7 Days of IR: 550nm (6/7)

For these IR photos, I'm using a 550nm filter. This is the smallest filter that I have, and it allows in the most color. I've been excited to use this one! Unlike the 850nm filter which only photographs in black and white, 550 takes remarkably colorful images. The 590nm, known as "Ultracolor" was previously the most colorful infrared formula, but Kolari's new 550 "hypercolor" allows an even fuller spectrum of light onto the sensor.

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Photos taken on Kolari Pocket with 550nm hypercolor filter in Arlington, Texas.

At first, I didn't have the white balance set properly. That's one of the most important steps to taking good infrared photos, and one of the biggest things that can ruin an IR photoshoot. While this picture looks interesting, you can see how the whole thing has a pink cast which wasn't exactly what it was supposed to look like.

The photos originally developed with baby-blue foliage and orange skies, but after channel-swapping the red and blue in an editing app, the hypercolor images developed into their iconic cotton candy pink trees and blue skies.

I love the way the hypercolor filter makes every tree look like a Japanese sakura tree!

A green field turns brilliant pink! This filter does take a little editing in a photo app, but the results are worth it. Out of camera images look weird, and the original channel swap gives an ugly green sky. With a slight white balance and tint adjustment, though, the results are extraordinary!

It looks like something out the world of Dr. Seuss!

This might be my favorite photo of the set! I love the framing of the sky with the hanging branches and trees in the distance. Infrared photos do turn out a bit grainy, which I actually like as well. It gives it a sort of vintage look.

The horses were out at the park that morning! I found that this filter doesn't work too well on people and animals, but the results are interesting anyway.

The human and animal subjects turned out a bit too pink.

This filter really emphasizes the plants and the sky. Manmade structures do look a little too pink as well, but I would be interested in trying to use this filter at a Thai palace or temple to see how it turns out. Come to think of it, the Miami-like colors might look good at the beach!

Even a fairly boring subject, like this basketball court, can look weird and interesting! That's the big draw of IR for me: making even normal, everyday scenes look weird and imaginary.

I am really happy with these results, but would love to try with other subjects. I think that this filter would look great in Bangkok with some more urban scenery. I'll definitely do another 7 Days of IR project sometime soon!