Autumn Beyond Color: Photographing the West in Infrared

Free range ranch horses at Elk Ranch Flats in Grand Teton National Park. Sony A7RIV | Kolari Vision Converted | Tamron 50-400mm | 720nm Filter | B&W development in Adobe Lightroom

Autumn usually has me looking for color. From golden cottonwoods beneath the Tetons to pockets of aspen along the Wasatch, the season offers plenty of reasons to keep a camera close. But traveling south through the canyons of Utah and Nevada and into the deserts of Arizona and New Mexico also invites a different way of seeing—one that looks beyond the colors our eyes recognize.

Infrared photography shifts my attention toward light, texture, and the relationships between elements in a landscape. Foliage can appear luminous, blue skies can become dramatically dark, and familiar scenes take on an unfamiliar character. The results vary with the infrared filter, camera setup, and processing, but that change in perspective is part of the appeal.

In the Tetons, my favorite national park in the lower 48, it is easy to become absorbed in the combination of fall foliage and mountain scenery. Working in infrared encourages me to consider what holds a photograph together when those autumn colors no longer carry the composition. A stand of trees might become a bright foreground against a darker mountain, while a bend in the river provides the line that connects them.

Along the Wasatch, similar opportunities emerge in the contrast between foliage, exposed rock, and evergreens. Rather than assuming every colorful hillside will translate into a compelling infrared photograph, I look for separation. Can I distinguish the trees from the slope behind them? Does the light reveal the terrain or flatten it?

Here I enjoyed how the one dark trunk stood out amongst the white trunks and the luminous foliage.

Farther south, the sandstone canyons of Utah and Nevada change the visual conversation. Here, I pay closer attention to the sweep of a wall, the depth of a shadow, or a small patch of vegetation against the stone. That approach carries into Arizona, where varied vegetation, intricate textures, and the contours of the terrain offer layers to explore in infrared. At White Sands in New Mexico, my attention shifts toward the lines of the dunes, the shadows defining their curves, and the clouds above them.

Saguaro cactus stand at dusk across the western Tucson Mountains. This was taken about 15 minutes after sunset.

A Few Tips for Exploring Infrared

Experiment with your angle to the sun. I usually prefer working at about 90 degrees to the sun for higher contrast, particularly when composing foliage against the sky. But I also move around and compare the results. Changing your position can substantially change the photograph, so give yourself permission to explore beyond the first viewpoint.

Get to know your lenses in infrared. Not all lenses perform equally well outside the visible spectrum. The way infrared light interacts with a lens’s optical elements and coatings can produce hot spots, flare, or reduced contrast. A lens that delivers beautiful results in visible light may behave quite differently on an infrared camera.

Taken in the early afternoon light with the Tamron 50-400mm.

In my own photography, I have found the Tamron 50–400mm produces little to no hot spots. The versatile Tamron 25–200mm is another lens I enjoy using in many situations, although I find it flares more at its wider focal lengths. Rather than always avoiding that flare, I sometimes incorporate it deliberately into fine art pieces, allowing it to contribute to the atmosphere of the image.

Taken late afternoon with the Tamron 25-200mm.

Test different focal lengths and apertures. Evaluate your lenses across the settings you actually use, checking for uneven brightness or a bright patch near the center of the frame. Learning where an issue appears helps you decide whether to change settings, adjust your composition, or embrace the effect creatively.

Here I used flare for a creative element within the frame when photographing straight up near midday at a branch of aspen leaves.

Look beyond autumn color. Pay attention to the spacing of trees, the shape of a canyon wall, and the balance between vegetation and open sky. Infrared gives you another reason to study those relationships rather than relying on colorful foliage to make the photograph.

Nevada slot canyon looking up.

Keep your infrared camera out at dawn and dusk, too. Strong sunlight offers rewarding opportunities, but it is only one possibility. Softer light can produce quieter interpretations, emphasizing subtle tones, silhouettes, and atmosphere. Watch your exposure as the light fades, and use a tripod when shutter speeds become too slow for handheld work.

Pre-dawn over the willow flats from Jackson Lodge in Grand Teton National Park.

Include wildlife in your exploration. Infrared is not limited to landscapes. An animal within its habitat can become a compelling environmental portrait, particularly when its form stands out against surrounding vegetation. Pay attention to how fur or feathers actually render rather than assuming they will retain their familiar tonal relationships. Keep shutter speeds appropriate for your subject’s movement, and maintain the same respectful distance and ethical field practices you would with any wildlife photography.

IR had the upper hand here as this was just before sunset and the entire scene was in shadow. Yet there was still enough light for IR light to be reflected off the landscape. Thus the young moose stood out much more in this wavelength than it did to our eyes or in traditional color spectrum.

Traveling through these landscapes in autumn reminds me that the season offers more than a changing palette. Sometimes, setting color aside helps me notice what I might otherwise pass by: the curve of sandstone, the rhythm of trees along a river, or the presence of an animal within the wider landscape.