How to Shoot Infrared Flash Photography
by Dan Wagner
Photo © Dan Wagner 2023
Shooting with an infrared converted camera and an infrared flash allows you to create beautiful photos in complete darkness. Since infrared flash is invisible to the eye, it may be used to photograph concerts, and other places where a standard flash isn’t permitted. It’s also great for wildlife photography at night.
Photographers prize infrared for its ability to lighten foliage, darken skies, add drama, and make scenic shots look ethereal. Another characteristic of infrared is that it can make skin look waxy and translucent. If for no other reason, shooting infrared will inspire you to see the world differently.
Before you can shoot infrared you will need to convert your DSLR. Avoid using a mirrorless camera because the dark IR filter placed over the sensor during conversion will make focusing in low light very difficult. Fortunately the DSLR’s mirror eliminates this problem. I recommend getting the standard conversion to 720nm from Kolari Vision or LifePixel. This works well with the 840nm Sunpak IR Head mounted on the 622 Super Pro-System Flash pictured above. The camera in the photo is an IR converted Nikon D800 wearing a camo easyCover.
Tips for Shooting Infrared:
Discuss lens focus optimization choices prior to conversion
After conversion experiment with lens calibration settings
Shoot in RAW mode, and apply sharpening during processing
Kolari Vision & LifePixel have sample images and processing methods
When shooting with the Sunpak 622 flash, you may need a Wein Safe-Sync Hot Shoe to Hot Shoe with PC to protect your camera’s electronic circuitry from potentially high trigger voltages. The Sunpak 622 was discontinued in 2005, and may be hard to find. As an option, you can try installing a piece of infrared plexiglass over your flash head.
Advantages of using the Sunpak 622 IR Flash:
Very high output that can be lowered as required
Powerful enough to shoot flash-fill in daylight
Fast recycle times without overheating
Modular heads for non-infrared shooting
I hope this information will make your infrared flash adventures easier and more successful. Thanks for visiting The Cranky Camera!