NikonGear'23
Images => Themes, Portfolio Series, PaW, or PaM => Topic started by: charlie on February 07, 2016, 22:08:33
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Ultraviolet photographs in the pictorial sense.
I don't know how many people are shooting UV here these days, but feel free to contribute.
Inglewood Oil Field with a D70 and the 50mm el-nikkor if I remember correctly.
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Charlie, I love it!
The shapes and colors and symbolism of the wire and industry :)
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very cool shot!
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I know many people believe UV never can be 'artistic'. Perhaps they hold that view because they never tried?
I freely admit most of my UV work is targeted at the dreary (and to most viewers, dull) scientific kind of stuff, which makes breaking out of the frame once in a while just the more necessary. In fact, just like in any other field of photography.
(Panasonic GH-2, Coastal Optics 60 mm f/4 APO, video grabs)
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UV can sometimes be Unpleasant Visions. Surface structures are brought forward.
Such is the power of photography.
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This UV capture of the Venus Transit 2004 is a long-standing favourite. It conveys the sheer power intensity of the Sun. In fact, so intense the camera (D70) literally was set on fire. This is its last message to the world before I had to quickly remove it from the mirror lens it was attached to and quench the flames.
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Another of my earlier UV landscapes. This is the Snøhætta range of Central Norway. Late autumn when the colours of the alpine landscape really changes into the most outlandish colours. Here helped further by the UV treatment of course.
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That is the nicest creative rendering I have seen of Svånåtind an Bruri !
Great colors in the foreground too. The ridge up to the peak is an interesting climb.
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Charlie and Bjørn; Very inspirational images! Thanks.
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Continuing the quest for pictorial UV images ....
(https://static.foto.no/linkeddata/portfolio/images/281_orig.jpg)
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Bjørn, this one is magical!
The yellow colors floating...
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Here is another favourite, entitled "Hidden Menace"
Sometimes you are just lucky with what happens inside the frame during a 30 sec exposure:D
(https://static.foto.no/linkeddata/portfolio/images/421_orig.jpg)
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Oh, well, so many interesting pix... Temptation-but no more toys!!
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A whole new world opens to me.... Art of the 21st century. It's not just the intensity of the colors or the contrasting colors. Compositions, colors, subjects are all in sync. I kept scrolling up and down.
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An Enchanted Orchard
(https://static.foto.no/linkeddata/portfolio/images/300_orig.jpg)
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This UV capture of the Venus Transit 2004 is a long-standing favourite. It conveys the sheer power intensity of the Sun. In fact, so intense the camera (D70) literally was set on fire. This is its last message to the world before I had to quickly remove it from the mirror lens it was attached to and quench the flames.
Hot memory. Stunning vision and I learned how much you value rare astronomical events.
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An Enchanted Orchard
(https://static.foto.no/linkeddata/portfolio/images/300_orig.jpg)
The most coonvincing example so far. Is this pure UV or is it an overlay with other parts of the spectrum?
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Here is another favourite, entitled "Hidden Menace"
Sometimes you are just lucky with what happens inside the frame during a 30 sec exposure:D
(https://static.foto.no/linkeddata/portfolio/images/421_orig.jpg)
very cool translucent car event. Love it!
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The most coonvincing example so far. Is this pure UV or is it an overlay with other parts of the spectrum?
UV as pure as the technology of that time allowed.
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UV as pure as the technology of that time allowed.
so 200nm to 400nm roughly?
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Given the camera and filter, more likely 330 to 390 nm.
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Such a small band? How very interesting. Thank you. And what can be done today?
Are the chips getting better in the short wavelenghts?
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UV as pure as the technology of that time allowed.
Bjørn, are that dandelions? They seem to have a "non dark" centre, could that be a bit of IR as well?
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Yes, they are dandelions, and the centre of the mops are dark. However, the processing and colour balance of such captures are quite different today.
Some IR leakage is likely. Could not be circumvented at the time.
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Such a small band? How very interesting. Thank you. And what can be done today?
Are the chips getting better in the short wavelenghts?
Most of the biological information of UV in fact is concentrated in the even narrower band 350-380(390) nm. Extremely small amounts of UV below 320 nm reach the Earth's surface, and for that we should be very grateful.
As to the sensors, it's a world of difference what big money for specialised gear can bring you, and what we 'laymen' in this context can get hold of. However, do realise what difficulties working much below the UV-A range would entail. One would be in a real danger of getting eye and skin damage of the most severe kind unless protective suits are donned. The UV-B and shorter UV range are for astronomical use mainly.
