What should infrared photography creators offer on Patreon?

Infrared Patreons retain when they deliver the technical documentation that finished IR images and short-form video tutorials compress away. A two-tier framework: tier 1 ($6–$10/mo) — camera and lens specification per image (conversion type and wavelength, lens focal length, IR focus shift correction method, metering mode used, white balance setting applied), plus pre-conversion and post-conversion comparisons for each published scene; tier 2 ($18–$28/mo) — full processing documentation (RAW white balance numbers used in-camera custom WB, channel swap sequence in Photoshop or Lightroom, hue rotation applied per image, channel mixer settings for Aerochrome false color effect, dodge and burn map for tonal separation), location scouting notes for successful IR subject selection, film ID and filter combination with measured exposure compensation for IR film work, and identification assistance via patron-only messages for IR workflow questions.

What are the infrared camera conversion options and which wavelength should I choose?

Three conversion types exist. Full-spectrum conversion removes the camera's hot mirror (the internal filter that blocks IR and UV) without adding any new filter, allowing the sensor to record visible light, ultraviolet, and near-infrared simultaneously. Full-spectrum cameras require an external filter placed over the lens for each type of photography — without a filter they record normal visible light with a slight color cast from UV and IR contribution. Dedicated IR conversion replaces the hot mirror with a fixed IR-pass filter cut at a specific wavelength, making the camera permanently IR-only but eliminating the need for an external filter. The wavelength options: 590nm cut-on (extended color, allows some visible red and orange through, produces warm false color with moderate wood effect); 665nm (popular choice, provides strong wood effect and sky darkening with moderate color rendition, retains some color information for false color processing); 720nm (classic Hoya R72 equivalent, strong wood effect and very dark blue sky, mostly B&W tonal rendering with minimal color for false color work); 850nm (deep IR only, extreme sky and foliage contrast, pure B&W, no color information available); 1000nm (thermal infrared territory, only for specialized scientific applications, requires very long exposures). For Patreon content production: 665nm produces the widest range of aesthetics — it can produce false color images with channel swapping AND clean B&W with a blue channel extraction, making it the most versatile single conversion for a creator documenting the full IR aesthetic range.

How does infrared film work and what filters does it require?

Infrared film contains silver halide emulsions sensitized to extended wavelengths beyond normal panchromatic films. Rollei Infrared 400 is sensitized to approximately 820nm, providing true near-IR sensitivity with a strong chlorophyll effect when shot through a dark red filter. Ilford SFX 200 is sensitized to approximately 740nm — technically an extended red film rather than a true infrared film, producing a moderate wood effect that is less extreme than Rollei IR 400. Kodak HIE (High-Speed Infrared) was sensitized to approximately 900nm and produced extreme halation (a soft glow around bright areas caused by IR light scattering within the emulsion base), but HIE has been discontinued since 2007. Filter requirements: to maximize the infrared wood effect and sky darkening, use a deep red or opaque IR filter that blocks visible light below approximately 700nm. The Hoya R72 (720nm cut-on) is a standard choice — it appears nearly black in visible light and requires exposure compensation typically 10–13 stops with a converted camera sensor (since the sensor responds to what passes through). With unconverted cameras and true IR film, the deep red filter blocks most visible light and only the IR-sensitive emulsion responds. Exposure compensation with Rollei Infrared 400 and an R72 filter on a standard camera: add 6–8 stops from the meter reading (bracket heavily, as IR reflectance is unpredictable from scene to scene). Store IR film refrigerated and load in complete darkness or under a changing bag in dim light only.

How do you create the false color Aerochrome infrared look?

Kodak Aerochrome was a false color infrared film originally developed for aerial vegetation mapping; it recorded near-IR, red, and green channels and rendered them as red, green, and blue respectively, producing the characteristic magenta/red foliage and blue sky look popularized by photographers including Richard Mosse. The digital Aerochrome aesthetic emulates this with channel swapping in post-processing. The standard workflow: shoot with a 590nm or 665nm converted camera to retain color information in the red, green, and blue channels; set a custom white balance by shooting gray card or green foliage in RAW and dialing the white balance in-camera or in RAW software until foliage appears white-neutral (this is the critical calibration step — without correct custom WB the false color tones will be off); in Photoshop or Lightroom, go to Channel Mixer (Photoshop) or Color Grading and perform the Aerochrome swap: take the Red channel output and blend it from Green (set Red source to 0% Red + 100% Green + 0% Blue); take the Green channel output from Red (100% Red + 0% Green + 0% Blue); leave Blue as Blue. This swaps red and green channels. Additional hue rotation in HSL (typically rotating greens toward red, yellows toward orange) refines the Aerochrome character. The resulting image shows foliage as red or magenta, sky as blue or cyan, and skin tones in unusual warm-yellow tones. Document the specific channel mixer numbers per converted camera wavelength, as the starting color balance varies by conversion type.

