Infrared
photography of outdoor scenes is something that many
photographers try once or twice and then abandon it. The
leaves all turn white, sky turns black (as well as much
detail elsewhere). Infrared is not seriously a means to
do normal architectural photography, unless you want that
arty crafty look.
But
for detecting when Maya vases have been fraudulently repainted
to hype their price, then infrared can be useful. Digital
cameras such as the Decode are highly sensitive to part
of the range of infrared. If you leave the digital filter
off then you get an infrared photo.
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For
infrared photography with film, you need a red filter
on your lens.
The
use of infrared and other techniques to bring out lost detail
has been most carefully documented by a recent project recording
the Maya murals of Bonampak, Chiapas, Mexico. An article
in a recent issue of Archaeology magazine gives the
details (published by the Archaeological Institute of America,
available in most good libraries). The equipment used there,
however, is not the normal equipment which a typical photographer
would have available on their own.
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