Mirror imaging is the term used for an image that is created by taking an image or part of an image and mirroring it and connecting the two images to create a surreal look.  The technique has been around for decades.  I remember seeing a monochromatic mirror image that had been made in the 1940s, and that’s what got me to start making them. 

Now the most important thing to consider when creating a mirror, is where to set the mirror point 

Some images will look good by mirroring the entire image, whereas others will require a selective cut.  Let me give you an example.

For this image of the driftwood.

If we mirror the entire image, we get this.

It is a mirror image, but there's not much exciting going on in this image.

However, if we decide to cut the image at the edge of the driftwood, we can create something a little more interesting.

Now this works.  Some people have said it looks like some sort of creature with its arms raised to the sky.  

Take a look at this mirror image.  What do you see? A heart? A face? This image will make a person stop and look closer.

Here's another one.

Now what do you see? An upside-down down heart? A face inside the heart? A demon at the bottom center where the tree roots meet?  It's interesting how our minds find meaning in the shapes when we mirror an image.  Often the shapes are at the middle of the image.

So, let's go through the process of creating a mirror image, and then I'll show you a little twist afterward to mess with the viewer of your images.

So, let's get started.

We are going to start with an image made in New Zealand, with the IR Chrome filter by Kolarivision.

For this image, I think I will mirror everything. 

I will use the rectangular marquee tool to mark the entire image.

Then I'll click Edit, and Copy.  Now I have the image saved to my clipboard.

Next, I'm going to expand my canvas.  To do this I will click Image, then Canvas Size.

Then you see this box appear.

We are going to make a few adjustments.  Under the width, we are going to double that amount. Then in the area below that is marked Anchor, I'll click on the center, left side square so the extra space is added to the right where the mirrored part will go. 

Then click OK.

Now we have an image that looks like this.

Next, click Image, Image Rotation, & Flip Canvas Horizontal.  Now your image will look like this.

Now we are going to use the image we copied to the clipboard.  Simply click Edit, then Paste.

Now you should be seeing something like this.

Now use the move tool to line the two images up.

One more step.  Click Layer, scroll to the bottom, and click Flatten Image.

Congratulations!  You just created a Mirror Image!

Once you complete the steps a few times it will become a quick process. 

Now for that little twist, I mentioned earlier.  When someone realizes they are looking at a Mirror image, their eyes naturally shift left and right as their mind makes sure everything is the same. 

SO, . . . .  Let's mess with them a bit.

For this, we will use the Remove Tool.

I decided to remove one boat from each side, and one rock on the right side.

Here's a side-by-side comparison.

It's just a little something to try.  Here's another one; can you see the differences?

One more thing.  After you get good with a horizontal Mirror Image, try mirroring an image horizontally, and then vertically.  

Going from this.

To this.

And then this.

To date, this is my favorite Mirror Image.  It reminds me of an M.C. Escher print.

So, are you ready to give it a try?  If you get in a jam, I teach online.  www.danwampler.com

I have found something that will forever change the way I shoot.  Now I realize that’s a bold statement, but it is true. 

What I am talking about is the Iridium filter by Kolari Vision.

The proof is in the pictures

What do all these images have in common?

The answer? 

They are all straight out of the camera, a camera with an Iridium filter in it. 

For the record, I didn't adjust the levels & curves, I didn't increase the saturation, or make adjustments in Selective Color.

And finally, I didn't do a red/blue color channel swap on the second image. 

I admit it felt quite strange to not work on these images in Photoshop, but they didn't need anything.

Look at the intense greens, reds, & yellows in the color image of the turtles. 

How about the incredibly blue sky in the second Infrared image?

And finally, check out the deep blues, yellows, and reds in the pelican image.  

So what is an Iridium filter, and what does it do?

Simply put, the Iridium filter is a color-enhancing filter.

