Friday, December 01, 2006
Three Infrared Photography Book Reviews
1. Digital Infrared Photography - Professional Techniques and Images by Patrick Rice, Amherst Media, ISBN: 1-58428-144-8, 2005.
This 121 page paperbook is the only one of the 3 books reviewed here that touches on digital IR photography. It focuses mainly on taking digital wedding IR photographs, though provides examples of general landscapes and people IR photography. It touches on the history of IR photography, basics, a little bit about film, but concentrates on adding digital IR photographs to the offerings of a wedding photographers offerings to clients. Most of the authors clients purchase his IR photos, so he feels it's a competitive advantage to offer this. Rice covers the basic digital cameras that are IR ready, and also those that can be modified for IR use, including common digicams such as the Nikon Coolpix 950, Olympus C 2020 Z, Nikon D100 and D1X, Olympus 4040 Z, Fuji FinePix S2 Pro, Canon EOS1D, D30 and D60.
Although this is the newest book of the three, and discusses digital IR photography, there is very little information that is not already available on the web. The example photos, tips and techniques are good, especially in the area of wedding photography.
Probably not worth the costy of buying, but worth checking out at the library.
2. The Art of Infrared Photography by Joseph Paduano, 1993, 3rd ed., ISBN 0-936262-32-X. This 76 page paperback is completely based on b&w film IR photography. All of the images are grainy, and sepia looking, combining the b&w look, along with the IR effect. There are only about 27 pages of text, which discusses the very basics of IR photography, and the rest of the book is filled with excellent monochrome (mostly toned) IR photographs of landscapes, seascapes, and buildings. I like these photos much more than the ones in the Rice book above. The photos are indeed "dreamy and evocative" as the author describes. This book is fairly old, from 1993, all film, and non-digital printing. It would be interesting to me, if anyone could ever create such photos with a digital setup. Worth checking out just for the example photos.
3. Infrared Photography Handbook by Laurie White, 1996, Amherst Media, hardcover, ISBN 0-936262-38-9.
This book is based on film IR usage, and covers theory more thoroughly than the previous two books above. There are a lot of graphs that describe the behavior of light, films, and filters that almost make it a mini-textbook. The usual landscape photos are included, as well as animals, and nature shots. Unlike the Paduano book, these IR photos are much sharper and realistic, and less dreamy, though in many cases still as grainy. This would be a good book to check out for a IR film user, as well as to check out the excellent example photos.
This 121 page paperbook is the only one of the 3 books reviewed here that touches on digital IR photography. It focuses mainly on taking digital wedding IR photographs, though provides examples of general landscapes and people IR photography. It touches on the history of IR photography, basics, a little bit about film, but concentrates on adding digital IR photographs to the offerings of a wedding photographers offerings to clients. Most of the authors clients purchase his IR photos, so he feels it's a competitive advantage to offer this. Rice covers the basic digital cameras that are IR ready, and also those that can be modified for IR use, including common digicams such as the Nikon Coolpix 950, Olympus C 2020 Z, Nikon D100 and D1X, Olympus 4040 Z, Fuji FinePix S2 Pro, Canon EOS1D, D30 and D60.
Although this is the newest book of the three, and discusses digital IR photography, there is very little information that is not already available on the web. The example photos, tips and techniques are good, especially in the area of wedding photography.
Probably not worth the costy of buying, but worth checking out at the library.
2. The Art of Infrared Photography by Joseph Paduano, 1993, 3rd ed., ISBN 0-936262-32-X. This 76 page paperback is completely based on b&w film IR photography. All of the images are grainy, and sepia looking, combining the b&w look, along with the IR effect. There are only about 27 pages of text, which discusses the very basics of IR photography, and the rest of the book is filled with excellent monochrome (mostly toned) IR photographs of landscapes, seascapes, and buildings. I like these photos much more than the ones in the Rice book above. The photos are indeed "dreamy and evocative" as the author describes. This book is fairly old, from 1993, all film, and non-digital printing. It would be interesting to me, if anyone could ever create such photos with a digital setup. Worth checking out just for the example photos.
3. Infrared Photography Handbook by Laurie White, 1996, Amherst Media, hardcover, ISBN 0-936262-38-9.
This book is based on film IR usage, and covers theory more thoroughly than the previous two books above. There are a lot of graphs that describe the behavior of light, films, and filters that almost make it a mini-textbook. The usual landscape photos are included, as well as animals, and nature shots. Unlike the Paduano book, these IR photos are much sharper and realistic, and less dreamy, though in many cases still as grainy. This would be a good book to check out for a IR film user, as well as to check out the excellent example photos.
