“One fact that is not in dispute is that there is a wid-ening gulf opening up between art and commercial photography, between professors and professionals.”
— Bill Jay in Occam’s Razor

It is no new observation that throughout the history of photography its practitioners have been segregated into one of two distinct disciplines, professional or fine art practices.
That this self-conscious distinction creates limitations for practitioners on both sides is evidenced by the large per-centage of fine artists who attempt more or less success-fully to support themselves in the professional fields and an equal percentage of professionals who vie for acceptance of their art work in galleries. Th e separation of photographic practices is perpetuated through a higher education sys-tem in which the overwhelming majority of photography programs emphasize one of the two disciplines: technical
education (the goal of which is to train students to become successful professional photographers) or fine art practices Preface (whose primary structure prepares students for success as fine artists).

Few cinematographers have had as decisive an impact on the cinematic medium as John Alton. Best known for his highly stylized film noir classics T-Men, He Walked by Night, and The Big Combo, Alton earned a reputation during the 1940s and 1950s as one of Hollywood's consummate craftsmen through his visual signature of crisp shadows and sculpted beams of light. No less renowned for his virtuoso color cinematography and deft appropriation of widescreen and Technicolor, he earned an Academy Award in 1951 for his work on the musical An American in Paris.

I am so excited to be able to write this book and share with you what I have learned about digital IR photography. Infrared photography is easily attainable by the novice and professional alike.
Why?
Because it’s digital! We have transcended film photography and now have the wonderful opportunity
to be able to photograph digitally. No darkrooms, no chemicals, no worries about light leaking in and
ruining precious film. We are free to experiment over and over; the learning curve is much less steep.
We can truly be artists and are limited only by our imaginations.

Does digital mean you have to have fancy or expensive equipment? Not at all; some of my very favorite
images have been captured using an IR-converted compact camera. I always have it with me.

An apprentice painter might learn how to hold a brush, mix colors or how to use a palette knife, but it matters nothing if the same person does not learn how to 'look' at things, and to look with the eye of someone who wants to explain the world in terms of paint. After many years of learning to 'look' we come to understand the nature of things and how they relate to each other.

This first lesson is an entertaining introduction to give you some idea of what I mean by 'looking'. Don't be too worried if the world I now introduce seems alien at first, because as you progress with the lessonsyou will begin to understand that the real joy of painting is not so much occupying your hands, astruly understanding the laws, the lights and shades, and the memories of all the things around you.