This is one of a series of guides for collaborative environmental research and advocacy projects. You might want to create an Infrared Garden Experiment if you are interested in monitoring plant health. An infrared photograph of the same type of plants growing side by side can reveal unseen differences in plant health. Some possible causes could include differences in cultivation methods, drainage patterns, soil chemicals, among others.

---

This poster shows how an infragram camera can be used to take a picture of the same type of plants side by side to reveal which are photsynthesizing more:

---

Planning this event

Ahead of time:

• Read about infrared cameras, watch a fun video and connect to the community email list here: http://publiclab.org/wiki/infragram
• Consider your question:
  • Wondering which cultivation method is most effective with a particular kind of plant?
  • Wondering if the slope of your land is causing drainage to unevenly wash out soil nutrients, resulting in part of your field being less productive?
  • If you are, in fact, asking this type of question that could be answered through an investigation into plant health, then this experiment is for you
• Make, borrow, or purchase an infragram camera, and find out if it has a blue filter (as on the original infragram edition ~2013) or red filter (~2014 and newer)
• Arrange for one or two people to spend a couple hours together familiarizing yourselves with the camera and the online site infragram.org

Materials to have on hand:

• Out in the garden:

  • infragram camera
  • depending on whether your camera has a blue or a red filter inside, you will need a matching color piece of paper to bring out to your photography site
  • charged battery / batteries

• Back inside:

  • internet connection
  • computer that can read the picture off your SD card
  • if using the Point & Shoot, have the miniUSB-to-USB cable that came with it

---

Activity 1:

This activity will walk you through turning on the camera, taking a picture and checking the white balance.

First you will white balance your camera. Why? We've learned that careful white balancing of your Infragram camera is essential for good images. If you are using a regular camera that has been converted into an infrared camera, follow the instructions in this video:

If you are using an Infragram Point and Shoot, it should have arrived already white balanced, otherwise check out the information here: http://publiclab.org/wiki/infragram-point-shoot

For more information on white balancing cameras, you might read in depth on the topic in research by Chris Fastie. There is also a wiki page on the subject at http://publiclab.org/wiki/infrablue-white-balance.

• Choose a good vantage point and take a picture
• Put the SD card in your computer and upload it to infragram.org (requires internet connection)

---

Activity 2:

This activity will walk you through uploading your pictures to the online site infragram.org for processing, and will assist you in understanding what the finished image reveals about the health of your plants.