Colour Infrared Macro
As a macro enthusiast photographer, who also likes to shoot some infrared shots, an interesting thing to do occasionally, is to combine the two photographic disciplines !
So on a recent visit to Alners Gorse butterfly reserve at the weekend, I just went armed with both my normal Canon 650D and my Infrared Converted 20D Camera and my Canon 100mm macro lens. My 20D has an enhanced colour filter conversion (equivalent to 665nm Filter), so I can shoot looking through the lens, which makes a big difference with macro – as it would be extremely difficult to do if nigh on impossible on a normal digital camera with a filter attached ( you can’t see through them when on the lens ).
After walking around for a bit on fairly wet ground – which is unusual for this location in my experience at this time of year, I had not found many butterflies. But there were a lot of orchids on the site, taking a closer look at a couple of them revealed a crab spider, sitting on one of them.
This provided my first opportunity to shoot some shots. The first two here are in infrared – the first, has had the blue and red channels swapped ( “Blue Sky Action”) , as it is known among IR photographers. The second is coloured as from the camera – with a bit of Topaz Adjust to boost some of the detail out.
Crab spider on Orchid in Infrared (Chanel Swapped). Taken on Canon 20D Converted to Enhanced Colour Infrared (665nm) with Canon 100mm F2.8 USM Macro Lens. F6.3 1/400 ISO 200.
Crab spider on Orchid in Infrared. Taken on Canon 20D Converted to Enhanced Colour Infrared (665nm) with Canon 100mm F2.8 USM Macro Lens. F8 1/640 ISO 400.
This is how the orchid and spider look on a normal camera.
Crab Spider on Orchid. Taken on Canon 650D with Canon 100mm F2.8 USM Macro Lens. F7.1 1/500 ISO 400.
Also around was a cardinal beetles – hanging around on some grass stems. These were rendered almost white by my camera, but the cardinal beetles itself retains some of its colour through the filter.
Cardinal Beetle in Colour Infrared. Taken on Canon 20D Converted to Enhanced Colour Infrared (665nm) with Canon 100mm F2.8 USM Macro Lens. F5.6 1/160 ISO 400.
I moved on from Alners Gorse without taking anything else, and went to the nearby Lyndlich Common.
Here I did finally manage to find a butterfly – in this case a Skipper to pose for the camera. Again this is coloured as from the camera.
Skipper in Colour Infrared. Taken on Canon 20D Converted to Enhanced Colour Infrared (665nm) with Canon 100mm F2.8 USM Macro Lens. F5 1/160 ISO 400.
Lastly I also found this dungfly, posing on some flowers.
Fly in Colour Infrared. Taken on Canon 20D Converted to Enhanced Colour Infrared (665nm) with Canon 100mm F2.8 USM Macro Lens. F7.1 1/160 ISO 800.
Map of Location
Butterfly Conservation Reserve.
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