IR wedding shots - anyone doing it and do they sell ?

[dpurslow]

Thinking about upgrading my g6 to a g7 and sending my g6 off to be made IR.

Was thinking I could shoot a few at weddings with it etc make a few pounds from it

anyone doing it ? hows it work out ? any samples / pointers

thanks

[Tragerman]

dpurslow,
My business is only in it's infancy, so I can't address the 'does it sell' query.
I converted my D60 to full time IR. That is, I removed the 'hot mirror', which is actually an aqua colored filter over the sensor. I replaced it with an IR pass/visible block filter. This allows hand held IR photography with wysiwyg review on the screen. The richest source of IR light is the sun. That is why outdoor IR is the main use, although it does respond to flash as well. I've not used that much. I recently took a few shots while shooting as a second. It was a stunning day already, and made for an impressive display.

Portraits really aren't all that good without some processing. The white of the eye isn't very white, nor are the teeth. Skin blemishes do disappear. Color is not rendered as you might expect. Some black fabrics render as white or light grey because they reflect IR, but not visible.

You'll want to make a custom white balance while filling the viewfinder with sunlit grass. This will give you the dark skies and the bright leaves and grass. Oh, don't expect all green things to render as white. Only plant life.

It's an interesting toy. Used creatively, it can add a lot to a collection.
Here are a few from May 6:

http://tragerman.smugmug.com/photos/151258552-M.jpg
http://tragerman.smugmug.com/photos/151258593-M.jpg
http://tragerman.smugmug.com/photos/151258908-M.jpg
http://tragerman.smugmug.com/photos/151259166-M.jpg
Those are not tuxedos from the seventies with the wide collars of a different color or stripes down the pant legs. These are essentially black tuxes. There just seems to be some interfacing below the top layer of the fabric that reflects a lot of IR.

Good luck with your conversion!
-Mickey

[Mike Fulton]

I love IR at our weddings and instead of looking at them from a "do they sell" standpoint I look at it more from the stand point, it will add more "WOW factor" to my clients and their friends and family. Plus adds an interest to the wedding album design.

Here are a few of our IR images over the last year or so.

[Tragerman]

Hey Mike, I really like the purple hues in the sky and the slight cyan cast to the rest. PP on IR is an art in itself! Have you ever done any portraits with IR? For wedding purposes, I've shied away from it.

-Mickey

[dpurslow]

Thanks guys both sets of photos are fantastic.