The Infrared Photography Book List

(in association with Amazon.com & Amazon.co.uk)

This brief bibliography, which I will update as and when, lists the books I have come across, heard of and (where possible) even read about infrared photography.

The ISBN numbers (if you'll pardon the tautology) can be useful when ordering books from libraries as well as for buying, so I have included them where I have them even for books that are out-of-print. I have also taken the opportunity to link through to Amazon's online bookstores in the US and UK which carry many of the in-print books listed here and can sometimes lead you to out-of-print ones too. You should note that quite often Amazon sell the books at a price well below the list price I give on this page and that some books are available at one store and some at both. The out-of-print ones can possibly also be traced via Alibris.com in the US, via the ABE (Advanced Book Exchange) web site in Canada or the Australian site Books & Collectibles (but note that dealers sometimes advertise books they can get, rather than ones they actually have in stock). An alternative of course, is eBay.

I am very interested to hear from anyone who can improve on my sometimes sketchy information. Also please tell me about any books you have, or know about, that could be added to the list. Publishers are invited to send books for inclusion/review (Go on. You know it's good marketing sense!). Email me at andy@atsf.co.uk.

Updated June 2008

Adagio - Reha Akcakaya - Ilke Basin Yayim

Reha Akçakaya has produced an excellent second portfolio of infrared images to complement his Journey with the Invisible Light (see below). This time he, like most of us, has migrated from silver to digits. The work in this new book covers the period from 1995 to 2007, with photos taken since 2005 being digital.

He's still getting around, with Yosemite, China, Japan , Germany and Bali on the agenda ... plus his native Turkey. Some great photos and a beautifully-presented softback book.

The book may be difficult to find outside Turkey but you should look first at Reha's web site which is well worth a visit.

(ISBN 978-975-8069-11-8)

Journey with the Invisible Light - Reha Akçakaya - Hil Yayin

Although I might be said to have a bias, as this book shares its title with this web site, I have to admit to being delighted to have finally received a copy here at Invisible Towers. The real title of this book is Görünmez Isikla Yolculuk (near as my Mac keyboard can manage it). The photographer, Reha Akçakaya, spent time in the UK and USA and some of the photographs are from there, but the majority are from Turkey. He says that he has worked exclusively in black and white infrared since 1990. The book was published in Istanbul in February 1995.

There is little text, but what there is is in both Turkish and English. The photographs - all by Reha - are landscapes and architectural but range across a wide range of subjects. One or two have that 'did I really get this exposure right' look that we infrared photographers know and love. My favourites include an amazing shot of bathers on a beach: the sea is so dark that the swimmers seem suspended in mid-air, or at least embedded in a black wall. Fascinating and highly recommended. This is a great book from which to gain ideas: Mr Akcakaya is a photographer with an eye somewhat like my own and this is a book full of "I wish I'd shot that" photos for me. To paraphrase Whistler (or was it Monty Python?): "You will Andy, you will".

When I first asked for information about this book, Ibrahim Pamuk e-mailed from Turkey to say that he thinks the book will appeal to infrared enthusiasts (he also has a copy) and the quality is good ... or '... at least the pages are thick'. Ibrahim is right on all counts: the book is well printed and is about A4 in size, softback, with 73 images.

(ISBN 975-7638-09-9)

Looking Into the Extreme End of the Near Infrared - Kenneth Farmer - Pro Partners and Associates

Subtitled 'Principles and Techniques for Digital Infrared Photography' this book showcases Ken Farmer's infrared photography together with some explanations of techniques and things to consider when taking IR photos. The landscapes are stunning, definitely Ken's strong suit, and I am especially jealous of the good weather Ken got in Japan because his Japanese landscapes are superb. (Not as jealous as I am of his Fuji S3 UVIR SLR however, since Fuji are selling that extraordinary camera only in America and not to us poor Europeans!)

The quality of the printing, all in black and white, is excellent too and although the book has the same form-factor as Amherst's, and could be mistaken for one, I think the image quality is better. It is very difficult to balance quality of black and white printing against costs and Ken has struck a good balance here.

The book isn't perfect of course. It deserves a more catchy title, which is a little convoluted, but it does reflect Ken's use of longer near-IR wavelengths. It is also a little unsure about whether it's a collection of photos or a 'how-to' book but, that's no big deal. To be honest, I'd probably have the same problem. And a few of the photos, especially the nudes, are repetitous.