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Some "today gears" pictures, a dandelion, dandelion with primroses, and daisies, and the first one PSed
(gear: Oly F Zuiko 25/4 set to f11, Makario UV filter set and Panas. GH3 modified for UVIR, all a bit cropped)
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Another technical question: in the picture "a3_1030653" I see bokeh. How does the "light color" influence the way that the circles of confusion are rendered?
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easy physics: smaller wavelength ==> you can use higher f-numbers ;)
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Pure UV images tend to be sharper than their visible counterparts. Presuming of course the actual lens can deliver in UV.
Bokeh is influenced as well, but not in a simple manner.
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Back to the topic of pictorial use of UV.
(https://static.foto.no/linkeddata/portfolio/images/25442_orig.jpg)
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Bjørn, thanks for your contributions. Many of these photos you've posted are what originally got me interested in UV, it is nice to see them again. It has been a long time since I've used my broadband D70, I've thought about converting my seldom used D200 as it is a bit more user friendly than the D70. What camera(s) are you using for UV shooting these days?
UV at the beach.
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Back to the topic of pictorial use of UV.(https://static.foto.no/linkeddata/portfolio/images/25442_orig.jpg)
How do animals look like in UV?
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Charlie: the nitty-gritty UV field work usually is conducted with a Nikon D3200 (built-in Baader U2" Venus filter), while I employ a D600 broad-spectrum for studio work. For UV video, a Panasonic GH-2 (broad-spectrum). I have sold off the D200 cameras with various built-in UV-transmitting filters, though.
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How do animals look like in UV?
Variable. Sometimes they exhibit pronounced UV patterns sometimes not.
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Mixed Reeds & UV
(https://static.foto.no/linkeddata/portfolio/images/11635_orig.jpg)
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Making a Clean Slate :D
(https://static.foto.no/linkeddata/portfolio/images/40338_orig.jpg)
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Sunflower
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Dandelion meadows are a constant feature of the Western districts of Norway in early May.
(https://static.foto.no/linkeddata/portfolio/images/301_orig.jpg)
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Bjørn, thanks for your contributions. Many of these photos you've posted are what originally got me interested in UV, it is nice to see them again. It has been a long time since I've used my broadband D70, I've thought about converting my seldom used D200 as it is a bit more user friendly than the D70. What camera(s) are you using for UV shooting these days?
UV at the beach.
Very nice tones and silouettes. I come revisiting it.
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My first really successful UV image in the sense that I managed the technical challenges and was able to achieve what I had set out to accomplish. Seen in hindsight something absolutely hopeless as far as UV goes, because I didn't realise as a novice in the field what should have been obvious, namely, I could not achieve the tonality of my selected scene the way I requested it to be. The sky should have been rendered bright not dark as I envisioned.
This learning exercise took place at the lake nearby, so I used a period of nice sunny summer days to nip over to my selected motif and photographed it every day at the same time, whilst keeping copious notes of the settings and exposure data. Remember this was film, no EXIF ... Then dropped the film at my lab and picked it up later, so I could adjust the details for next days' tribulations thus slowly iterating towards the level of command we now take for granted of UV photography.
This day, everything was perfect, some wind to buffet the lake surface, some clouds to give intermittent sun rays, and I felt confident all systems were good to go. Then, I detected I only had a few frames left on my last roll of Fuji RTP film, and to make the situation even worse, the sun broke out of clouds and threatened to blow out the sky. In desperation I pulled a 100 Kroner bill from my wallet and used it as a makeshift graded ND filter. During 30-40 sec exposures you have the opportunity to influence the outcome :D
(https://static.foto.no/linkeddata/portfolio/images/16991_orig.jpg)
Well, I ended up with this picture that was pure UV, but not in the technical correct sense of UV. Did I care? Not at the time, and not now either. It was formative for my perception of what nature photography entails.
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This is my humble example of UV capture of crucifer(s) on 120 size Fuji RTP II. The lens was LPL 75mm/f4.5 enlarger or EL-Nikkor 63mm/f3.5. The filter is Hoya/Kenko U-360. The lighting was a UV modified Sunpak 360 flash. No IR-blocking measure was needed. :)
The image is a crude reproduction of the film on a light table, hence the yellow flare.
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Wonderful images. I've seen several of Bjørns before, but I enjoy seeing them again.