What is the chlorophyll wood effect in infrared photography?

The wood effect — named after Robert Wood, who first photographed it in 1910 — describes the appearance of healthy foliage as extremely bright (near-white) in infrared photographs. This occurs because chlorophyll, the green pigment in plant cells, strongly reflects near-infrared radiation rather than absorbing it. In the visible spectrum, chlorophyll absorbs red (680nm) and blue (450nm) light for photosynthesis and reflects green (550nm), which is why leaves appear green. In the near-IR spectrum (700–900nm), chlorophyll and the cell structure of leaves reflect approximately 50–70% of incident radiation — dramatically more than the 8–15% reflectance of most non-living surfaces at the same wavelengths. This means healthy, actively photosynthesizing foliage records as very bright in IR photographs; dead or stressed foliage (with degraded chlorophyll) records darker; bare wood, soil, and stone record at their true IR reflectance values. The result is the characteristic IR landscape with bright glowing foliage and dark sky (because the atmosphere scatters IR less than blue visible light, and water vapor absorbs specific IR wavelengths, producing very dark blue sky in IR). Deciduous trees in full leaf produce the strongest wood effect; conifers produce a moderate effect; grass fields produce the effect but at a slightly lower magnitude than broad-leaf canopy. Document the seasonal timing for your shooting locations, as the wood effect is strongest during peak growing season and decreases through autumn leaf color change and after leaf fall.

How does focus shift work in infrared photography and how do you correct for it?

Different wavelengths of light focus at slightly different distances through a lens due to chromatic aberration — the same phenomenon that causes color fringing in poorly corrected optical systems. Infrared light (700–900nm) focuses at a slightly longer distance than visible light (400–700nm). This means that if you focus at infinity in visible light, the true IR focal point is slightly beyond infinity — and at closer distances, the IR focal point is slightly behind the point your camera focused on for visible light. For IR photographers using cameras with an unconverted sensor and an external IR filter, this focus shift causes soft images if the camera's autofocus system uses visible-light phase detection (which is the standard). Many older manual-focus lenses have a red dot or triangle on the focus scale as an IR focus correction mark — after focusing visually, rotate the focus ring slightly toward the IR mark (typically toward closer focus) before exposing the film or sensor. For digital cameras with a dedicated IR conversion, the camera's autofocus system calibrates during the conversion process to account for the IR focus shift at the conversion wavelength — converted cameras with Live View contrast-detection AF focus accurately in IR because the sensor itself is used for focusing. For cameras using on-sensor phase detection AF with an IR conversion, some front-focus or back-focus offset adjustment in the camera's AF fine-tune menu may be needed and should be documented per lens.

Patreon for infrared photography creators — 2026

Patreon for infrared photography creators

Infrared photography creators on Patreon retain when they deliver the camera conversion specifications, film-and-filter combinations, false color processing workflows, and focus shift corrections that finished images and 60-second reel tutorials structurally compress away. This guide covers tier structure, the technical documentation that converts casual viewers into paying patrons, and the exact dollar cost of the November 2026 Apple Tax on a creator’s Patreon revenue.

Camera conversion options and wavelength selection

Most serious infrared digital photographers work with a converted camera — a mirrorless or DSLR body modified by an optical specialist who removes the internal hot mirror (the filter that blocks near-IR and UV) and replaces it with either a clear glass element (full-spectrum conversion) or a fixed wavelength-specific IR-pass filter (dedicated IR conversion).

Full-spectrum conversion produces a camera that records visible light, UV, and near-IR simultaneously. Without an external filter the image looks like a normal photograph with a slight warm cast. To shoot IR, an external filter (R72, 850nm, or similar) is placed on the lens; to shoot UV, a UV-pass filter; to shoot normal visible light, a clear filter or no filter. Full-spectrum is the most versatile conversion for a creator who shoots multiple styles, but adding and removing external filters takes time and the filters add front element mass.