You can see some of this for yourself as well, on Ken's web site - www.infraredvideo.com - where you can also buy yourself a copy.

A current favourite here at Invisible Towers, and worthy of your attention. This isn't Ken's only appearence on this page either: keep reading ...

(ISBN 1-59916-116-8 Paperback 166 pages $49)

Infra-Red Photography: A Complete Workshop Guide - Hugh Milsom - Fountain Press

Described by the publishers as 'comprehensive guide to this fascinating branch of photography.' The photographs are excellent and the printing does them justice with high production values adding to the classy feel. Despite not covering digital infrared (see below) this deals with everything else. It covers film, filters, developing, printing and toning across a range of films including Maco and colour Ektachrome.

Information on the film and techniques is followed by a workshop using the work of six photographers: Simon Marsden, Tony Woroblec, Ray Spence, Pete Burkett, Stuart Black and Hugh Millson himself. Published December 31, 2001.

(ISBN 0863433731)

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American Ruins: Ghosts on the Landscape - Maxwell MacKenzie - Afton Historical Society Press

This is an incredibly beautiful 80 page book (now paperback but initially hardback) published in 2001 full of lanscapes with big skies and small buildings. The shots are all Konica infrared taken with a couple of those very large format Fuji cameras I have been known to drool over but know I'd never carry around. Highly recommended with just a small caveat: the panoramic-format photos all go across the fold ... at least in my paperback copy.

(ISBN 1890434418 Paperback)

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Complete Guide to Digital Infrared Photography - Joe Farace - Lark Books

This new book by the prolific Mr Farace seems to be a comprehensive guide to taking, manipulating and printing digital infrared images. I haven't seen it yet and I'll report back when I do.

(ISBN 1579907725 Paperback 160 pages)

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Digital Infrared Photography: Professional Techniques And Images - Patrick Rice - Amherst Media

Amherst continue their bid for world domination - at least as far as infrared photography is concerned. It was only a matter of time before digital IR got a book to itself and this is, to my knowledge, the first. However, it does mention film and the digital concentrates on using Nikon's cameras so the scope is perhaps a little less than it could have been.

(ISBN 1584281448)

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111 Infrared Photos - Joseph Constantino - Authorhouse

This one popped up in an amazon search and presumably does edxactly what it says on the tin. The amazon.com page has a nice shot of a gate against a striated sky but I haven't seen the book itself or come across the photographer.

(ISBN 142087148X - $46.25)

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Dolls & Idols - Antonis Karydis - Iconikon Image Publishing

Unusually, this is a book entirely of photographs taken in colour infrared Ektachrome and Antonis is a master of that form - check out his web site. Dolls & Idols is a collection of images of shop window mannequins (what we also call dummies in the UK ... rather disparagingly). It's a fascinating view of a kind of 'other' life, since at first glance many of the figures seem alive. On the face of it this is a fairly narrow subject, and it is stretching things just a little to devote a whole book ... but only a little. This is a very classy publication, lying somewhere between a monograph and the coffee table but well worth checking out if you're into unusual photo books.

Don't let anyone tell you that Greek photographs only feature stone, whitewashed walls, bearded priests and brightly-coloured doors!

(ISBN 9608815509)

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Invisible Light - Smithsonian Institution

Thanks to Steve Paternite for introducing this to me via an auction on eBay. It's the catalogue for an exhibition put together in 1981 for SITES, a programme of the Smithsonian that organises travelling exhibitions. [They're still going: see www.sites.si.edu for more information.] The collection was put together by Robert Cartmell of SUNY-Albany to rectify the lack of attention given (and IMHOP this is still the case) to the artistic merits of this form of photography.

The catalogue is US letter sized with 52 pages plus cover, all in black and white, although colour is mentioned. One curious thing is that the writer appears to have the common misconception that this photography is related to heat.

Featured photographers include Minor White - his Cobblestone House was probably the earliest widely-published IR photo and I'm sure you'll recognise it when you see it on the cover of this booklet - Simon Marsden - with some of his beautiful ruins - and Rumio Sato - who used a hand-held Widelux to take delightfully wavy panoramas he calls 'Dreamlander' photos.

(ISBN 0-86528-002-9)

Elysium: Gathering of Souls - Sandra Russell Clark - Louisiana State University Press

Very atmospheric infrared photos of twenty New Orleans cemeteries functioning as a kind of guide book to these cities of the dead, complete with map. 144 pages, hardback, published in 1997.

