Re: Infrared for Everyone

["Christina Z. Anderson" <tracez@xxxxxxx>]

Funny you should think of this now:  I am giving the infrared lecture to the
beginning photog class today (in two hours).  What I am doing is showing
infrared slides, handing out my notes to the class for future use in case
they ever want to do it, and I will work alongside the select few who want
to use it for their final project, ONLY if they are willing to work with me
during the process--in other words, loading film with them, going over
concepts, even shooting with them if needs be, and processing with them.
This would all be outside of regular class time.  I assume with these
parameters there will be perhaps several at most who will want to take on
the challenge.  I will take into account your idea of previsualization, tho,
as that does explain a very important concept of the process.  But I do feel
that in a BW class they should be exposed to different BW films in theory at
least, if not in actual practice.
     I am leaving town for a week this afternoon, right after lecture--whew!
Chris

> I was interested to see the comment from Laurie Ann Smith suggesting
> that IR is best left until an intermediate level. It started a train
> of thought which helped me greatly to clarify my feelings about the
> medium, and especially why I like it so much.
>
> I now understand that a key is the separation of the experience at
> the time of taking the image and the resulting photograph. In our
> modern world of point and shoot - which to a greater or lesser degree
> all those of us with auto or semi-auto cameras do - we are taking
> images which represent what we are actually seeing. Taking an image
> in infrared requires a degree of visualisation, because you can't
> really see what the final image will be like. You should imagine what
> the final shot will be like and use this to help you frame the shot.
>
> The extension of this is that all photographers should shoot infrared
> as an aid to seeing any final image in their mind's eye and so
> improve their visualisation. The same thing would apply to shooting
> very long exposures, or time-lapse movies.
>
> I once tried to interest a couple of card companies in my images. One
> said he really liked them but was worried that the general public
> would perceive them as being 'wrong' in some way. I have to believe
> that, even if some people think they're wrong, many will appreciate
> the 'difference' and even 'surrealism' of the effect.
>
> Alternatively: the sentiment in the Benny Hill quote (from the
> 1960s). When asked if photography isn't an expensive hobby, he
> replied 'Only if you use film'.
>
> Andy Finney
>  From the flood-plains of Southern England
> www.invisiblelight.co.uk
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