Jeziorki in the infrared

Guest photography from Jeziorki visitor Ryszard Szydło, over in Warsaw for an exhibition. Rysiek has had his Nikon D70 converted to take infrared black and white photographs*. His IR landscapes convey an ethereal and other-worldly vision, a poetry that appeals to the sublime aesthetic. (See more IR works from Rysiek's recent London exhibition here.) Click on all photos for enlarged version.

Above: ul. Dumki, looking towards the wetlands. Shadows from left to right belong to me, Ad the Lad and Rysiek, taking the photo. Strong sunlight and blue skies (which darken in IR light) add to the Wood Effect (which causes foliage to appear white).

Right: the wetlands at the end of ul. Trombity. A similar effect in the sky can be obtained by using a dark red filter when shooting b&w, but without the white foliage. Reminescent of the great landscapes of Ansel Adams, though the IR makes them more dreamlike.
Below: flooded field, corner of ul. Trombity and ul. Kórnicka. The field had only been sown last week; the continual rains and the high water table resulting from the volume of snow this winter have rendered Jeziorki's lower lying fields waterlogged. This time last year, there was a ban on entering the tinder-dry Las Kabacki forest!

Below: looking towards ul. Baletowa from ul. Dumki. The ploughed furrows with their flattened trapezoidal peaks are noteworthy.

Below: looking towards W-wa Jeziorki station (in the distance) from the pedestrian crossing at ul. Kórnicka. Low evening sunlight makes the trees look like they are covered in snow.

* An infrared filter blocks out all wavelengths of light visible to the eye and lets in only light in the infrared part of the spectrum. The filter is placed in front of the CCD sensor, so light meter readings, focusing and all other photographic functions are not disturbed. Digital IR photography, once the CCD sensor has been converted this way, is so much easier than with film, which had to be loaded and unloaded in total darkness.