(ISBN 0807122289)

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Elizabeth's Dream - Juliana Freehand - Lifeline Resources

A limited edition, virtually hand-made, hundred-page book of infrared artistic nudes (of ages from children to elderly people) by Julianna FreeHand. It was published in 1984 and now sells for several hundred dollars. Used copies are listed on Amazon.

(ISBN 0960570020)

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Advanced Infrared Photography Handbook - Lawrie White Hayball - Amherst Media

This doesn't replace Lawrie's earlier book (see below) but expands on it with more technical details and, I have to say, some of the most eye-catching infrared images I've seen in a long time. As before, the technical explanation gets down to the nitty-gritty of film response curves but this does help you understand why films give different results when photographing the same thing. She even discusses the unusual technique of placing a gel filter between the film rails in order to shoot infrared without losing use of the bright image in the viewfinder of an SLR.

On the image side there are some results from her trips to the Antarctic and Falkland Islands. There is one shot of King Penguins on South Georgia, with glowing underbellies, that is hauntingly beautiful. It is placed opposite a photo of a group of bird watchers looking through binoculars which is also memorable. I've seen Laurie mentioned as a photographer in the Adams/White mould and with these images I'd have to agree.

(ISBN 1584280492)

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Extreme Camcorder Handbook - Kenneth Farmer - Pro Partners & Associates

As far as I know this is a 'one-of-a-kind' handbook on the techniques of using your CCD-Camcorder to shoot infrared movies. As you will know if you've looked at my Infrared Movie of Amsterdam - which someone joking called the infrared light district (!) - it is quite easy to shoot movies this way if you have a suitable filter and a suitably responsive camcorder. In this book Kenneth explains it all. Ken shoots with a Hoya R100 filter which rolls in at 1000 nm wavelength (I used a Hoya R72 which is not quite so opaque) and his book is full of examples.

Cost is $24.99 plus shipping from his web site at www.infraredvideo.com.

War of our Fathers - Richard Marin - Barnes and Noble

In another time and in another place, our fathers battled for our future. The memories of that live on in their minds and occasionally amidst the soil, sand and jungle of the battlefields.

Photographer Richard Marin and writer David H Kogut, revisited America's battlefields of the Pacific War and combined photographs with remembrances of many veterans of that theatre. This is a substantial publication: the size of half a dozen 12-inch record albums stacked together. It was first published in Japan in 1991 and the design of the book is largely the result of that first outing (Japanese edition ISBN 4-484-91125-6). Eight years later this English-language edition emerged.

This book weaves its way across the battlefields of the American's war. Crashed bombers lie entwined in jungle and entombed in sand across the Pacific. Infrared photography makes it possible to see a scene and yet be displaced from it. That makes it eminently suitable for graveyards and battlefields: places where the arrow of time stands still. One image that sticks in my mind shows the place on the island of Tinian where the Fat Man bomb that felled Nagasaki was loaded. The picture shows just two trees, a palm and a broadleaf that I don't recognise, standing white against the black sky. You almost expect something in the image to tell you what ambiguous dreadfulness was born here ... but in the end it is the empty 'normality' that must suffice.

Richard makes this notable point about the images: "These photographs bear little more relation to what's out there than a dream of a beach does to the beach itself." I think that's a delightfully euphonious way to describe the feel of infrared photography. You can also see some images on a War of Our Fathers web site (including a screen saver). Not everything in the book is infrared, but most photos are.

(ISBN 0-76071362-6 - $24.98 but currently out of print)

The Art of Color Infrared Photography  - Steven H Begleiter - Amherst Media

Another publication from the folks who brought you the Joseph Paduano and Laurie White books and this time exploring colour (or should I say 'color') infrared. Colour infrared photography has its roots (sorry) in agriculture since the false-colour mapping of infrared, red and green light to red, green and blue shows up subtle shades of colour in foliage that basically says how healthy it is. But you can use the same film for artistic effects as well. Steven is an accomplished freelance photographer and has contributed to over a hundred publications.

(ISBN 1584280654 - $29.95)

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Infrared Landscape Photography - Todd Damiano - Amherst Media

Another publication from the folks who brought you the Joseph Paduano and Laurie White books. The book analyses 50 of Todd's photographs, covering topics such as location photography, composition and evaluation of light and shade and has attracted rave reviews from readers on Amazon's web site. Todd shoots medium-format Konica and his shots - mostly desert and ruins - make full use of that film's stark contrast.

