The last time I went to Anawangin I had my sights on taking IR photos. You see Anawangin is perfect for IR photography. It has all the elements needed for a nice IR shot: lots of foliage (pine trees), water (the river and sea), and lots of sun.

One of my friends noticed that I brought home "too few" photos of Anawangin the last time I went there. It's because I practically spent more than half of the day taking IR photos :)


I use a FUJI IR 76 filter. Its an acetate type filter and I just hold it in front of my lens. Its very cheap but sometimes very difficult to handle even with a filter holder. I'm still looking for a good screw in type but affordable ones don't really have the "qualities" I'm looking for (Hoya R72 is too much for my budget right now :D ).

Different IR filters have different Wratten ratings, meaning they differ in the frequency of IR waves they let through(or block). Thus IR images produced by different filters vary in tones (and colors). Furthermore, different camera sensors may "behave" differently even with the same filter.

IR photos don't really have colors, except red of course. The colors you see in IR photos are products of post processing thus these photos are called "false color IR". False or not, these images always have this out of this world look. And this is what I like most about IR photography.

Here are some IR images of Anawangin River:


IR photography is looking at places or things in a different light, literally. It turns a mundane scenery into a dreamscape.

More IR photos here.