Art and Soul of Photography: November 2022

A seasonal mindset is essential for infrared photographers. There is less reflective infrared light in the fall, winter, and early spring, especially in cooler climates.

I love infrared challenges. I learned the rules in undergraduate and graduate school. Once I learned those rules, I would be able to break them. That helped me push the envelope and find my creative infrared voice.

IR has its challenges in northern climates because most trees have lost their leaves, and flowers are withering. As I mentioned last month, shadows go very dark. As soon as you walk into a shadow, you can feel the temperature drop significantly, and there can be a significant difference in exposure.

Typically I would not call the below image a good infrared image. There is barely any infrared reflected light. However, it does ask many questions: Is the shadow male or female? What are they reaching for?

The reason the composition of this image truly works is its simplicity. Less is more.