While I look for the interplay of living and inert objects in my landscapes, Todd reduces his to sharp black shadows and skies, and white rocks and very occasionally foliage. This minimalist approach leads to an interplay of shapes that is both beautiful and intriguing. The shadows are bible black: the surrounding light is simply sucked into them. The highlights dazzle, even on the printed page. I am not convinced that the book's printing is doing them full justice: in video terms the photos are 'black crushed' and it took me a little while to appreciate the photographs themselves rather than wondering if it was a reproduction fault. I consider myself a landscape photographer and I think I have a lot to learn from Todd's book, even though we take different kinds of images. Dare I even say some remind me of Ansel Adams? I guess that's something we landscapers should all aspire to.

(ISBN 0-936262-82-6 - $29.95)

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Infrared Portrait Photography - Robert Beitzal - Amherst Media

This is an interesting area, partly because many of the effects of infrared photography can be argued to be detrimental to how someone looks - not a problem I see myself. But care needs to be taken to minimise veins and other skin effects showing as a result of infrared light penetrating the surface of the skin. Also, one of the delights of portraits is the use of long lenses and close-ups: and focusing can be difficult with infrared (since the light is usually focused differently from visible light by the lens).

(ISBN 1584280123 - $29.95)

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Infrared Wedding Photography - Patrick & Barbara Rice and Travis Hill - Amherst Media

Taking wedding photos in infrared seems very popular in the US but virtually unknown in the UK. On the whole I am not sure there's anything artistic in this book that isn't better covered in the Beitzal portrait book above but there is a lot of potentially useful workflow information here for professionals and proto-professionals wanting to do weddings (in whatever light).

(ISBN 1584280204 - $29.95)

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The Art of Infrared Photography - Joseph Paduano - Amherst Media

This book is also something of a bible for the IR fraternity and now into its 4th edition. The addition of information on the Konica film, digital cameras, colour infrared and hand-toning of images makes the new edition well worth getting. On top of this Joe takes some really good pictures - there are some medium format, and larger, images here plus colour and hand-toned examples.

Joe also has his own web site.

(The Library of Congress index says that the book originally came out around 1984 and the ISBN of that edition was 0-871-002-388. The publisher was Morgan and Morgan. Although this info is out of date it might help you find a copy in the public library system.)

(ISBN 0-936262-50-8 - $29.95)

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Infrared Nude Photography (2nd Ed) - Joseph Paduano - Amherst Media

Despite the extreme reaction of showing veins beneath the skin and so on, you can use IR film for portraiture ... and more. Joe's 'other' IR book has also reached a new edition and shows a variety of techniques for photographing lots of skin and the soft tones and slight halation make a striking difference to the hard-shadowed figure studies that seem the current vogue. The models here are all female and white and it would have been interesting to see how IR film recorded darker skin tones.

(ISBN 0-936262-67-2 - $29.95)

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In Ruins - Simon Marsden and Duncan McLaren - Bullfinch Press

A collection of images and descriptions of ruined Irish castles: Simon Marsden is the photographer. All of the photographs are infrared and most are stunning: if Joe and Laurie show us technique then I think Simon can show us style. The strange thing is that nowhere is it mentioned that the photographs are infrared. It is almost as if the publishers thought it would detract from the book's appeal. Shame!

The book was first published in 1980 and this is an expanded second edition. The imprint is part of Little Brown and there is more information on their web site. If you have seen Anton Corbijn's infrared cover shot on U2's album The Unforgettable Fire then you will have a flavour of this book. According to his biography, 'Simon Marsden is an internationally acclaimed photographer of the fantastic and the supernatural with an affinity for ruins'. Simon has produced several mystical books that also include infrared images ... read on. You will also find more of his photographs on his own site.

If you are interested in following in Simon's footsteps then Pete Schermerhorn has written an article detailing where exactly (to map grid references) the houses in this book are.

(ISBN 0-8212-2356-9 - $28 -£18.99 in the UK)

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The Haunted Realm - Simon Marsden - Little, Brown and Co

This is probably the book that defines Simon's work. In it he travels across the British Isles, gathering ghostly tales and atmospheric photographs as he goes. Whitby Abbey stands starkly above the river, showing just how it might have influenced Bram Stoker with its ruined tower, encircled by bats. No less curious are Olivia and Lawrence Durdin-Robertson; presiding over the Fellowship of the Isis in their 17th Century house, Huntingdon Castle in Ireland.