As Kolari puts it:

"This new Kolari filter works by blocking the in-between, ambiguous colors, allowing true reds, greens, and blues to shine through.  By doing this, the Iridium filter can be used for both scientific images and artistic applications"

So, how do you use an Iridium filter?

They are currently available as a drop-in or clip-in filter.

Used on an unconverted camera, it gives me images straight out of the camera that remind me of the old Kodak Kodachrome, or the old Panavision movies. 
 

This image was made after sunset when you usually cannot capture the subtle colors you see with your eyes.

Here's another one, an after-sunset image

I have shot in the very same spot many times, but have never been able to so easily capture what my eyes and mind see.

For Monochrome photography, the Iridium filter is also great.  If you are going for a Chiaroscuro effect, this is the filter you want.

For me, the Iridium Filter by Kolari has been like magic. 
 

The images have a sharp, crisp feel to them, and the color tones and intensity are exciting.

Now on a Full spectrum camera, it also does some interesting things.  For those of you not familiar with a full-spectrum conversion, it is a camera that has had its IR-blocking filter or hot mirror removed and a clear piece of glass put in its place.  This allows you to capture (with no filter) the visible light spectrum, the IR spectrum, and the UV spectrums of light.  With a full spectrum camera, you decide what you want to shoot by what filter you place in front of the sensor but a clip-in filter, drop-in filter, or screw filer.

In the case of the Iridium filter, a full-spectrum camera will produce images that are very similar to a 720nm image, in that the image comes out with white, or near white foliage, and blue in the sky.  All with no post-production.

In some circumstances, you will get a touch of pale red in some of the foliage.

Next, I took the Iridium filter for a spin with one of my favorite shooting exercises, photographing butterflies. It may sound silly, but photographing butterflies is a great way to hone your skills as a photographer.  To be effective, you must be able to shoot quickly.  Blink and you could miss the entire shooting opportunity. So I shot with a Canon R5 and the RF 100-400 f5.6/8 IS USM lens.

Once again, these are straight out of the camera. Look at the amazing color tones! And with no post-production.  

I want to leave this filter clipped permanently in my camera. 

But can I ???

My initial testing was exciting, but I had to determine whether or not it had any effect on an image when shooting other types of Infrared. 

In all, I tested 590nm, 665nm, 720nm, 850nm, and the IR Chrome lite filters.

The outcome? 

There is minimal change when shooting a full-spectrum camera with the Iridium filter. If you weren't looking at them side by side, you probably wouldn't even notice.

Here's an example with the IR Chrome filter.

Here's the 720nm filter

And finally the ever-popular 590nm filter

So, I'm sold on the Iridium filter and intend to leave it in my camera full-time.

If you want one, head over to Kolari Vision and get one before they run out. 

My suggestion to Kolari, if possible, develop a full-spectrum conversion with the Iridium filter built. 

Then call me, I want one.

Here's a list of everything I used and spoke about.

Canon R5

RF 100-400mm lens 

IR Chrome Filter

Full-Spectrum conversion

Kolari Vision 

I love digital Infrared photography.  I've shooting it for nearly 20 years and teaching it for over 10 years.  The look is interesting, and the idea that you are creating images using a portion of the light spectrum we can't see is very exciting.  One constant in the world of digital IR has been the fact that post-production on Infrared takes more than a little bit longer than natural color photography does.   If you are shooting Infrared in the range of 590nm to 720nm there is the famous Red/Blue color channel swap that is necessary to give your images a blue sky. 

Many of my students want to know how to shoot IR without having to spend too much time on post-production.  I then try to show them the quickest techniques and help them accept the reality of Digital Infrared post-production.

It takes time.

Well, that has changed. Thanks to the  Kolari Vision IR Chrome Lite filter.  

Now if you're not familiar with the IR Chrome filter, it is the digital answer to the now-defunct Aerchrome Film.  Aerchrome film was an Infrared film made by Kodak from 1942 to 2009.  To say it was challenging to use is being very polite, but it produced images with a bright Blue or Cyan sky and the foliage was in the color tones of Red, Pink, or Orange.

