www.camerasbrookwood.com How-To's

Digital Infrared Photography Is Here and Looks Great! Steve Higginbotham Summer, 2009
In December of 2007, Kodak discontinued the production of Kodak High Speed Infrared film, or HIE, a favorite among fine art shooters and hobbyists searching for a different look.

I’ve shot HIE many times over the years and captured many fantastic, ethereal images and though not surprised by Kodak’s decision, I too was sad at the passing of HIE.

In an effort to continue shooting IR images, last Fall I had my Canon 20D converted to shoot B&W Infrared. The results were fantastic! Scenery looks just as it did with HIE.

Foliage is white, sky and water are black and the clouds just pop out in the sky. I took the camera on trip to California and shot the giant redwoods. Not only did it shoot well in the sunlight, but just like some shots I took with HIE, the IR converted 20D did well beneath the forest canopy, opening up the shadows of the forest. The effect on people is also the same as HIE. Skin tones are rendered smooth white; freckles, blemishes and redness are greatly diminished. But it is the effect in scenic shots that really look great.

Would like to have an older DSLR or a point and shoot converted? Yes, you can get your point and shoot converted to shoot infrared. CAMERAS BROOKWOOD is working with a large camera repair company that also does IR conversions at very affordable prices.

How is this conversion performed? First of all, this conversion is permanent. A technician opens your camera and replaces the Hot Mirror filter that covers the image sensor and screens out infrared light and replaces it with an appropriate IR filter dependent on whether you want to shoot color IR or B&W IR images only.

If you want the look most like HIE, I would suggest having the 715 nanometer filter. This conversion will give you the most dramatic B&W IR images. If you select to shoot both color and B&W IR images then chose the 665nanameter filter. This filter produces great color IR shots and you can get good B&W images, it may take more work in Photoshop to edit the image to the look you want. Below are a few notes about Digital IR

Exposure compensation is required to get good shots. About 1 ½ to 2 stops overexposure works great. Brightening darker images increases noise. Your shots will have a reddish cast to them, just desaturate and you’re fine.

How much does this conversion cost? Prices(subject to change) are below.
Point and shoot $129 + 20.00 S&H
DSLR         $249 + 20.00 S&H
Full Frame DSLR  $299 + 20.00 S&H

Please speak with any CAMERAS BROOKWOOD Associate about Digital IR Conversion.

HOW TO PHOTOGRAPH your TV set by Paul Franklin (c)Jan2009
In order to get useable images from your television, you’ll need to deal effectively with the screen’s refresh rate. The refresh rate varies depending on the type of television.

Regardless of the type of TV, your shutter speed will be a determining factor on your success or failure. To control the shutter speed, you may find it useful to put the camera in shutter-preferred mode (“S” mode on Nikon, “Tv” mode on Canon) in order to manually control this important setting. CRT’s: the “traditional” type of TV, this type of set refreshes itself about once every 200th of a second.

Use shutter speeds of 1/125 and slower (1/60, 1/30…) and your pictures should look natural. Photos taken at 1/250 and shorter (1/500, 1/1000…) will show a dark bar through the image. Newer LCD and Plasma TV’s have a faster refresh rate than CRT’s. You may use shutter speeds of 1/250 sec. or slower without encountering any problems.

For best results, use a tripod to keep the camera steady, and try to keep the corners of the camera “box” parallel to the TV screen to ensure sharpness across the entire frame. If you’re shooting digitally, check your white balance in order to get accurate color rendition. An ExpoDisc would be most helpful.

HOW TO PHOTOGRAPH FIREWORKS by Paul Franklin (c)July2009
Suggested equipment: SLR, tripod, cable/remote shutter release, wide-angle to moderate telephoto lens (for relatively close displays; use a longer telephoto for more distant fireworks shows.)

Recommended Film Speed: Shoot at ISO 50, ISO 100, or ISO 200 – as low as possible. Slow is better!

How To’s:
Arrive early and select a good location - one which gives an unobstructed view of the fireworks display, as close as possible to the spot from which the fireworks are shot.

To set up your exposures: begin by setting the camera in MANUAL mode.
(1.) Set the aperture to F/11 for ISO 50, F/16 for ISO 100, F/22 for ISO 200, etc… Set the shutter speed to BULB. Compose the photographs as instructed below. OR…
(2.) Close the shutter after capturing several (3, 4, or 5) bursts on a frame. Re-release the shutter. Repeat as necessary.
(3.) If you’re shooting film, have additional rolls of film out of the boxes and in your pocket, ready to be loaded during the display. Don’t be fumbling around in your camera bag in the dark…but still, bring along a small flashlight for doing just that.

