Tips
Camera & technique tips
Short, practical notes: infrared habits first, then general technique that carries over to every kind of photography. Skim before you head out.
Infrared habits
White balance off foliage, first thing
Fill the frame with green grass or leaves and set a custom white balance before you start shooting. Your previews stop being a red wall, and judging composition and exposure gets dramatically easier.
Editing infrared →Midday sun is your friend
The harsh overhead light that ruins normal landscapes is prime time for infrared. Strong sun means strong IR, and sunlit foliage is what gives the classic glow. Overcast still works, just dimmer.
Light sources under IR →Trust the histogram, not the meter
The camera meter was built for visible light and infrared scenes fool it. Check the histogram after a test shot and push exposure right without clipping the bright foliage.
Focusing and exposing in IR →f/8 is the sweet spot
Stopping down a little covers the infrared focus shift with depth of field. Stopping down a lot invites hotspots on many lenses. Around f/8 tends to win on both counts.
Lens hotspot database →Test a lens before you trust it
Hotspots vary by lens, aperture, and even the copy you own. Shoot a bright sky at several apertures with your filter on and look for a central patch before committing a lens to a trip.
Lens hotspot database →General technique
Shoot RAW, always
Infrared editing leans hard on white balance moves that a JPEG cannot survive. RAW keeps every option open, and storage is cheaper than a reshoot.
Why it matters in IR →Learn the exposure triangle by feel
Aperture, shutter, and ISO trade against each other for brightness, and each one also changes the picture: depth of field, motion blur, grain. The tool below lets you drag the sliders and watch it happen.
Exposure simulator →Use live view magnification to focus
Zoom the live view to 10x on your subject and focus manually. It beats guessing, and in infrared it also sidesteps the focus shift problem entirely, since you are focusing on what the sensor actually sees.
Focusing in IR →A tripod and a timer beat a steady hand
Any exposure past about 1/60 benefits, and lens-filter infrared runs into whole seconds. The two-second self-timer costs nothing and removes the shake from pressing the button.
See shutter speed in action →Know your sensor, know your reach
Crop factor changes how every lens frames. It is worth understanding once, properly, so lens shopping stops being a guessing game.
Sensor size tool →How exposure and focus work
Drag aperture, shutter, ISO, zoom, and focus and watch one scene react: brightness, depth of field, bokeh, motion blur, and grain. The quickest way to feel how it all fits together.
Open the tool →Tip guides
Looking for quick answers instead? See the common questions.