Photo Gallery: False-colour infrared film

Near Liphook in Hampshire, at a place called Hollycombe, there is a celebration of steam. As well as a great little steam train that winds its way around old quarry workings to reveal views of the countryside you just don't see from the road, there is ... amongst other things ... a steam-driven fairground. Elaine and I rode up on the ferris wheel and, from the top, this is the view.

Closeup of a sunflower head taken with Infrared Ektachrome. Since the usual effect of foliage is to reflect near-infrared light strongly, I thought I'd see what happens to a strongly coloured ... or even 'black' flower. This close-up of a sunflower is a result. The yellow petals go white, as you'd expect' but the surprise is the strong red reflectance of the central 'black' part. I really like this photo ... and it was included in an 'Amateur Photographer' article on infrared ... although they turned it upside down!

Pamukkale is in Denizli Province in southwestern Turkey, famous for carbonate mineral deposits left by the flowing of thermal spring water. This gives rise to the cascading white pools seen here. This photo, using Infrared Ektachrome, emphasises the unworldly look of the site.

Frensham Little Pond is one of two lakes in Surrey which were originally made to provide a water supply for a local bishop. Now the pond is looked after by the National Trust and can easily be circumnavigated for a light afternoon stroll ... it even has a beach. This particular day was gloomy and overcast, but the infra-red effect traps the swans between the dark lake and a boiling sky. The red stripe in the middle is the reed bed on the far shore.

Taken with Infrared Ektachrome film (E-4)

A dandelion clock, standing out from grass rendered red by the Ektachrome Infrared E6 film.

The Azores are volcanic islands, and in many places are still active. In the centre of the island of Faial is a crater, rising 800 metres from the sea, which is called Caldeira on the local maps, although a caldera is basically the name for a volcanic crater that has become filled with water. The false-colour in this colour infrared image increases the off-world feel of any volcanic landscape.

Taken with Infrared Ektachrome film (E-4)

We stayed in Zermatt in what used to be a sanitorium. As luck would have it, our bedroom balcony gave a splendid view of the Matterhorn. This shot is from that vantage point, using Kodak Infrared E4 Ektachrome film.

The valley of the Tillingbourne in Surrey was the site of a gunpowder mill. The mill was there for a long time, and it is believed that John Bunyan used this area as a model for the Slough of Despond in Pilgrim's Progress. Only deserted buildings remain, as well as a few millstones used for grinding up the constituents of gunpowder. I love the way the super-saturated red gives an velvety feel to the surroundings here.

Taken with Infrared Ektachrome E6 film.