July 13 - The Incredible Lightness

July 13 - The Incredible Lightness, originally uploaded by Jesse_Laird.

My friend, fellow SAR volunteer, and landscape photography mentor Steve (his website here) loaned me his 20d that had been converted to IR.

I had a little bit of time to play with it today, and I'm saving the big sky views (vivid white clouds, pitch black sky) for my favorite landscape photo of the week). It's absolutely incredible how green foliage pops.

Some other misc photo notes:

The EF 50mm f/1.8 (loaned with the body, as near-IR focuses differently than visible, and the body was calibrated for that lens) focuses MUCH faster than the EF 50mm f/1.4 that I own. That surprised me.

The rear AF button on the back of the 40D is a great addition. I miss it on the 20D, and keep mashing the AE lock button. (Not a big deal since you have to shoot manual on the converted camera).

It's cool how a fun "trick" camera can bring new life to this photo journey. Today I did more experimentation than I usually do, and mainly because I had a slightly different view on the world with IR. Though older and cheaper than the stuff I shoot with virtually every day, this gear got me out with new enthusiasm.

I'll be playing with IR more throughout the week....stay tuned!