Black and White - Conversion VS Infrared, See the Difference.

Digital Black and white photography can be created through many techniques.  You could use the Instagram app and click a pre-made filter,  use a more advanced software program like Adobe Lightroom or Photoshop, convert it directly inside your camera body, screw on an infrared filter to the front of your lens and convert it to black and white post production, or convert a camera to only capture infrared light.  Today I'm just going to explore my two favorite methods:
1) Using an infrared converted camera.
2) Converting images in Adobe Lightroom.

So what is the difference between the two methods?

A color image that is converted to black and white allows you lots of control over each color channel.  This is handy if you want to make different colors stand out by being brightened or darkened in your final black and white image.

An image that is captured from infrared light has much less control over colors as the only colors captured are tones of red.  However, infrared images are a one of a kind art form that the digital world has yet to replicate, which means you can make images in this method that you could never replicate with a color image that is manipulated to mimic it.

Yes, I know, Lightroom has an "infrared" preset.  It just isn't the same though.

So, what the heeeeck makes an infrared image so much different?

Light reflected off of vegetation tends to become white, even if it is reflecting off off dark green grass or trees.  Bright blue skies become very dark, and clouds tend to become very white.  This creates a very contrasty image that is almost a tonal reverse of a color image that is converted to black and white.  Infrared images also tend to cut through haze and humidity more than a regular image sensor, allowing you to make dramatic compositions even in less than ideal conditions.

Compare the two above images.  The first is shot in color and converted to black and white, the second is shot in infrared and then converted to black and white.  Please excuse the different settings of focal length and aperture, I wasn't planning this post when I made the images!  Anyway - notice the difference especially in the sky and parts of the tree that would be green.  The tones are very much different.  The sand in the background is also changed, but not quite as drastic as sky and vegetation.

 The photo to the left of this "S" dune is shot with the infrared camera.  The tell tale sign is the darkness of the sky.  The photo on the bottom is shot with a regular camera body and then converted into infrared.  The tell tale sign on this image is the sky being fully washed out.  If I would have made one of that spot with the infrared I'm positive the sky would have been very dark... but that isn't what I wanted, which is why I chose the other method of creating the image.

The final panoramic image at the bottom of this post is composed of several infrared images converted to black and white.  I chose the infrared camera to compose the image because of the way it shows off contrast of light.  Notice in the image how the sky is very dark on the right side of the frame while the mountain below that spot is very bright?  The reflected light bouncing off the mountain gives it a brilliant brightness, while keeping the sky dark.  At the same time, the reverse happens to the left of the image - as the camera was pointed almost directly at the sun, the skies are brighter (on a regular camera body, the entire sky would have been a solid white for this type of exposure).  Look below the brighter sky area, and see that the mountain has fallen into shadow, but you can still clearly see the details in the rocks.  This happens because the light is behind the rocks, back lighting them.  The infrared camera picks up the detail in the rocks very well, because there is enough reflected light for it to capture.  A regular camera body would have had a tough time representing the detail in those shadow areas because of the intensity of the sun above that area.

Next time I head out with the camera bag I will keep in mind a few locations to make another post about this topic in more detail with more clear examples by using the same exact setup and only switching between camera bodies.

Look out for a post about converting color images to black and white in Adobe Lightroom CC as well!

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Thank you!

-Tim