Infrared panorama photography

Text and photos: Alexander Kapp

When I started out with infrared photography in 2018, I hadn't done much research into this photographic niche. I had stumbled across some photos on the internet that I liked and, as with many interesting techniques, I felt the need to try my hand at it myself.

After some research, I decided to start by converting an old Olympus SLR that was gathering dust in the cellar. This tinkering was quite nerve-wracking. I ordered a high-quality crown glass in the right size, used it to replace the infrared cut filter in front of the sensor and placed infrared filters in front of the lens. The result was impressive, and some of these IR photos can still be found in my current "portfolio". However, I quickly became annoyed by the comparatively old camera's error-prone autofocus, the lack of setting options, the uselessness of the optical viewfinder and the low resolution. I decided to have a professional conversion by IRreCams and have been using a Sony system camera converted to 630nm with continued enthusiasm ever since.

This wavelength gives me enough leeway to "capture" some color. If I feel like monochrome, I edit the images accordingly or add a filter with a longer wavelength. I particularly enjoy panoramas, whereby my pictures are predominantly in strong yellow or red.

You can find some of my most beautiful infrared photos on: alexanderkapp.de and on Instagram