Jean Wu
April 2026 - Local Park (District 56, Elk Grove, CA)
Original
About the Image(s)
I snapped this photo with my iPhone 16 Pro at a local park around 1 p.m. on a partially sunny day.
I’d like to thank our group leader, Brenda, for introducing us to iPhone Infrared photography last year. She gave me some great tips on getting my filters, setup, and LR post-processing.
Later, I took Rad Drew’s online course for iPhone Infrared. This is just one of my many experiments. I followed Rad Drew’s tips using LR for the initial post-processing, and then I used Nik Silver Efex to wrap things up. I know some of you are monochrome pros, feel free to use my original image and share your revisions and any tips or suggestions you might have.
15 comments posted
Good IR experiment and well processed photo. The sepia toning is an excellent choice-it complements the image beautifully. Posted: 04/03/2026 02:20:58
Thanks for your comments!! Posted: 04/06/2026 16:55:27
Nice image. I love these infrared images. The only thing that bugs me about them is that vegetation shows up white. I think infrared works best for scenes without vegetation like desert rocks and cities. Posted: 04/07/2026 03:55:56
Ed, the big theme in infrared images is to have white vegetation and black sky. Posted: 04/08/2026 01:19:38
Love this image!! Posted: 04/08/2026 18:21:00
I am still exploring What, When, and How to best use IR. This one is my earlier experiment taken at the same local park. It was taken on a beautiful sunny day with beautiful clouds at noon. Posted: 04/08/2026 19:03:02
Jean, what a lovely IR! I'm glad you are still having fun with infrared. The sepia is a nice choice. It seems a bit noisy or grainy, which NIK can add to an image.
I'd love to see more! Posted: 04/08/2026 01:24:21
I'd love to see more! Posted: 04/08/2026 01:24:21
Thanks for your comment! NIK offers a few preset options with a grain effect. I'm okay with the noise/grain because I'm aiming for a more 'fine art' look, which is why I went with sepia. If I were to present it as black and white, I'd definitely clear up the noise. Posted: 04/08/2026 18:20:17
I applied denoise on the original raw file and tried reducing the paper grain effect in NIK but didn't see much difference. Personally, I kind of like the grain effect with sepia tone. I think my original image was not sharp enough since I took the shot handheld. Maybe with a tripod will make the image sharper and less noisy. Posted: 04/15/2026 18:26:10
Jean - interesting treatment. Like Brenda the graininess is noticeable and doesn't quite lend a "fine art" look that you were aiming for. Maybe a bit more sepia or none? The other IR image you show is great - excellent composition, sky, clouds and shoreline. Posted: 04/09/2026 14:50:07
Thanks for your thoughts! I'll try to clean up the noise. It's really just a matter of personal preference, and I'm not focused on competition or adhering to specific rules for any particular style. Posted: 04/09/2026 16:34:18
I like IR photographs because the end result is a B&W photo with high contrast, which I like. This one is no exception. I haven't looked up iPhone IR, but from your original, it looks like it uses a deep red filter and the image is processed as a monochrom. Do you IR experts know how far into the true infra red part of the spectrum the iPhone is sensitive, and how the resulting sensitivity spectrum compares to that of the human eye? Posted: 04/14/2026 15:56:41
Thanks for your comments! I took Rad Drew's iPhone IR online course, but he didn't cover the specific questions you mentioned. The iPhone offers limited control, mainly allowing you to select RAW mode, enable night mode, and adjust the exposure. I've found the exposure setting to be the most challenging when using the IR filter. I usually shoot the same image with varying exposure settings, ranging from 0 to the lowest, around -3 or -2, on the iPhone. For post-processing, I typically start with LR Mobile for initial processing directly on my iPhone, and then use PS and/or NIK for the final touches on my computer. Posted: 04/15/2026 19:02:24
This is my first time encountering infrared photography. Through your shared works, I've experienced an unprecedented sense of freshness and amazement, and also come to appreciate the unique artistic expression presented in these images.Thanks for your sharing, I learn a lot. Posted: 04/15/2026 01:30:11
Thanks for your comments!! Not sure if you remember Brenda emailed our group on IR with iPhone last year. Thanks to her, she got me kind of hooked on this new genre. Posted: 04/15/2026 18:35:11