Conventional visible light photography is challenging enough. Why bother with infrared? Because it opens up an otherwise unseen corner of the world — one of serene beauty and never-ending surprise. Digital cameras make this peek around the red end of the visible spectrum easier than ever before.

Photographers have struggled to master the techniques of infrared photography for years and many have been put off even trying because of the mystique behind the subject.

With traditional SLR cameras it is as much of an art as it is a technique with much of the settings being pure guesswork. The average light meter cannot read the level of infrared light and even the point of focus shifts due to the wavelength of this invisible light being much longer than visible light. So experience and a lot of hard work in the darkroom is the only way to succeed. Because of this, the average photographer gives up very early or just never bothers. This is a real shame because infrared can make ordinary colour photos a bit more stunning and with the advent of digital cameras and home computers, we have a new set of tools available to explore this fascinating field of photography.