Featured IR Photographer Showcase - Peter De Rycke

For this Featured Showcase we have the privilege of a visit to Belgium and the stunning IR work of photographer and artist Peter De Rycke. Peter states: "I live in Oostende, Belgium (in the Flemish part) .. most pictures were taken in the low country (Polders) around my town, in the Polder region north of Bruges (where you find the flat landscape cut by ancient tree-lined canals) and on the beach (Oostende is a port-town situated along the Channel between Europe and Great-Britain." So, join me in a wonderful pictorial visit to Peter's homeland and a beautiful part of the world. Welcome Peter!

Bio: I am a 44 year old family man. I started my digital photography career back in 2002, and was immediately bitten by the virus. After one year with Fuji S602, I acquired my first DSLR in 2003. The Canon EOS 300D provided me with a much wider range of possibilities in photography. At the same time I skilled my knowledge of Photoshop to get more out of pictures.
In 2005, Pbase learnt me more about a branch of photography that was previously unknown to me: Infrared Photography. For this purpose I bought a second-hand Sony F717 with a Hoya R72 filter, completed with 2 ND filters. And, a new world was opening to me. Every season offered spectacular views, both in sky and on earth. Unreal and earthy pictures were the result.

The immediate future of my IR career has taken a 180° turn. After the breakdown of my beloved Sony, I had my 3-year old Canon 300D converted for dedicated infrared photography. After having taken some test-shots for finding the right custom white balance, I am up and running with this camera. It produces stunning results which are of course quite different than those from the Sony, but therefore not in the least less interesting. But it is a completely different brand. A big difference for me are the lenses that I can combine with the 300D. I use a 17-40L and a 70-200L, and the apertures and shutterspeeds which are as with a normal colour camera. There are only 3 points that I have to bear in mind aiming at a shot with the 300D.

I use manual focus, as the autofocus is not so accurate anymore.

I have to over expose 2-3 stops on most scenes.

I do not see the IR light through the viewfinder, so i have to judge the result (and exposure) via the display + histogram information.

But after some test-runs, I got quite used to these "drawbacks", and I already had 2-3 photo-shoots where I used the IR cam 100% of the time.

Some of my favorite IR Photos are:

You can visit Peter's IR galleries at:

Winter

Spring

Summer

IR with Canon 300D

Copyright Statement: All images and materials displayed and showcased here, are copyrighted and are the exclusive property of the artist. Images and material may not be reproduced or used in any way without the written consent of the artist.

Please Comment Freely to this Post.

Let Peter know how much you enjoy and appreciate our visit to his part of the world and his Amazing IR Work!

-=- Jerry -=-