First published in 1986, this is the 1998 revised edition, subtitled Echoes from beyond the Tomb.

(ISBN 0-31664-539-7 - £18.99 in the UK)

Buy The Haunted Realm from Amazon.co.uk

The Journal of a Ghosthunter - Simon Marsden - Tiger Books International

This book of Simon's dates from 1994 with another edition in 1998. As with In Ruins the book is full of excellent infrared images but nowhere does it admit to using my favourite film. Also, as the book deals with an 'occult' subject (i.e. hauntings) you are more likely to find the book shelved there than under photography; so check out both places.

You can enjoy this book on two levels: besides the often sublimely stunning images, the stories Simon tells of the hauntings associated with the buildings are fascinating and often gruesome enough to appeal to a ten year old boy. Simon's journey starts in Ireland, moves through the British mainland and then on through Europe into darkest Transylvania. Search out the story of the unopened room, the uncorrupted body of a lecherous knight and finally Dracula's grave.

(ISBN 1-84056-012-6 or 1-55859-872-3 or 0-31664-393-9 depending on the edition)

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Beyond the Wall - Simon Marsden and Duncan McLaren - Little, Brown and Co

He is still not admitting that he uses infrared film (at least not in the books) but this latest publication sees Simon venturing beyond the erstwhile iron curtain and the concrete wall to explore what used to be East Germany ... but is now east Germany. As I have recently been to Potsdam, just on the 'eastern' side of the Berlin Wall, I can vouch for the sometime strange juxtapositions of east and west artefacts: the 'gone-to-seed' houses alongside the new buildings. (One building in the Babelsberg studio complex resembled nothing so much as a giant flight case! In the distance was a mock-up of the Wall used as a film set since the original is now nowhere to be seen. Europe's past has been banished to the back lot.)

The writings include quotations from German literature and the images cover the traditional infrared venues of graveyard and statue. Next time I go to Potsdam I will take my camera and follow in Simon's footsteps - he kindly even provides a map - I'll be delighted if I get images half as good.

(ISBN 0-31664-538-9 - £19.99 in the UK)

Buy Beyond the Wall from Amazon.co.uk

The Infrared Handbook - Laurie White - Amherst Media

The guys on the discussion group rate this one the highest, and now I've bought a copy I have to agree that's it's very good, although it has a very technical approach which some people might find disconcerting. It contains information about using both the Kodak and Konica films with many illustrated comparisons of the effects from different filters and conditions.

Laurie's explanation of the way the Kodak HIE exposes on the various parts of its sensitivity curve finally tells you why those shots came out that way. If I had a criticism it would be that I believe her implied 'bracketing is for wimps' approach to exposure is potentially counter productive. My attitude has always been 'travel is expensive but film is cheap'.

Lawrie has also produced an 'Advanced' version of this handbook, which is listed above.

(ISBN 0-936-262-389 - $24.95 - £16.99 in the UK)

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Cambridge Mists - Derek Langley - Creative Monochrome

Derek is a photographer based in Cambridge, England. This book is a series of photographs around the colleges and streets of that city, some of which are infrareds. Sadly the printing doesn't do full justice to Derek's fine photos but there are two ways of getting better quality copies.

• Visit the market stall run by Derek's wife Jenny in the centre of Cambridge
• Visit his web site - Darkness and Light.

He has produced a fine series of post cards, which are on the web site, and many of these are infrared shots. Jenny said that she might keyword the infrared shots on the site so you could easily find them but, if not, they are clear enough. Just don't get confused by the snow scenes.

(ISBN 1-873319-32-0 - £9 in the UK)

Easy Way to Infrared Photography - Photocraft Mini-Guide Series - Embee Press

I know nothing about this except that it was published in January 1988. Mind you, from the title this could be the book we've all been waiting for ;-) The Embee books I have seen listed are all from the 1980s (or 1990) and cost $4.95 and a few are still available. They specialise(d) in both practical and business aspects of photography.

(ISBN 0-898-160-650)

Pathways and Gradations - Lad Bright

This book(let) combines poetry and photographs, some of which are infrared and bears the subtitle 'Celebrations of Light, Memory and Seeing'. It was privately published in 1984 in a limited edition of 1000 signed copies. My favourite (and I hope Lad will forgive me for quoting a poem/haiku in its 20-syllable entirety) is a moody tree/river bank shot and ...

