Re: There are a lot of mistakes in this IR photography book!

["sandt" <Sandt@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Theresa Airey,

For those of you who are critical of her book need to know one thing: She
was educated by John Sexton and Ansel Adams, she is a very good author,
educator, and public speaker.
- -----Original Message-----
From: Rolland Rainbow Elliott <X93ELLIOTT1@xxxxxxxxx>
To: infrared@xxxxx <infrared@xxxxx>
Cc: X93ELLIOTT1@xxxxxxxxx <X93ELLIOTT1@xxxxxxxxx>
Date: Friday, November 07, 1997 6:45 PM
Subject: There are a lot of mistakes in this IR photography book!


>Hi everyone,
>I just picked up a copy of a book called "Creative Photo Printmaking by
>Theresa Airey, published by Amphoto Books, and copyright 1996.
>
>It has an entire chapter that talks about IR photography, which is why I
>bought it.  Unfortunately it isn't a very good chapter, because it has a
lot
>of mistakes in it.  I mention this (not to bash the author) but to clarify
>and acurately portray some IR photography facts.
>
>The book says "Human bodies give off a great deal of heat, especially if
>they are very warm, such as after running or jogging.  IR film permits you
to
>capture the heat emanating from the body." It also states:  "To get the
msot
>dramatic images from your infrared film, you need three optimum conditions:
>blue skies, ample sunshine, and high temperatures."
>
>This is simply not true!  IR film only records near IR light not IR heat.
If
>the film could actually record heat, you could expose the film by simply
>holding it in your hand. As far as needing high temperatures to get
dramatic
>images, this is also untrue.  I have some great dramatic landscape pictures
>that were taken on cool Fall days. By saying things like "Body heat can be
>recorded as an aura." one can tell that the author obviously doesn't know
the
>technical details behind IR film.
>
>The book also contains two identical pictures.  One is taken with a #25 red
>filter and HIE and the other is taken with a 87 filter and HIE.  The
>picture taken with the 87 filter is very overexposed, while the picture
taken
>with the 25 filter looks properly exposed.  The author says: "There was
very
>little difference between the #25 red filter and the #87 red filter - and
>certainly not enough to warrant the inconvienience of continually taking
the
>filter off and on."
>
>If you take a look at Laurie White's IR book, one can see that there IS A
>DIFFERENCE between the two filters.  While it isn't dramatic, it certainly
is
>noticible.  The author explains her overexposed picture (taken with the 87
>filter and HIE) by saying: "[The] 87 red filter ...records more
>infrared...Many of the details in the leaves are lost because so much
>infrared radiation is being reflected and recoreded on the film."
>
>Actually the 87 filter does not recored more infrared, it just records less
>of the visible light spectrum.  If the author knew how to readjust the
film's
>EI she would get better pictures with an 87 filter and HIE.
>
>I find the next part very confusing:
>"Any film fixer will do, but I prefer Kodak's Rapid Fix. Once you use the
>fixer, store it in a seperate jug labeled "IR Fix." This way, you won't
>contaminate your other films with infrared radiation."
>
>I've always used the same fixer for both my B&W and IR films and have no
>problems.  I have no idea how IR radiation (which is light or heat) could
>come off of the film and contaminate the fixer.
>
>I would deffinetely not recommend this book to a beginner in IR photography
>since it has so many false facts in it.  It does bring up some interesting
>questions though.  I'll save those questions for my next message.
>
>Rolland "Book Review" Elliott
>*
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