Infrared 100 on the BBC

The Viewfinder blog on the BBC web site features infrared photography today, with a copious quote from me. This, coupled with a recent press release from FLIR, should help raise awareness of the centenary and the technique. (It was even featured on the front page of the BBC News web site for a short while.)

The top of the page shows the double-page spread from the Illustrated London News in 1911 that was published to coincide with Wood's lecture at the Royal Institution and his appearance in the RPS 1911 exhibition. Besides a Kodak HIE shot of mine there is a great colour infrared image of Bob Dylan, taken in 1968 by Elliott Landy.

One interesting thing: Phil Coomes, who authors the blog, also includes an infrared photo of a space shuttle taking off. When you look closely you can see what appears to be the notorious infrared hot-spot right in the centre. This hot-spot is something that appears in digital infrared photographs, not film, and is 'best' seen with the lens stopped down and with something bright towards the centre of the shot. Not all lens/sensor combinations suffer from it, but most do. I have not seen any scientific analysis of the cause of this but it is a bane of digital infrared photography. 2010 must be the year that the hot spot is vanquished!

A Brace of Exhibitions

I've been sent info on two exhibitions featuring infrared photography, one on either side of the Atlantic.

To New York first ...
In a Different Light, with work by Theresa Airey, Susan Ruddick Bloom, Jill Enfield and Elizabeth Opalenik runs from today (Jan 28th) to Feb 27th at Umbrella Arts, 317 East 9th Street between 1st and 2nd Avenues. (I make that the East Village.) After today's launch the show is open Thursday to Saturday 1 to 6. Details on the Umbrella Arts web site. I am trying to persuade the ladies to make this exhibition an Infrared 100 event. How about it? [Later: see the first comment]

And thence to the UK ...
Simon Marsden will be showing some of his infrared photos of English gardens at Blenheim Palace from Feb 15th to March 28th. This is part of a group show with 10 photographers and only Simon uses infrared film. (Simon's web site.)

Fingerprinting and Infrared

John Smith from the University of Westminster will be presenting an Infrared 100 paper to the Fingerprint Society's annual conference, which will be held at University College London in April. The paper is called Infrared Photography’s 100th Birthday and, as John says ...

This presentation celebrates the pioneers of IR photography, whilst demonstrating some of the latest developments in this ever-more accessible area of fingerprint imaging.

More info (eventually) on the conference web site.