Blackwater morning:
In the half-light the woods silently put on
Their dress for day.

Cleveland Infrared - Abe Frandlich - Publix Imprints

Abe Frandlich's book uses 84 infrared photos to show aspects of Cleveland ranging from the people to sweeping aerial cityscapes. Sometimes the image relies on Kodak HIE's halation (not actually an infrared phenomenon) but often the glow of foliage is there to really give the game away. This book is important partly because the photos, as a set, are a salutory lesson to those of us considering just what an infrared portfolio could be, but also because Abe is the heir to the ground-breaking work of Minor White. White was not only Abe's teacher but also the muse for Abe's 1979 portfolio 'Lines I've Never Lives: Portraits of Minor White'.

White and Ansel Adams both shot some infrared but I get the feeling from what I've seen of White's work (see the 'Invisible Light' catalogue for example) that he had a loving feeling for infrared's eccentricities. In Adams' case his reference to a 'superficially startling effect' of 'plaster white' foliage in his book 'The Negative' suggests less of an empathy. But Adams took such startlingly awesome photos I feel totally churlish even mentioning it. The bottom line as far as this book on Cleveland is concerned is that it does contain some of the best American IR work and if you can find it I heartily recommend it. (I found my copy on eBay thanks to David Paternite.)

(ISBN 0-941102-03-3 softbound, 0-941102-03-5 hardbound)

Infrarot - Wolfgang Wiesen

Wolfgang describes himself as an infrared enthusiast and published this book himself. The book was published in 1995 and contains 33 large format BW infrared images of landscapes and architecture. The introduction is in German but an English translation is provided to every purchase from English-speaking countries.

(ISBN 3-9804716-0-8)

Haunting Memories: Echoes & Images of Tennessee's Past - Christine Patterson and Wilma Dykeman

This is not a 'how to' book, rather a pictorial volume of Tennessee landscapes with hand coloured/sepia toned images shot on Kodak monochrome Infrared film.

(ISBN 0-87049-930 - $32.50)

Stereo Infrared Landscapes - Steven Schwartzman - Sunshine

There are three books by Schwartzman that have been mentioned in the IR news group. He seems to specialise in infrared stereophotography. This book and the following one were published around 1980. I discussed stereoscopic infrareds with a fellow passenger on a flight in the US a few years ago. He had tried it and told me about 'retinal rivalry', which is where the grain in one of the film frames containing the two parts of the stereo image fights with the other: the left eye battling with the right. It's presumably because the brain tries to make stereoscopic sense out of what is actually random noise.

(ISBN 0-937710-01-6 - $10)

Hill Country Women - Steven Schwartzman - Sunshine

I have mistakenly written that this book was 'Nude women in a landscape' and I have to apologise for being somewhat wrong. Steven kindly e-mailed me to say '... the Hill Country of the title refers to the hilly region in central Texas that lies to the west of Austin. Austin is the capital of Texas and the place where I've lived for the past 22 years. However, there are no nudes in this book'.

(ISBN 0-937710-02-4 - $10)

Bodies of Light: Infrared Stereo Nudes - Steven Schwartzman

More background from Steven: 'On the other hand, Bodies of Light contains nothing but female nudes. In terms of reproduction, this is the best of the three books. [It was] printed at Gardner-Fullmer Lithographers, the same people who printed books of Ansel Adams' photographs. You can still see the line screen pattern, which is magnified by the [3-D] viewer, but the tonality of the images is better than with the first two books. (It ought to be, at the price I paid!) Also, Bodies of Light has a spiral binding, so the pages can be made to lie flat. The first two books have a staple binding.'

Bodies of Light costs $20 and all three books can be ordered from SunShine, PO Box 4351, Austin, Texas 78765 USA. Phone: +1 512-372-8430 although there are very few copies of Hill Country Women left.

Developments In Infrared Photography - Olaf Bloch

Published in 1932, so very early on in the field. It's a British publication with a Bournemouth imprint. This is a very thin book and is reported to be a reprint from 'The Photographic Journal' Vol. LXXII, August, 1932.

American Infrared Survey : a Celebration of Infrared Photography - Stephen and David Paternite - Photo Survey Press

Published in June 1982 with 2000 copies printed, this slim but inspiring volume gathers together a variety of infrared work from American photographers. Most are softback but a small number (apparently 50) were produced in a deluxe hardback binding. We are well overdue for another version, given how easy it would be now using the Internet. Highly recommended if you can find it, and it does turn up on eBay quite regularly at the moment.

