One day not too long ago I was working on some pictures I had made of the Great Ocean Road in Australia, one of the most photographed places in the world.   I started wondering where the least visited places in the world were and found Tuvalu. Further reading told me of their plight.  Since I work a lot in Infrared photography I decided to look it up and found there are no IR photographs of Tuvalu.  That’s when I decided I need to go there and photograph Tuvalu in Infrared. Rather than make this just a travel and photoshoot situation, I want to draw attention to Tuvalu.  I want people to learn about this little-known country. To that end, I want this to be a journey that people can take with me; either physically or virtually.  So, I set up a Gofundme page to start this journey  https://gofund.me/8d3f55e0

What is Tuvalu?

Tuvalu is the fourth smallest country, and the most remote country on Earth.  The archipelago of six coral atolls and three islands covers an area of just 26 km or 10 square miles.  It is located about midway between Hawaii and Australia.  It is home to about 11K people.

Tuvalu has the honor of being the least visited country in the world.  It is also, unfortunately, a country that will be gone in less than 20 years.

Why is Tuvalu disappearing?

To the inhabitants of Tuvalu, Global warming is not a pseudoscience or political theory, but rather a reality.  Two of the nine islands of Tuvalu have already largely disappeared. Scientists say that if the Earth's temperature raises by just 2 degrees  Tuvalu will disappear completely.  Many experts predict that the Island chain of Tuvalu will be gone forever within 20 years.

Who am I?

My name is Dan Wampler. I am a photographer and a traveler.  I am an internationally published digital artist who works with Natural color photography and Infrared photography. I teach photography online and in workshops, and operate as a lead for African photo safaris.

What is Infrared photography?

Infrared photography is an art form of creating images using a portion of the light spectrum that we cannot see. This involves using a camera that has been modified to capture light in the Infrared spectrum.

What do I want to do?

I want to acquire the funding to travel to Tuvalu, with a small group and capture the beauty of this disappearing land and its people.  I would like a group of photographers and hopefully, a videographer to accompany me on this journey.  If you are someone in that category and are interested, please contact me.  Since Tuvalu has not been photographed in Digital Infrared, I will get to be the first person to do so. Upon my return, I will have a book based on my journey, as well as a photographic series of the country for everyone to see.  With a little luck, future generations will know what Tuvalu looked like long after it is gone. Hopefully, we can draw a little more attention towards saving areas like this. After costs are covered, a donation will be made to try and help the country and people of Tuvalu.  The target for the journey is September 2025

I need your help.  Use the link https://gofund.me/8d3f55e0

Thank you.

As a photographer and a digital artist, you always have to be mindful of protecting your intellectual property. You put your heart and soul into creating a piece and the idea of someone stealing your work and then making money off of that work can be irritating and demotivating.

What I am about to tell you about is both. 

I periodically do a Google search on my work to see what comes up. I know you could say that's self-absorbed, but quite often I find things that are positive. Last year I found several situations where someone had used an image of mine for a Blog piece they did on Infrared photography and said some very flattering things about my work. Things like that don't bother me.  I just assume they forgot to ask to use the image or didn't even realize they should ask to use an image.  

No harm, no foul.

Last evening, I did a quick search and the title below one image caught my eye and bothered me. 

It said "Infrared Porn"

That is not the way I would describe my work. The image was linked to a site, Scrolller.com

So, I clicked the link and found this.

I immediately noticed there was a button to download the image, so I clicked it, and it ask me to log in.  I don't have an account, so I clicked register.  Then this came up.

So I created an account and then tried to download my image, and got this.

One more click and I got this.

So, Scrolller.com is charging a fee for people to download my, and other artists' images without our knowledge or consent.

Not good.  My work is being labeled "Porn" and Scrolller.com is making money off of it. All without me being aware.

I did find an about page on their site.

I decided to contact Scrolller.com to see what I could get done. I sent an email informing them that they have my images on their site without my consent.

The following is the email chain, starting with the response.

It was at this point that the communication stopped.

So, to recap, Scrolller.com is charging is making money off of artists' work, without their knowledge.  And it is next to impossible to keep your work off of there as their site is "updated constantly"

As I looked thru their site and checked out the large number of images under "Infrared Porn" I learned there are also real porn images in the same folder as our Infrared work.  In fact, there is a large area on their site just for real porn.  

This is frustrating!

I did a little checking to see who owns Scrolller.com and found out that Twitter bought Scrolller in 2021.

I did one final thing; I posted a Tweet to @elonmusk asking him if he is aware of what Scrolller.com is doing.  As of this writing, I have not received a response. 