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Akira: I sincerely hope you have more of those RTP 120 experiments to show :D
As I have hinted at in earlier posts is the fact that UV photography battled with traces of IR contamination. This is simply due to the fact that most UV bandpass filters have a small, even minuscule, "sideband" in the near IR. Add to this the exacerbation caused by IR being at least 20X more plentiful than UV and the digital sensor itself is much more sensitive to IR than UV, and it is easy to understand that even the tiny leakage in IR could wreak havoc with the UV imaging done with the first generation of digital cameras and the UV bandpass filters of the time.
In the mid 'naughties better UV bandpass filters with improved rejection of IR started to appear. Their superior attenuation of IR did result in a different colour palette than what we obtained before, though. Were these 'new' false UV colours any truer? Yes, in the sense that low UV reflectivity now appeared as very dark to almost jet black areas of the image, for which earlier filter gave nice reddish hues (due to leakage of some visible and even more importantly, near IR rays). No, in the sense that the earlier palette of UV false colours was easier to perceive as nice and pleasing.
Anyway, even with the new stock of filters, you could obtain pictorial UV images. The one below has been a favourite for many years and often used as wallpaper on my various work stations. Taken with the UV-Nikkor on my front porch, by the way, at the time when the cherry trees shed their short-lived petals.
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Bjørn, jaw dropping! All of them!
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It is nice to see UV captures on film, is it still possible or did they discontinue all of the films that were sensitive to UV?
Nice use of a 100 Kroner bill, Bjørn.
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Akira: I sincerely hope you have more of those RTP 120 experiments to show :D
Bjørn, thanks for your kind words. Unfortunately, these two are the only decent result I could obtain while the film was available. :( However, I might still have some UV image on another film (Fuji Natura). If I could dig one out, I would he happy to share here. Please bear in mind that I don't have proper means of reproducing the print, and I could not gurarantee the image quality.
It is nice to see UV captures on film, is it still possible or did they discontinue all of the films that were sensitive to UV?
Charlie, unfortunately again, the Fuji RTP or RTP II has long been discontinued. The Fuji ISO1600 negative film called "Natura" I briefly tested seems to be still in production. But perhaps it is only available in Japan.
You may want to try some B&W films that are also known to be sensitive to UV.
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A recent Narcissus in UV. Or UV interpretation at least.
Nikon D3200, Nikon 28 mm f/2.8 SE, Baader U2" Venus filter.
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Landscapes tend to be hazy and bland in UV, but there are exceptions.
Shot en route to North Cape, Arctic Norway. Panasonic GH-2, Coastal Optics 60 mm f/4 APO lens with Baader U2" (Venus) filter. I had set up for video that day, but took the opportunity to grab a few random stills in between the video activities.
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Compelling landscape scene, Bjørn. I did not know you did video work as well.
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Only UV - on occasion.
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I cracked a wine flute that should not have been put into the dishwasher. Before throwing it away, I thought about illustrating Liebig's Law of Minimum Factors.
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Bjørn, I am thoroughly enjoying all your UV photos.
If only it wasn't such a drag to create them...
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No problem: camera, lens, filter, suitable light, tripod, focus, shoot.
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I feel it's only the camera, lens, filter part that's putting me off...
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Next time we meet and I have UV gear with me, you are most welcome to try it. That should remove the first sequence of missing parts on the list ....
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A pattern study of UV fields. 35 cm f/4.5 Nikkor.
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You really do know how to get me hooked :o
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I strive to do my best, as you are well aware of ...
A much more classic UV rendition of the first spring Tussilago farfara flowers in a tilled field on heavy clay. Just precisely the ideal biotope for this tough little spring rascal.
Nikon D40x, Nikkor 18 mm f/4 lens, Baader U2" filter, Broncolor flash.
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A non-typical scenery for UV photography: branches coated in ice and hoar frost along a small river in winter.
Nikon D3200, Nikon 50 mm f/1.8 SE (single coating, thus given long enough exposures, UV comes through)
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Deep into a narrow valley in Western Norway there is an installation of big mirrors. You drive fast around the bends of a bad dirt road in the middle of nowhere and suddenly they are there. No expectation. No explanation. No people around. Nothing. They just exist.
I discovered this location by happenstance many years ago and try to return whenever I come nearby. Over time the mirrors have deteriorated, one of the panes have cracked and last year all glass had fallen to the ground. You do enter a contemplative mood with such a subject and I have shot different versions so many times. Mostly in UV by some fluke I found out when I searched my archive.
This is a recent rendition, done with Nikon D200 and an Olympus 35 mm f/2.8 shift lens. Light quality down here at the valley floor often has a 'shaft' character to it of bundled sun rays able to penetrate into the gorge. Thus light and shades intertwine in a complex pattern. Perhaps that was the artist's reason of putting up the installation in the first place. I will never know, can only speculate.
