at varying degrees of exposure comp to even things up. I adjusted the white balance a touch cooler. I finally boosted the blacks to get more contrast in the tree and to darken the water. Some folks may not like the changes, it's just my alternative thought. These were done quickly, and I'm sure you could do much better. I still love your shot. :)

[Kerry Perkins]

Cheryl, nice capture and composition. Dave's repost takes it over the top for me. The added contrast and tonal range was just the right touch to my eye. Looking forward to more of these!

[Julie Kenward]

Nicely done, Dave! That more in keeping with what I understand IR to be. I still like the original but my money is on the one with more intensity.

[Mark Fuge]

Nice image and application, Cheryl.

IR can be fun. I use to do it with film on occasion.

I like the tree you selected as the focal subject. Neat shape!

[Indranil Sircar]

Hi Cheryl, I was wondering what happened to your IR images.. here comes one! I love the overall composition. I do agree on the contrast and Dave's repost looks great.

[denise ippolito]

Dave's repost looks nice. I'm thinking somewhere in between.

[Cheryl Slechta]

Denise, I was thinking the same thing somewhere in between. I'll have time tomorrow to work on the ones I got yesterday. I'm so new to IR and sometimes I think I like a softer look and sometimes more contrast. I'll post one tonight that I did in the first batch that has a lot more contrast. Dave, thanks for reworking this for me - I think I can do a lot more in LR than I've tried to do so far.

[denise ippolito]

Cheryl, I think Dave gives some very good suggestions and I admire his IR work. I suggested somewhere in between because I know your style leans more towards the softer side. But there is no right or wrong. Just a matter of taste.:)

[Dave Woeller]

As Denise said, there's no right or wrong. I'm glad I could offer a different interpretation, and I'm anxious to see more of your IR work. I'm a true fan of all of your work, and many others here. Thanks for sharing with us.

[Cheryl Slechta]

Dave and Denise, I went back and looked at my jpeg and it actually has a lot more contrast on my screen than it does in my post. I love the fact that there are so many different directions to go in:)

[Jim Bridges]

The wonderful shape of the tree and composition really makes this image work for me. I've never worked in IR, but love doing B&W on some subjects I find in the woods.:)