I am Infra-Man!

 

There are other weapons I haven't given you as yet.

For success it's essential you have thunderball fists.

Professor from the cinematic classic
Infra-Man

OK, let's get this out of the way. If you have no idea who Infra-Man is – and especially if you are the parent of a young boy – you owe it to the both of you to pick up a copy of this masterpiece of cinema. That quote above should tell you all you need to know. But if you need more proof, see the trailer HERE and read Roger Ebert's original review HERE.

Now that that's out of the way . . . I may not have Thunderball Fists (and it's not because I don't want them), but I have discovered a new weapon in my creative arsenal that I didn't have before. It's a weapon that my Photoshop for the Soul "professor" Jack Davis outfitted me with during my week on Molokai. That week a whole new way of seeing the world was opened up to me when I borrowed Jack's extra infrared camera (my apologies to other attendees if I was bogarting it a bit much).

If you're unfamiliar with infrared photography let me tell you that the images below have been tweaked, but the colors are essentially what comes right of a camera that's been converted to shoot infrared. For your camera to be able to produce shots like this, you must send it in to a company (LifePixel is one) for conversion. This involves removal of the sensor in your camera that blocks the infrared spectrum. It's pricey and permanent, so we're talking about a commitment here – but it's a plunge that I plan on eventually taking myself. The images below will tell you why.

I told you in the last post that I'd be sharing the results of my creative play-time from Photoshop for the Soul. This was the perfect place to start! Be sure to click each image to open a new window and see the big honkin' version. Hope you enjoy . . .

The last shot is a 6 or 7-shot panorama stitched together in Photoshop – another new  technique I found quite fun. Will share some of those multi-shot panos next time. Aloha my friends!

Comments

[Lisa Lorenz]

Beautiful. What a recharge week. Now that you've learned again to play, remember to play nice! Always an enjoyable read.

[Todd Adkins]

Thanks Lisa! Appreciate the encouragement – it was indeed a massive recharge week. May end up ordering a refurbished 12 megapixel point and shoot to send in and have converted to infrared (asking for money for Christmas to cover that little expense). ;-)

Hope things are going great for you - miss being able to see your beautiful work.

[Mark Jones]

If you want to dabble in this before making an expensive leap, some older cameras like the Minolta Dimage 7 allow infrared light in. All you have to do is put an IR filter on the camera, set it to black and white mode, and start shooting. Having used infrared film a little in the past, I find the digital capability both easy and fascinating.

[Todd Adkins]

Thanks tons for the tip Mark. Being able to play with a digital point-and-shoot for a week has me already completely sold out! It was like pouring gasoline on my creative fire. Being relentlessly cheap as I am, I have found a refurbished 12 MP point-and-shoot for under $200, and I'm asking for cash for Christmas (my father-in-law always lovingly overspends on us) to go toward the conversion. God willing, I'll have a new toy around mid-January! Thanks again for the comment and the advice!

[Juicy Couture Handbags]

How do you rediscover the enthusiasm of your childhood? The answer, I believe, lies in the word itself. Do you think so? Posed By Juicy Couture Handbags

[Todd Adkins]

If you mean the word "childhood" then yes, I agree. If you mean the word "enthusiasm" then I'd agree also. I think both are key.

[Ugg Classic Short]

Just exhibits that writing via encounter brings so a lot of depth and relevance to ones readers. Thank you for sharing.

[Todd Adkins]

Kind words - much appreciated.
Thank you!