(ISBN 0960981209 - $21.95)

Photography by Infrared : Its Principles and Applications - Walter Clark/H Lou Gibson - Chapman and Hall (1939) and Wiley (1939, 1946 and 1978)

There are three editions of Photography by Infrared by Walter Clark, which is the definitive work in this field. Both Clark and Gibson worked for Kodak and by the time the third edition was published, Clark was editing a whole Wiley series on Photographic Science and Technology and the Graphics Arts. Henry Louis Gibson was an expert in medical uses of infrared and had pioneered its use in detecting breast cancer. (He wrote a rather gruesome book called The Photography of Patients [2nd ed 1960, publisher Charles C Thomas] which included infrared techniques.) Clark felt that Gibson could better update the book because of his experience of 'newer techniques'. In fact, besides his work in medical photography, Gibson had previously published a book of 'art' photographs: none of these were infrared although some use special effects.

The introduction to the second edition mentions that the first edition's plates were destroyed in London during the war. I have all three editions and have a slight preference for the second although the first does include one of Professor Wood's photos from 1910 showing the Wood Effect: the bright foliage we all know and love. Between the second and third, darkroom techniques have been dropped and much medical material has been added, along with some information on thermal imaging by electronic means. For some reason the classic infrared photo of the figurine illuminated only by radiation from flat-irons (see our Thermal Imaging page) had been dropped by the third edition. This book is often mentioned by the infrared discussion group and it definitely deserves its reputation. I obtained the first edition (the American version) through eBay and the others in the book shops of Hay-on-Wye.

Even the third edition is now out of print (since 1984, Wiley told me) and there are no plans for a new edition. Since Walter Clark was born in 1899 and died in 1991 ... and Lou Gibson was born in 1906 and died in 1992, these two infrared pioneers are no longer around to appreciate all us newbies.

More info on Walter Clark ... and on Lou Gibson (and Prof Wood) from the web site of RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia.

A scan of the second edition is on Google Books. The photograhs do not reproduce at all well but the text is fine. Select the tab to 'preview this book' to read it.

(ISBN 0-471-15895X)

Photography in the Visible and Near Visible Spectrum - Allan G Millikan - Wiley

This book was listed in the front of Photography by Infrared as being in preparation but I can't find it in the Library of Congress so it may not have actually been published.

Infrared Radiation - Antonin Vasco - Iliffe Books

This book was originally published in 1963 in Czechoslovakia. The Iliffe edition is an English translation published in 1968. No ISBN at present - but then I don't think they had such things way back in the 1960s.

Applied Infrared Photography - Eastman Kodak Co.
Infrared and Ultraviolet Photography - Eastman Kodak

Kodak's application note number M-28, called Applied Infrared Photography, was first published in 1968, then again in 1977. A combined edition (with M-28 which covers UV photography) was published in 1944, 1951, 1955 and 1972 (and probably more times). Includes some colour illustrations. The ISBN refers to the combined edition Infrared & Ultraviolet Photography. I have seen Kodak booklets of this type is both letter and half-letter sizes: the smaller being Kodak Data Books, of which I have seen two of a series of editions on IR and UV photography which, unfortunately, bear no reference numbers.

There is also a Kodak publication called The Photography of Colored Objects dating from 1933 which is supposed to have some IR information as well. Kodak have put technical documentation on their b&w High Speed Infrared film and the E6 colour Infrared Ektachrome on their web site.

(ISBN: 0-879-850-051 Kodak Technical Publication # M-27/28-H)

Infra-red for Everyone - Herbert William Greenwood - Fountain Press

Subtitled A handbook on the use and applications of infrared photography, this was published in 1939 as far as I can guess since the author makes reference to Clark's book coming out during its preparation. The US edition was by Chemical Publishing, New York in 1941.

Greenwood was a either a metalurgist or a meteorologist (I assume that's what his M Inst Met means), presumably the latter. His book is quietly technical but in an approachable way. One interesting note is that many of the photos were sourced from Ilford, so presumably they had quite a stock of infrared photos between the wars. In fact, Greenwood refers to plates and films from Kodak, Ilford and Agfa as being available at the time, with sensitivity between 6500 Å and 8500 Å including movie film. This may have been readily available because of the use of infrared to shoot 'day for night' in black and white movies in the 1930s.