I suggest you check out Scrolller.com to see if any of your work is on their site, and maybe you should also contact Mr. Musk and ask him the same questions I did.

I love the look of long-exposure photography.  You can create a different look and feel to a scene.  Long-exposure Infrared images are possible, with the right preparation and gear. 

Let’s go through some simple steps to getting a great long-exposure Infrared image.

For reference, I utilized a Canon R5, converted to Full Spectrum. For anyone not familiar with Full Spectrum, the camera is altered, removing the IR blocking filter or hot mirror, and a clear piece of glass is inserted in its place. Once converted, you place a filter on the lens to select what type of photography you want to capture.  In this instance, I used a Kase 720nm filter.  You can accomplish the same effect with an unconverted camera by placing the Kase 720nm filter on your natural color camera.

#1. Get a good tripod.

Over the past few years, the quality of tripods has improved and the prices are reasonable.  Carbon fiber tripods are usually best as they are very light and easy to carry. 

#2 Get good quality, Infrared neutral density filters

If you’ve shot long exposure images before, you know that not all ND filters are the same.  Many will add a color cast to the images that you then have to deal with in post-production.  When it comes to Infrared photography, some ND filters have little to no effect or only offer half the number of stops they are marked for when used for natural color photography.  I tested the Kase clip-in filters and I can tell you that they truly offer both 4-stop (ND16) and 10-stop (ND64) reduction for both Infrared and natural color images.  That’s great because you only need to carry one set of ND filters for all your photography.

The Kase clip-in filters are very easy to use.  You remove your lens and place the clip-in filter above your sensor.  It literally clips in.  Once in place, you put your lens back on and shoot like normal.  The filter comes with a triangular piece that looks very similar to a guitar pick that works perfectly to remove the clip-in filters.

The question that often comes up is, “Do I need a 4-stop or 10-stop, or both?”  I carry both as it allows me to adapt to every shooting scenario.  Depending on shooting conditions and the amount of available light,  On seriously sunny shoots, I will use a 4-stop ND filter and still be able to shoot hand-held to maximize my contrast in the images.

#3 Pick your scene to fit a long exposure. 

The idea with long exposures is to capitalize on the effect of keeping your shutter open longer.  There are things that will help make these images look better, and a few things to consider not doing as well.  If you are shooting a scene with water, especially running water, a long exposure will blur the water. 

This is a 30-second exposure with a 4-stop ND, at ISO 100, f22, shot right after sunset.  I then increased the color saturation to give the image more of a reddish, sepia tone.

This is a 2-minute exposure with a 10-stop ND at ISO50, f22

Even a pond will take on a different look as the surface will get smooth and mirror-like.

Now, see what happened to the clouds in this image?  Often times I will try long exposures on cloudy days as it adds a little to the images when the clouds show movement.

However, if it’s windy, that can blur your trees, which may or may not be the look you are going for.  You will want to experiment with different conditions to see what type of Long exposure Infrared you like.  Don’t be afraid to try everything; if the image doesn’t work out, just don’t share it.

#4 Set your camera properly

Make it easier on yourself by setting your camera right.  Start with the lowest ISO setting you have available.  Many new mirrorless cameras have a “Low” ISO setting which is the equivalent of ISO 50.  By setting your ISO you now need more light.  Next, take your f-stop to a higher number.  The higher-numbered f-stop requires more light. 

#5 Use a remote or delayed shutter

When you are capturing a long exposure, the last thing you want is anything that negatively affects the image.  No matter how careful you are, pressing the shutter button can jar the camera slightly, affecting the image.  Most cameras allow for some sort of remote shutter activation by a wireless remote or a cellphone app.  If you don’t want to do this, instead consider setting your camera for a delay.  Then when you press the shutter button you can move your hand away before the shutter actually opens.

#6 Budget more time for long exposures

One thing that always amuses me is how long it takes to capture such a small number of long exposures.  I have had a one-hour shoot time generate only 6 or 7 images.   Give yourself enough time to try different things and to shoot different exposure times.  If possible, try a location at different times of the day for a different look.

#7 (Most Important) Enjoy the process!

I watch some people shoot and they get so serious I wonder if they are actually enjoying themselves?  This is your art form, and for many, your hobby…. it should be fun.  Enjoy the process!  Try different things,  different exposure times, camera heights, and camera angles.   Don’t stress over the results, focus your energy on enjoying the image-capture experience.  If the images don’t turn out the way you want, ……… don’t show them to anyone and go back and try again.

Below are a few more examples of Infrared long exposures. 

I have a portfolio of IR long exposures you can see here.