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Sunflowers are a common UV test subject. On their own, they are photogenic enough for any kind of spectral treatment.
Panasonic GH-2, W-Nikkor 3.5 cm f/3.5 lens, Baader U2" (venus) filter.
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Rusted-out old cars in a Swedish forest.
Nikon D40X, 18 mm f/4 Nikkor, Baader U2" (Venus) filter.
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Two tall Joshua Trees loom large in the US desert.
Nikon D40X, Fisheye-nikkor 7.5 mm f/5.6, Baader U2" (Venus) filter. This version is cropped to cut off the black corners due to the fisheye's image projection being too large for the DX format.
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This was one of my first successful digital UV photos and was printed double-page spread in a magazine article some years ago.
A very keen observer might recognise the partly submerged stone as the same featured in post #39. Lake levels were higher for the present shot though.
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From the series I shot on assignment for Jenoptik, maker of the famous Coastal 60 APO, to be used for their booth at PhotoKina. The point to make was of course the superior lens quality over a very wide spectral range essentially without any focus shift, thus making alignment of partial images a breeze.
Nikon D200, Coastal Optics 60 mm f/4 APO lens, multispectral filters UV-Vis-IR
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Thanks Bjørn. Extremely interesting, inspirational and mind-blowing.
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Thanks, Paco.
Not nearly done, however.
French Nymphaeas with a single flower and plenty of lily pads.
Nikon D40X, Voigtländer 180 mm f/4, long exposure thus a little blurring of some of the pads.
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I need a UV detox after seeing these pictures. Or else its going to be expencive...
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Børge, what happens if we pull the plunge and don't produce as master Bjørn does?
A huge possibility ::)
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I need a UV detox after seeing these pictures. Or else its going to be expencive...
+1 :P
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Børge, what happens if we pull the plunge and don't produce as master Bjørn does?
A huge possibility ::)
I dont even consider that as possibility ;)
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Børge, what happens if we pull the plunge and don't produce as master Bjørn does?
A huge possibility ::)
Comparing your work to Bjørn's is never a good idea, especially in the UV realm :o
When you get frustrated working with UV you can always just hang your camera out the window of a moving car and hope a rock smashes through your lens
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A good rule is never try to bite over more than you can chew. Applies to UV as well.
Thanks go to Jan Anne for being the ever patient model while I experimented to see if I could get enough UV through my 14-24 Nikkor.
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One of my earliest digital UV image. The camera was D2H, and the lens was Seires E 35/2.5 I think. Perhaps I hadn't yet acquired the BG 40 filter when I shot it. The only filter I put in front of the lens was Kenko/Hoya U-360. There should be massive IR contamination, but the bull's eye patterns of the "free" dandelions are evident. ;)
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Earlier digital UV had a lot of out-of-passband contamination. Thus it is well-nigh hopeless to make these files appear like what we can acquire today.
For pictorial UV, little or no harm is done anyway, as there are no rules set in stone at play here. For more exacting comparative studies on say UV signatures and patterns, one need much better control of what spectral regions are recorded by the camera.
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Comparing your work to Bjørn's is never a good idea, especially in the UV realm :o
When you get frustrated working with UV you can always just hang your camera out the window of a moving car and hope a rock smashes through your lens
Hehe... I dont need UV work to go thru your suggested routine. Sometimes creativity seem like a rare commodity..
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"Swords in Stone": The 1111 Year Memorial for the unification of Norway, at Hafrsfjord.
Nikon D40x, 10-24 mm f/3.5-4.5 Nikkor. Not the choice of a UV lens for most people, but provide enough UV and there will be a resulting image.
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Earlier digital UV had a lot of out-passband contamination. Thus it is well-nigh hopeless to make these files appear like what we can acquire today.
For pictorial UV, little or no harm is done anyway, as there are no rules set in stone at play here. For more exacting comparative studies on say UV signatures and patterns, one need much better control of what spectral regions are recorded by the camera.
As recommended in Bjørn's first UV tutorial on his original website, selecting species whose UV pattern is well known is desirable for the UV experiment in its early stage.
This is the very first "successful" UV(-ish) image in B&W conversion. D2H, LPL 75mm/f4.5 enlarger lens, U-360 filter (yes, still a massive IR contamination) and a UV-modified Sunpak 360 flash. I add the VIS image of the same scene to demonstrate how the world looks differently in different light. The same rig only without U-360 and the flash.
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Akira: Looks very much like a Brassica, but cannot narrow down further as there is no foliage or siliques to be seen.