Second Sight: An Aesthetic, Technical and Historical Exploration of Infrared Photography - Jane Tuckerman

This was based on an exhibition at Carpenter Center at Harvard University.

(ISBN: 9-991-722-092)

Infrared Photography - Sidney Owen Rawling - Blackie, London and Glasgow

Editions published in 1933, 1936 and 1945, which may make this the first book on the subject. An American edition was published in 1934 in Boston by the American Photographic Publishing Company.

Practical Infrared Photography - Othmar Helwich - Fountain Press, London

This one dates from 1935 and is a translation by JL Baring of Helwich's German original. It's a very quirky translation with a 'gee-wizz' tone, which may well have been carried over from the original. All the images were taken using Ilford plates and Helwich lists the following as being manufacturing infrared-senitive materials at the time: Ilford, Kodak, Agfa and (this last one is new to me) R Guilleminot, Boespflug & Cie in Paris.

Helwich published Die Infrarot-fotografie und ihre Andwendungsgebiete in 1934 and 1937. The publisher was Heering.

Infrared Photography - S. M Solovéev - Iskusstvo

This one has turned up in an Amazon listing but the name may be slightly wrong as it was corrupted on Amazon's page. The publication date for an English version/translation is given as 1960 and as this is Russian it should be a good source of information about Russian infrared films.

Second Sight: An Aesthetic, Technical and Historical Exploration of Infrared Photography. Based on an Exhibition at Carpenter Ctr, Harvard University - Jane Tuckerman - Matrix Publications

I just found this in a list so I know nothing more about it; but it sounds interesting. Publishes in Mat 1982 and, I guess, the title says it all.

(ISBN 9991722092)

Beyond Light : Infrared Photography by six New England artists - Regina Coppola - University Gallery, University of Massachusetts at Amherst

Contributing artists: Jane Axelrod, Elizabeth Dupuy, Sharon Fox, Peter Laytin, Stephen Petegorsky, and Jane Tuckerman. I guess this is a catalogue for an exhibition which somehow found its way into the Library of Congress.

Aerial Color Infrared Photography : Applications in Agriculture - Carlos H Blazquez and Frank W Horn Jr - NASA

One for those of you who ask about the forestry applications and such like. This was published in 1980 and if it is still in print would be available from the usual NASA sources.

(S/N 033-000-00814-7 Item 820-H-11 NASA Reference Publication 1067)

Infrared: The New Astronomy - David A Allen - Shaldon Devon: Keith Reid

Ditto for Astonomy. This seems to be the 'breakthrough' book, published in 1975. It's interesting that infrared astronomy is becoming increasingly popular amonst amateur owners of telescopes, especially in Japan.

Infrared Photography in Medicine - Leo Carl Massopust - Thomas, Springfield Ill

Another big area for IR is in medicine and this book, from 1952, covers that.

Some non-English Books ...

Infrarood en ultraviolet fotografie, Guenter Spitzing, 1979 (Dutch)
Infrarot Fotografie, Guenter Wagner, 1965 (German)
Die Infrarot-fotografie und ihre Andwendungsgebiete, Othmar Helwich, 1934-7 (German)
Fotografie in het Infrarood, Dr. J.J.M. Van Santen, 1953 (Dutch)

Thanks to Antonis Karydis, Ibrahim Pamuk, Duncan Mirylees, Joe Paduano, Steven Schwartzman, Bobbi Doyle, Steve Traudt, Jonathan Penney, Willem-Jan Markerink and Murray White for assorted pieces of information. Much of the above documentation was found using various incarnations of the US Library of Congress OnLine Catalogue which I can recommend as a useful source of bibliographical information. (They even have some gramophone records in there ... but none using infrared unless you count the lasers in the CD players and the amusingly named album 'Infrared Riding Hood' by Tad on East-West/Elektra Records.) The UK equivalent is BLPC from the British Library.

Finally, an honourable mention for Hang chao tsai se hung wai hsien chao pien ying yung yu lin mu pieh chi shu hai kan chu han hai tiao cha, which translates from the Chinese as Uses of aerial colour infrared photographs in the identification of tree species and the surveys of squirrel damage to trees and drought damage to citrus ... something you always wanted to know. Published in 1979 and written by Tse-lin Huang.

Don't forget that if you have a scientific interest in this topic you should check out the journal and patent abstracts pages on this site.