Dedicated IR conversion at a specific cut-on wavelength produces a camera that is permanently IR-only, with no external filter needed. Common cut-on wavelengths and their characteristics: 590nm retains significant red and some orange visible light alongside IR, producing warm, colorful false color images; 665nm cuts most visible red but retains enough color information for false color processing with a strong wood effect; 720nm produces mostly tonal B&W with very dark sky and minimal color information; 850nm is pure deep-IR B&W with maximum foliage-to-sky contrast and very long effective exposure times even in bright sun. Document your conversion wavelength in every post — this is the primary variable that patrons cannot determine from a finished image alone.

Infrared film: emulsion sensitivity, filter requirements, exposure compensation

Rollei Infrared 400 (35mm and 120) is the most widely used current true IR film, with spectral sensitivity extending to approximately 820nm. Shot with an R72 or deeper filter it produces strong foliage brilliance and sky darkening. Expose at ISO 3–6 (not the box speed of 400) with a deep red filter and a tripod for landscapes; in bright sunlight with an R72 filter on a standard unconverted camera, bracket from 1/4 second to 2 seconds at f/11 as a starting point. Ilford SFX 200 is sensitized to approximately 740nm — significantly less IR-sensitive than Rollei IR 400, and best thought of as an extended-red panchromatic film that produces a subtle rather than extreme wood effect. SFX 200 with a 29 (medium red) filter and ISO 50 is a useful starting point; with a 25 (red) filter adjust to ISO 25.

Developing infrared film in a standard darkroom requires complete darkness for loading the developing tank — IR film is sensitive to infrared light in the darkroom safelight range, so the standard amber or red safelight used for paper is unsafe for IR film. Load in a completely dark room or changing bag. Development times follow standard panchromatic practice; Rollei IR 400 in Rodinal 1:50 at 20°C for 12–14 minutes produces normal contrast results.

False color Aerochrome processing workflow

The Aerochrome false color look — magenta or red foliage, blue sky, unusual skin tones — requires a camera conversion that retains color information: 590nm or 665nm conversions work; 720nm and 850nm conversions record too little color information for channel-swap processing. The workflow: shoot RAW; set a custom white balance on green foliage or gray card in the field so the RAW file records the IR color response correctly; in post-processing, perform a red-green channel swap in the channel mixer (Photoshop) or via curve adjustments to taste; adjust hue, saturation, and luminance to match the target Aerochrome aesthetic. Document the specific channel mixer percentages, white balance Kelvin value and tint applied, and any hue rotation applied per image session — this is the workflow data patrons will pay for.

Chlorophyll (Wood) effect and subject selection

Healthy vegetation appears bright or white in IR photographs because chlorophyll strongly reflects near-IR radiation (approximately 50–70% reflectance at 750–900nm). Subjects that benefit most from IR: deciduous trees and shrubs in full summer leaf; grass fields; mossy surfaces; lichen-covered stone. Subjects that produce unexpected IR results: blue sky appears very dark (near-black at 720nm+); clouds appear brilliant white with high contrast against dark sky; water appears very dark (water absorbs IR) unless reflecting sky; human skin appears translucent and luminous (due to subcutaneous scattering); shadows appear cooler and darker than in visible-light photographs. Document the specific vegetation type and health in your location notes, since stressed, diseased, or artificially colored plants produce distinctly different IR reflectance.

The Apple Tax on infrared photography Patreon revenue

Starting November 1, 2026, Apple takes 30% of iOS-billed Patreon subscriptions. Infrared photography audiences: YouTube IR photography tutorials 62–75% iOS; Instagram IR landscape and fine art photography 70–82% iOS; TikTok IR photography reveal content 65–80% iOS.

At $200/month with 65% iOS: approximately $39/month ($468/year) to Apple starting November 1.
At $300/month with 72% iOS: approximately $64.80/month ($777.60/year).
At $400/month with 75% iOS: approximately $90/month ($1,080/year).

The fix is routing subscriptions through a web browser rather than the iOS app, where Apple’s 30% commission does not apply. KeepTier provides a web-only creator membership page at $9/month with 0% platform fee and Stripe Checkout.

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