Alright, I’ll assume you have taken the time to see what Albert had to say when it comes to IR photography. Now, if you’re keen to experiment on it as much as we do, here’s how you can have some fun for yourself in case you don’t own a dSLR [like we do].

What you need:

- A camera that allows you to manually set the shutter speed
- A fresh roll of 35mm film
- lens adapter
- some cardboard
- cellotape
- PTFE tape [the one used to wrap the screw threads on water pipes]
- doublesided foam tape

1. First things first, you will need a camera that has a shutter-priority mode. Why? Simple, most normal digicams have a built-in IR filter that tones down how much IR it detects. However, if your camera’s image sensor is exposed long enough [at least 4 seconds], the IR deteced will be accumulated enough to form a proper image. So, this is the most necessary component of all.

[note: most consumer/entry-level digicams do not have this feature. That's why it pays to have a bit of photography knowledge before buying a digicam]

2. So, what we’re gonna do first, is simple; we want to block out visible [white] light, and allow only infrared [IR] light to pass through. How is this possible? Good question. The experienced photographer would answer buy an infrared filter, end of story. But for cheapskate people [like yours truly] there’s a more economic solution, and the answer lies within the second material - the fresh roll of film.

3. Buy the cheapest roll of film you can get your hands on. Albert and I went to this camera shop in Ampang park and the taukeh sold us a 12 exposure film for RM 5. What you do, is just pull out the entire length of film to expose it. Next, send it to a photo studio, tell them what you did, and that you only want them to process the film, NOT develop it. Again, this only costed me another RM 5.

[note: if you ask to develop that film, you're gonna have an album full of nothing but white pictures.]

4. You will receive a strip of clean, black/dark brown film. This is the gem we’re looking for. When stacked in layers, that processed film is capable of blocking out white light, allowing only IR light to pass through. What we’re gonna do next, is find a way to secure the layer[s] of film in front of your digicam’s lens. To do this, you will need a lens adapter.

5. A lens adapter is a tube that allows you to attach filters or accessory lenses on your consumer-level digicam. It looks something like this:

This is the lens adapter for the Canon A80, it also fits on my A95

Original lens adapters can get quite expensive, so when you go to your camera shop, ask for a third party one. It’s not original, but it looks and works just as good [oh come on, it's only a damn tube!]. I purchased mine for only RM40, when the original one could easily cost me RM80! Of course, please make sure it locks and releases properly on your camera before paying for it :p

6. Now, to make the bracket for your ‘filter’, you will need some cardboard. Check your lens adapter to see which end locks onto the camera. Now, take the opposite end, and trace that circle on the cardboard. Make two of the circles. What we’re going to do now, is to make some sort of a ‘card holder’ where you slip the film between the two cardboard circles. Cut them out.

7. Take your strip of film, and cut them into 5 or 6 cm-long segments. These pieces will be your filters. Now, take a piece, and trace the outline onto both circles.

8. Now that you have the rectangles within the circle as reference, draw a smaller rectangle inside it, each sides about 5-6mm away from the bigger one. The smaller rectangle will be your frame, so cut it out. Do the same for the other one. Refer below in case you missed it out:

The grey areas are the parts of the cardboard that you should remove

What we’re going to do next, is to make sure the frame aligns horizontally with your camera.

9. First of all, lock the adapter onto your camera. Find a place where you can make a mark on the edge of the tube, where you will attach your cardboard frame. Use a marker to mark either the 3 o’clock or 9 o’clock points. Also make a mark on your first cardboard frame, as shown below.

10. Take off the adapter, and place the first frame on it, and make sure the marks match. Use a small piece of cellotape to secure it in place.

11. Bind the first cardboard frame to the adapter with several layers of the PTFE tape. This will securely hold the frame in place, and will not allow white light to leak in through the sides.

[note: don't know what PTFE tape is? It's the white tape you use to wrap the screw threads on water pipes]

12. Use wide pieces of cellotape to cover the surface of the whole cardboard frame. We don’t want to have any of the PTFE surface exposed, so make sure you cover them up with the cellotape. Try to do it as neatly as you can, and cut any excess cellotape. We do this to avoid the PTFE from tearing up when we slide in the pieces film. The cellotape also provides a smooth surface, making it easy for you slip the flims in.

13. Take your second cardboard frame. Refer to the image below.

Cover only the green areas with double sided foam tape. Remove the adhesive protection, align it to the first frame, and stick it on securely. A cross-section of the whole thing should look something like this.

And there you have it! I didn’t have any double sided foam tape with me, so I settled for an ordinary double sided tape. Also my cellotape was quite messy, hence it looks rather crude, resulting from a sloppy job, but it works great!

The first pic shows it without any film, the second one shows how you insert the film through the side. Feel free to add as much film as you want to achieve the desired effects.

Conclusion

How much money would you be able to save? The Hoya R72 filter costs around RM120. So, compare that to the materials you used,…you do the math yourself. Hope this guide helps you to explore more of your creative side and now with digital photography, don’t be afraid to take pictures of anything.

Anything at all!