Shot using Nikon D700 with sensor converted to infrared, Nikon 105mm lens. A view from the Texas Hollow Forest floor. Shot near my cabin in NY...
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Shot using Nikon D700 with sensor converted to infrared, Nikon 105mm lens. A view from the Texas Hollow Forest floor. Shot near my cabin in NY
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Behind The Lens
Location
Texas Hollow State Forest in New York. This State Forest is across the road from my cabin.Time
I beleive it was the middle of the day.Lighting
A bit overcast that day, but the forest growth also diffused the light.Equipment
I used my Nikon D700 that has a IR infrared sensor conversion. I had a 105mm Nikon lens. Camera was hand held.Inspiration
Picturing this in infrared was hard, but I loved how the Capillary Thread-Moss danced around the mushrooms. I wanted a low POV so the viewer could join the dance.Editing
Post processing was difficult for me on this particular image. I don't shoot infrared that much and struggle most time with editing IR images. This seemed to go well for me. I used Lightroom to import from my camera and make simple adjustments. Afterthat the majority of post-processing was performed in Photoshop. I use Topaz software to Denoise the image. Below is my normal post-processing routine for most images. I use several editing tools in post-processing. I import my RAW files to Lightroom and make a few adjustments. After that I am in Topaz Studio where I spend the most time post-processing. I end up with some finishing touches in Photoshop. Most of my life I spent in the darkroom printing for professional photographers. Often you would here professional photographers say a lab can make or break the photographer. That still stands true in today’s digital environment, most photographers now post-processed their own images. I see so many nice images photographers have posted only to end up being a ho-hum, spiritless image due to poor post-processing or even over processing. When I worked with negatives in the wet lab, I would have a final print sitting in my work area that I felt was a winner, the next day I would come in and say to myself "What was I thinking"! It is the same with digital post-processing, sometimes walking away and leaving it for another day can be your best decision.In my camera bag
I use a Nikon D850 with a variety of modern lenses as well as vintage film camera lenses with adapters to fit my Nikon. I really enjoy using vintage c mount lenses designed for 16mm cine camera on my Sony A7R. The lenses I use with my Sony are Kinoptik 9mm, 32mm, 40mm and 75mm. I also use Wollensak, Schneider and Angenuiex lenses. I also enjoy free-lensing also called lens-whacking with a Helios 44m, some Russian lenses and any other vintage lenses that will produce nice flares and pleasing bokeh. I recently had my Nikon D700 converted to infrared, but I have a lot to learn about infrared post-processing.Feedback
Personally, I must take a deep breath and slow down. I’ve struggled with mental focus my entire life, I have to really concentrate on slowing down my mind as well as not getting discouraged while shooting. I still think of the acronym FAST - Focus, Aperture, Shutter and Think. I enjoy exploring several different camera points of views to find something that may tell an interesting visual story. Post-process is as important as the capture, invest in creative editing software then learn your software. There are many free tutorials out there that can teach you and give you the edge you have been looking for in your images.