Photography, as with all visual media, is an examination of light. All discussions about photography eventually come down to light. A photographer will “go out to capture the light”, set up and wait for the “golden hour”, discard portraits because “the light wasn’t there”.
Some photographers have found a way to capture light you cannot see, the infrared wavelengths that exist just outside the visible spectrum. It requires special equipment – in the days of film, special films were required to detect IR light; in this digital age, a special sensor is needed, meaning a photographer will usually have a camera dedicated to only shooting IR. The results are strange and otherworldly, and often quite beautiful.
In order to get an idea of the look of IR photography, with its dark skies and bright foliage, just take a look around on Google. A really nice overview can be found on the Photography Life site.
Of course, there’s no such thing as an iPhone camera sensor that is sensitive to IR light. That doesn’t mean you can’t explore this type of photography – it just means you need software that can emulate the look. Jixipix has just the thing with NIR Color. It may not – as a matter of fact, almost certainly will not – be an app you use on a regular basis. But it can allow you to see images in a whole new light. (Pardon the pun, but it was too easy.)
NIR Color for iPhone retails for $1.99/£1.49/download
NIR Color for iPad retails for the above/download
