Infrared Experiments

Here’s another test I did with the IR filter. This is a landscape taken in the visible spectrum. The shutter was something like 1/500s, as it was a fairly sunny day.

Here’s the same shot in infrared. Notice the river is much darker, and the trees / grass is much lighter. The shutter here was at 1/16s, i.e. roughly 5 stops brighter to compensate for the filter. This is the typical rule of thumb when using IR filters, so it’s good to see my filter fits the bill. I think I might even go for 4 stops when there’s so much foliage in frame.

I bracketed this frame, actually. This image was at 1/8s, compensating 6 stops for the filter (another common value for IR). This image is massively overexposed, but perhaps if there was less greenery (pun intended) it would be alright.

Astrophotography: The Moon

The Moon is, surprisingly, quite difficult to photograph. Not only does it require a zoom lens to get any sort of detail (it’s really quite small in the sky!) the contrast between the Moon and the inky void behind it throws all light meters for a loop. Getting the exposure correct is difficult, especially when your tools are lying to you! I bracketed the full Moon just to see if I could trial-and-error a combination of settings that works.

Here’s the full moon, taken at f/4 and 200mm, with a shutter speed of 1/500s. There’s almost no detail because the moon has been completely over exposed.

The same shot, but now at 1/1000s. Better! There’s a little detail, probably as good as we will get, so this is a reasonable combination for future reference.

Finally, 1/1000s and f/32. This is as dim as I can make the Moon using my current lenses, so if this came out overexposed I had no hope. Thankfully, it is instead totally underexposed. Hurrah! I have never been happier to have a ruined frame. This means the ‘ideal’ settings are within the two extremes of my current gear.

Other Photographs

Here’s a few images of lovely clouds once more through the infrared filter. I think these are a little underexposed, but perhaps the contrast is simply too high.

Although, I do like just how much contrast there is here!

This exposure came out much nicer, partly because of the composition itself (these clouds were a little lighter) and partly due to exposing a little longer.

I took a short walk through the botanic gardens in this roll. I simply had to take advantage of the two hours of sunlight we were blessed with this week.

On said walk, I found some friends! And what polite gentlemen they were. Quack.

Ah, and now they have noticed me.

The ducks followed me for a surprisingly long time, but it was hard to get a photo when they kept crowding right at my feet! I nearly had to take macro duck shots.

There was a roughly 10 meter section of the gardens that I took a great many photographs in. This exposure had some berries that were quite vivid in person, although I think the busy background distracts a little. Maybe opening the aperture would have saved the image, but I was already pushing the limits of my shutter speed.

Macro flowers, my beloved.

A pond, in which the shadow details are a little hard to make out.

It’s okay, macro flowers will never betray me.

This is probably my favorite exposure on the roll. It was a lovely flower, and I think it came through nicely, too. This also, conveniently, marks the end of my walk through the gardens.

Walking to school :)

Some lichen on a rock. I like these glancing compositions along a wall, I should take more of these.

Film Roll: 2025-05-15

Infrared Experiments

Astrophotography: The Moon

Other Photographs