Artist Interview - Sam Dobrow
You've been doing infrared for 5+ years. How did it start?
A friend shared some IR pics with me which sparked my curiosity. The pics were color IR and I thought this might be another interesting way to create surreal photographic art. I began carrying my IR camera with me when I traveled.
You use a Canon 5D MkII that has been converted for exclusively IR use. Major surgery? Expensive?
Infrared camera conversion is not as crazy as it might sound. I don't remember the cost but I seem to remember it was only a couple hundred dollars. I sent my old camera to Spencer's
Sam Dobrow
Camera in Utah who specializes in modified cameras. They first remove the infrared filter from the sensor and replace it with a filter that allows infrared light to pass. They calibrate the focus and other settings, test it, and ship it back. It's a great way to repurpose an older camera. The key thing to consider is the number of shutter clicks left in the expected lifetime of the camera. If you're going to repurpose an old camera, use a professional grade camera body. You really don't want a camera on its last leg as your IR camera. Spencer's sells new cameras that are IR modified as well as a host of options for astrophotography.
Shifting gears to "seeing" in infrared must have been tough.
Infrared photography presented an intriguing challenge and opportunity. The infrared spectrum captures wavelengths invisible to the human eye, but it comes with an unpredictability that makes creating a unified color portfolio difficult. I found myself drawn to the black-and-white renditions of these images, where luminosity masks revealed their final form — striking and evocative. Harsh midday light, often avoided by traditional color photographers, becomes the optimal condition for infrared. High contrast, deep shadows, and skies rendered near-black heighten drama and sculptural qualities of the landscape, forging imagery that defies ordinary expectations.
It took a while for me to understand how IR looked different from color and black-and-white. I learned about flares and hot spots which ruined many pictures. I understood that IR focused differently that visible light so I was shooting with a small f-stop in an attempt to increase the depth of field. The small aperture created problems with flare and intensified the hotspot of various lenses. My experiments and research turned up lenses and apertures that worked best. My go-to lens is a Canon Macro 100mm f/2.8L. I frequently use it for panorama and wide-angle shots. I also like my Canon 11-14 f/4L in the middle apertures for good depth of field without hot spots.
What about your own origin story? Birth? Youth? Heritage?
I was born and raised in Ormond Beach, Florida, then a sleepy beach town just north of the tourist destination of Daytona Beach. In 1918, my grandfather (also named Sam) and his brother were among the first few Jewish men in that part of Florida. In 1936, my grandfather opened Doby's Men's Shop. Family history records his standing guard at the store at night, staring down robed Klansmen with a shotgun after numerous threats to burn down the store.
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