Customer Reviews

Infrared Portrait Photography

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Richard's book sheds new light on Infrared portrait photography. I am glad to read a book on Infrared photography that can be utilized by working professional photographers to help increase their revenue. Many of the other Infrared books I have read , although technically very good in their content, left me with very few ideas to make Infrared photography profitable. This book goes beyond being a "pretty picture" guide for photo enthusiasts and offers the reader an exciting way to add a profit center to their photography business.

This book has a few decent tips for doing portraits with infrared film, such as avoiding certain colors and applications of fabric and women's makeup that will absorb or reflect too much infrared light. And examples of how IR can cover skin blemishes or give a romanticized feel to a photo are explained and depicted well. There are also a handful of nice pastoral shots here.

Beyond that, the information is vague and the portraiture is largely tacky. Many of the models are shown in unnatural poses. In some cases, their modern wardrobes and hairstyles are completely inappropriate for the dreamy/old-time/otherworldly locales in which the photographer has placed them. Subjects/clothing that have a more timeless quality---baby photos, wedding portraits, boudour (sp?) photos, theatre costuming, 4H photos, etc.---can work great in IR. Most of the graduation portraits here do NOT, and are almost painfully pretentious.

Although not about portraiture, "Infrared Landscape Photography", also by this publisher, gives much better technical and aesthetic information on the uses and special considerations of IR films.