Kolari brought out the IR Chrome filter a few years ago, and the IR Chrome Lite is the latest iteration of this filter.

Now it is important to note that the Kolari IR Chrome Lite filter can only be used on a Full-Spectrum Camera.  For those of you not familiar with a Full-Spectrum conversion, this is a process where the Hot Mirror, or IR-blocking filter is removed allowing the camera to capture images in the light spectrum range of Natural Color, Infrared, and Ultra Violet.  The way you determine what you are going to capture is by what filter you place on your lens, clip-in front of the sensor, or drop-in behind the lens. It's a great way to shoot as you need only one camera body to shoot everything.  If you'd like more information about a Full-Spectrum conversion, I suggest checking out Kolar Vision here  They are the number one in the industry.

Now as for the images made with an IR Chrome lite filter, they will need to be properly white-balanced.  In my opinion, the best White Balance can be achieved by using the RAW editor made for your camera.  Each camera manufacturer has a free RAW editor that will allow you to properly White Balance your images.  If you are not familiar with the RAW editor for your camera, you can contact me and I will point you in the right direction. 

So, here is an example of an IR Chrome RAW image.  An in-camera White Balance was set, but as I know the in-camera WB doesn't actually alter the RAW file, but rather the way I preview it,  I don't give it any concern.  This however can be a shock to some people as this is how my IR Chrome Lite image initially looks.

Not to worry though. I use my RAW editor, in this case, the Digital Photo Professional software to White Balance, and convert my RAW files to a Jpg or Tiff.   

Once the White Balance is set, the image immediately pops.  You will also notice I cropped the image slightly.

Just like that, I have a stunning Infrared image!

And without the need for a channel swap. 

This is where the versatility comes in. 

Let's say I like this image, but I want the look of a 590nm IR image.  

Well, that's simple. I'm going to open my image in Photoshop and then select Image>Adjustmenst>Hue/Saturation

Then you see this dialog box.

All you need to do is select REDS and then move the Hue slider to the right.  That will give you this.

If you want to adjust the sky from Cyan to Blue, Select CYANS, and then adjust the Hue slider to the right once again, to get this.

Want the look of a 720nm IR image?  Simply lower the saturation on the REDS and then adjust the lightness to make it look like this. 

See? 

Very Easy. 

Now how about an intense Monochrome Black and white?  Simply follow the 3 easy steps I outlined in this piece here and you can get this.

Four different looks form one image, and all are done in less than 5 minutes total.

So you can see why I say the IR Chrome Lite filter is so versatile.  

But.......

Let's not lose sight of how interesting the IR Chrome Lite filter looks without the changes.

The way the color tones come through with the IR Chrome Lite filter can make for some very surreal images.

Here is a long-exposure image image made using a 10-stop ND filter with the IR Chrome Lite.   

Canon R5, IRIX 15mm f2.4, 10-stop ND, f13, ISO 50, 10 seconds

Here's an of a tree by the ocean, out for a walk.

Canon R5, IRIX 15mm f2.4, f11, ISO 100, 1/320 sec

And one of my favorites.

Canon R5, IRIX 15mm f2.4, f11, ISO 100, 15 seconds

You'll notice in this long exposure image that the subject retains a natural-looking skin tone, as opposed to the ghostly white look you normally get from an IR image.

This one really has an other-worldly feel to it.

Canon R5, IRIX 15mm f2.4, f18, ISO 100, 30 seconds

In conclusion

Shooting with the  IR Chrome Lite filter from Kolari has been like discovering a totally new type of Infrared photography.  The ease of use and the versatility of the images make for great shoots.  It is now my first go-to filter.

So, what do you think?

Here's a list of everything I used and spoke about.

Canon R5

IRIX 15mm f2.4 

IR Chrome Filter

Neutral Density Filter

Full-Spectrum conversion

Kolari Vision