Comments about oreilly Digital Infrared Photography:

The infrared spectrum of light lies just beyond what we can see as humans. For some, infrared photography has been just as elusive and mysterious. While capturing this invisible light has been possible for years, the process has been steeped in tedium, expense and unpredictable results. Because of these reasons, many photographers have only dipped their toes in this beautiful medium, or avoided it altogether. The digital photography revolution has rendered this unique artform much more accessible, and simpler, than in the analog photography days.Cyrill Harnischmacher's Digital Infrared Photography smoothly carries you through the process of creating breath- taking digital infrared images. The author correctly states in the introduction, "even though the advance of digital technology represents a simplification in comparison to using analog photography, it would be wrong to assume that infrared photography is quick and easy." But the book certainly makes it much, much easier.The book starts with a concise explanation of infrared theory and enough on the physics of infrared light to allow for a basic understanding. We quickly move to equipment, and this section will be especially helpful to beginners, as the author weighs the pros and cons of the myriad of camera, filter and lens choices (and methods for each) for capturing infrared images.We move inside the camera for the unique technical aspects of shooting infrared (white balance, exposure and settings) and start to look through the viewfinder (composing the shot). A seasoned photographer may wonder why the author goes through such basic elements, like composing and setting up shots, to anaudience with presumably some knowledge of photography. But there are someunique concerns in infrared compositioning, compared to visible light photography, that the author deftly explains.The last part of the book covers the digital darkroom. This section will not only be invaluable to beginners, it is a great reference for experienced infrared shooters. There is no one "right" way to process infrared images. This is truly a fine artists medium and there are literally endless processing methods. But infrared images aren't very appealing right out of the camera, so they MUST be processed. The author gives a few clearly defined, step-by- step methods (using Adobe Photoshop) for processing black and white and false color images.Add in some basics about infrared studio lighting, tabletop, and macro shooting, and Digital Infrared Photography is an excellent introduction for beginners, yet has enough valuable reference to be useful for experienced shooters as well. No matter what level of photographer you may be, you will at least be inspired by the wonderful samples of infrared images presented throughout the book (the author smartly includes EXIF data in each caption too!).There is one mistake in the book that I must point out. The author states that hot spots are not a problem in modified cameras (cameras with internal blocking filters removed to allow infrared light to pass to the sensor). I have a modified camera and hot spots are most certainly prevalent with many lenses. If you have your camera modified, there are lists of good and bad lenses floating around the internet. There is nothing worse than purchasing an expensive new lens for your infrared modified camera, only to find out every shot has a hot spot!- Chad GordonChad Gordonhas been a Design Director at designRoom Creative (Cleveland-based graphic design and strategic Communications studio) for 17 years... and an infrared shooter for almost 20 years. [@]