These images have been processed in photoshop to mimic the effects of infrared film. While it won’t work everytime, used with the correct image, infrared can create memorable, haunting images.

This first image is in black and white and has the classic haunted, moody look that infrared is so good at creating.

Infrared works in colour too. The second image, shot on the same day has been processed in colour infrared using photoshop CS3. 

 

 The photographs were taken in the Jutenheim mountains in September. It was a raw day with snow covering the pass that crosses the mountains and sixty miles per hour winds. The air temperature was below freezing and with conditions worsening by the minute I was limited to getting a few grab shots between bouts of staving off frostbite. The results were worth it, I think! 

  

 

This image was captured on March 7th 2007 when we experienced a once-in-several-lifetimes event: the lunar eclipse.

The eclipse took place when the earth came directly betwen the moon and the sun, casting a shadow over the moon in the process.

I shot the picture on a 600mm lens, using a 1 second exposure at f4 with the camera set at ISO 100.  

 

 

For a better view of the picture, go to the ‘Natural World’ gallery. 

Here’s a shot of a moose running in the snow, taken last winter in Norway. I got the shot by staking out an area identified by my wife, Anne Marit, as a place where moose might feed in the harsh winter conditions.

During the winter, moose come down into the valley where we have our house and we see them quite regularly. They are elusive, however, when it comes to grabbing photographs. Usually we see them in low light or at too great a distance to get a decent shot.

This photograph took several days to obtain and involved staking the area out for several hours at a time. Lying in the snow with the air temperature below freezing is hard work but when a moose finally comes running across a clearing toward you, snow flying in all directions, the results are more than worth it! 

 

 For the camera buffs among you the shot was taken with a 400mm fitted with a x2 converter. The exposure was 180th of a second at f5.6 on iso 800. 

 

Here’s a nice shot I took on a recent trip to Ireland. Photographing leaping fish is not easy but if, like me, you enjoy the challenge of taking great fishing pictures the results are well worth the effort.

The shot was achieved by setting the camera to a high ISO setting (this allows you to shoot at fast shutter speeds on dull days). On sunny days iso 200 will deliver decent shutter speeds and on rare occasions you can drop to iso 100 but most of the time iso 400 or 800 is usually necessary.

 

 Set the camera at F4 with a shutter speed as high as possible. The minimum is 500th of a second but 1000th up to 4000th of a second is better. A burst of flash will help to add punch to the picture.

This shot was taken at iso 200 with the aperture at f4 and the shutter speed at 2000th of a second. The flash fired and was set to high speed sync.  

In addition to knowing how to handle the camra it is always important to be ready. Anticipate the action by having the camera ready to shoot with the right lens fitted to match the distance you think that the fish will appear at and make sure that the camera is turned on with the right settings dialled in.

This and some of the other tailwalking shots can be found in the gallery.

Incidentally, the fish in the picture is a twenty!

 

Matt