Conversion to Infrared on a Lumix Camera by Bob Coates

Intro by Skip Cohen

I've shared a lot of guest posts by my good buddy, Lumix Luminary, Bob Coates. Being friends for a whole lot of years we've seen his work constantly evolve and while fine art and commercial work seem to be his focus most of the time these days, there's nothing he can't shoot. He's regularly teaching around the country and is a passionate educator, always trying new techniques and ways to capture the "ultimate image".

Check out his blog, Successfull-Photographer and you'll also find more of his work along with all the members of the Lumix Luminary team in the Lumix Lounge.

With the speed of technology cranking along as fast as it is you have probably found your self with a perfectly performing camera that’s just a bit past it’s prime. What to do, what to do?
 
Give it some new life. I’ve converted a Lumix G6 to infrared by having the filter in front of the chip removed and replaced by a filter that allows the camera to see a larger spectrum of light by LifePixel. You can get more specific details about making a conversion, choice of filters and ideas for processing files to the final IR look here. http://www.lifepixel.com/549.html
 
I chose the standard IR conversion filter and have developed a different way to process files than Lifepixel recommends. (See links at the bottom for more details) But, I encourage you to try a lot of different methods until you find the one that works for, and gives you the look you like. It’s possible to use the IR converted camera to give you everything from a high contrast black and white to an airy, ethereal feel to the scene.

Visit Successful Photographer: infrared Imaging

Successful Photographer: wilderness infrared

Images copyright Bob Coates. All rights reserved.