To compose your pictures, follow these steps:
(1.) Secure the camera on the tripod. Put the camera in MANUAL FOCUS mode; focus on infinity.
(2.) Use the first few bursts of fireworks to compose your frame: Make certain that you are capturing most of the bursts in your frame, and that the bursts are large enough to dominate the frame. Decide whether to use vertical or horizontal composition. Use your zoom and your tripod head to adjust the framing until the composition meets with your approval. When all looks to be well, SHOOT!
(3.) Place yourself just behind the pentaprism of the camera and “aim” to ensure that the fireworks bursts are continuing to fall in-frame. Make minor adjustments as necessary.
(4.) Pause to reevaluate the framing and composition every several frames. You may wish to switch from horizontal to vertical or vice versa at such times.
(5.) For special effects, try zooming in or out during an exposure. Move the camera -- left, right, up, down, in circles --- during exposure. Try handholding, moving the camera around during the exposures.

Experiment

Essential Football Photography ·by Paul Franklin (c)
Football season has arrived, we are again seeing more and more customers and friends interested in photographing the games. We get a lot of questions about shooting football games, and the answers to most are: ·

Many cameras offer a “Sports” mode, and it’s pretty good. It opts for vibrant color and contrast, and defaults in favor of fast shutter speeds to stop action. The pro-level cameras generally lack such icons, and for them, almost any shooting mode (Aperture-preferred or Shutter preferred…even Program) can work. Just take steps to keep your shutter speed fast enough to eliminate blur. ·

To keep your shutter speed at an acceptable level, look into your Auto ISO setting. Select the lowest shutter speed you’re willing to use and the highest ISO you’re willing to accept and shoot away.·

White balance is a major problem at many fields. An ExpoDisc or BaLens will allow you to calibrate your camera to produce accurate, pleasing colors no matter where you’re shooting. Works every time. ·

I find that Center-weighted metering is advantageous. For one thing, the field is medium-toned, and for another, center-weighting greatly reduces the weight given to a featureless white sky for day games, or to the black sky or bright stadium light standards at night games. Try it; you’ll like it. ·

The “continuous” autofocus mode is probably best for most instances. Tracking or Predictive AF is another great help.

You’re going to encounter problems hand-holding the camera at night with a long lens. Get a monopod. They work; they are not expensive. There is no excuse.

But the most common question we get – the elephant in the room -- is; “How long a lens do I need?”

Well… You’d be well set if you had a 70-200 f/2.8, a 300 mm f/2.8 lens and a monpod. But, if you can get close to the action (pee-wee games and the like, or if you have a means to get on the sidelines,) you may be able to get away with a more prosaic 200 mm lens -- especially for cameras with “cropped” sensors.

Unless you shoot a "full frame" dslr, your camera will “crop” the frame by roughly 50%. A 55-200 mm lens produces a result similar to what a 300 mm would produce on a full-frame camera. The Nikon 55-200 and Canon 55-250 lenses complement their “kit” lenses well and are inexpensive – roughly $300 or less.

If you need more reach, a 70-300 lens offers 50% more magnification and is relatively affordable. If this is still not enough focal length for you, the Canon 100-400 and the Nikon 80-400 offer even more magnification, though at a substantial increase in cost. The lenses above are all f/5.6 lenses at their maximum focal length. This poses no problem at daytime games, or at major stadiums with TV broadcast-quality lighting, but f/5.6 lenses are challenged by most night games, particularly those held at fields with marginal lighting. You’ll likely need to set a rather high ISO (800 or even 1600) to enable shutter speeds fast enough to produce tack-sharp images on the field.

Fortunately, the more recent DSLR’s are capable of producing frighteningly good results at high ISO’s. If you need the fast shutter speeds but want to avoid using very high ISO settings, you may want to explore a 70-200 f/2.8 lens. The 70-200 f/2.8 is a mainstay of the professional’s system, and is a workhorse for wedding photographers, photojournalists, and so many other working pros. These are among the rare few zoom lenses that will accommodate a teleconverter, too, producing even more telephoto power at a somewhat rational cost, with little loss in optical performance.

Finally, 300 mm f/2.8 lenses are magnificent beasts, sharp and fast, and built like tanks. They are ideal for sideline sports shooting, but are expensive special-purpose lenses, costing in the several thousands of dollars.