Infrared Photography at Big Talbot Island: Magic in Monochrome

On a beautiful spring day in May 2019, we were camping on Little Talbot Island and planned a trip to Big Talbot Island. This unique destination boasts three miles of shoreline along Nassau Sound, forming the visually and ecologically stunning Boneyard Beach. We loaded up our bikes, eager to explore the 30-foot bluffs and the striking shoreline scattered with massive driftwood trees reminiscent of an elephant graveyard. Nestled among Northeast Florida’s distinctive sea islands, Big Talbot Island is primarily a natural preserve, offering an exceptional setting for nature study, bird-watching, and photography.

For this trip, I planned to bring my IR-converted Fuji X-E2 (you can see my X-E2 kit here). While I’ve always loved black-and-white photography, digital black-and-white never quite appealed to me—until a former student shared images from his IR-converted camera. That changed my perspective, and I saw the potential in having an infrared camera conversion of my own.

However, it had to be a mirrorless camera. In the past, I shot digital infrared with my Sigma SD-1 by simply removing its user-removable IR-blocking filter. Still, the real challenge was dealing with the R72 Infrared Glass Filter that was required to complete the IR experience. That thing was dark! Anyone who has tried looking through an optical viewfinder with an R72 filter knows it’s like staring into a black hole—enough of that nonsense.

The infrared process transformed Big Talbot Island into an ethereal landscape, highlighting the resilience of nature. The stark contrast between the dark sky and the glowing foliage enhances the scene’s surreal quality, while the skeletal remains of weathered trees standing among thriving palmettos evoke themes of time, transformation, and renewal. That essence of change is what defines Big Talbot Island—because if I were to turn around from where I captured the above image, Island of Time, here’s what you would see: Boneyard Beach.

As I stood there, taking in the scene, I couldn’t help but reflect on this place’s ever-changing nature. The forces of wind, water, and time continually shape Big Talbot Island, carving new patterns into the landscape while remnants of the past remain etched in the driftwood and shifting sands.

Photographing it in infrared added another layer to that story—a visual transformation that mirrored the island’s evolution. The glowing foliage, the stark skeletal trees, and the deep, inky sky created an otherworldly beauty that felt both timeless and fleeting.

There’s an undeniable excitement in shooting digital infrared. The way the unseen world is revealed in unexpected tones and contrasts, turning the familiar into something entirely new, feels almost magical. Each frame holds an element of surprise, as light behaves in ways our eyes can’t perceive, making even well-known landscapes feel mysterious and uncharted.

Whether viewed through an infrared lens or with the naked eye, Big Talbot Island is a place of contrasts—life and decay, movement and stillness, permanence and impermanence. It’s a reminder that nature is never static, continually reshaping itself in ways both subtle and dramatic. And that, perhaps, is what makes it so captivating to return to time and time again.

If you’ve never explored digital infrared photography, my experience has been a rewarding one. Rather than selling a camera I no longer used, I opted for an affordable 590nm infrared conversion through LifePixel, giving it a completely new purpose. Since my X-E2 shares lenses with my APS-C workhorse, the X-Pro3, the only cost was the conversion itself. For processing, I rely on Nik Silver Efex, which has long been my go-to for black-and-white work and effectively transforms the deep red infrared files into striking monochrome images. While this isn’t a camera I use extensively, it has carved out a unique niche in my black-and-white photography. Shooting infrared has opened up a hidden world—one that continues to surprise and inspire me.