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Akira: Looks very much like a Brassica, but cannot narrow down further as there is no foliage or siliques to be seen.
Sorry I was too much concentrated on capturing the UV pattern on the petals to include additional info for identifying the species. :o
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UV photography as such has the potential of making extra sharp images because shorter wavelengths are used.
Sometimes this is exactly what the photographer wants or needs, at other times it really doesn't matter or is contra productive.
This capture of the last sun rays on a snow-covered mountainside is definitively positioned in the latter class. I could either get the craggy mountain spruces in the foreground into sharp focus, or the mountain peak itself, but not both simultaneously. Light faded fast and exposures were getting very long, so I had to made a decision and choose neither alternative. The outcome was a delicate pastel-like rendition of the scenery, that prints or projects beautifully.
I frequently use this image in talks on nature photography, to demonstrate the importance of emotional content.
Nikon D40X, Baader U2 (Venus) filter, 1000 mm f/11 Reflex-Nikkor
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Following in the same vein, albeit carrying it a bit further, a flower meadow in UV and summer breeze.
Nikon D200, itorex 300 mm f/5.6 (reflex lens), Baader U.
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#50, #63, #64.2 for me.
The blue bottle shot is so suggestive. The idea to have inflow anmd outflow on the same side is very very nice & the fluid just glows from the inside
The lake surfaces in the latter piucs are interesting to my eyes because they have these subtle color transitions. ... I still cannot "read" #63 but that is a good thing
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In search of the 'hidden patterns' forged by UV,
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A UV macro (larger-than-life) shot. Patrinia scabiosifolia. D2H, JML 50/3.5 enlarger lens reversed, U-360, BG-40, UV-modified Sunpak 360 flash.
Because of the design of my reverse-mount adapter for JML, I had to focus with the lens wide open by moving the camera, detach the lens, stop down to f11, attach the lens again, put the filter combo, shift the whole rig to compensate for the focus shift and shoot. I had to repeat this procedure until I nail the amount of focus shift. 8)
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S M I L E
UV makes teeth fluoresce brightly.
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My first experience with a solar eclipse and UV. The eclipse (2003) was just partial and I had still a lot to learn about UV and of photography in general.
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The harsh environment of an Alpine Hawkweed. In UV.
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This cluster of ancient oak trees, locally known as The King's Oak, believed to be 500-1000 years old, is a frequently photographed scene outside Oslo, Norway. I live just a few minutes away so this is a motif very familiar to me.
Nikon D3200, Nikkor 18 mm f/4, built-in Baader U ('venus') filter.
(http://ultravioletphotography.com/content/uploads/monthly_05_2015/post-2-0-99167300-1431162124.jpg)
I have deliberately processed this to appear similar in tonality and colours to the first digital UV frames shot 15 years ago with my Nikon D1 and the UV-Nikkor. This approach removes some of the finer details of course, but with the 24 MPix frame of the D3200 at your disposition, one can allow this. Although image quality has increased immensely over the time span since the D1, I'm not equally sure about the impressions of UV being that much better. While our favoured 'standard false colour' palette is useful for comparative purposes, the outcome sometimes lacks visual impact. Landscape motifs exemplify this.
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This is a result of the effort of emulating the color rendition of Fuji RTP II. The effort was not successful, but I like the image.
D2H, Series E 28/2.8, U-360, BG-40.
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Lovely, Akira.
I always enjoy how well UV brings out texture in petals.
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Lovely, Akira.
I always enjoy how well UV brings out texture in petals.
Thanks, Andrea. I realized the mysterious beauty of Oenothera came from its exquisite UV pattern in addition to the fact that it blooms at night.
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Akira: not all species in the Evening Primrose genus (or close allies) exhibit the classic bull's-eye UV pattern. Thus, that your capture didn't show this, is no hard evidence the photo failed.
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Bjørn, if I understand correctly, the central dark area is the bull's-eye pattern which looks almost as yellow as the outer part under VIS.
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There is a UV-dark central area that I see. It is not very large.
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IR contamination of the UV signature is of course the ever present danger.
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I have to agree that the IR contamination cannot be removed completely in this combo (D2H, U-360 and BG-40).
The last one was shot without BG-40 deliberately to add IR portion for more flexible color control.
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With a 2mm thick BG40, the IR leak lessens to somewhere between OD3 and OD4. So a lot depends on the form of illumination as to how much of that potential IR leak will actually show up in the photo.
In a recent experiment, I stacked an IR092 filter on top of the U360+BG40(2mm) to test for red and/or IR leakage. I also tested the alternate IR-blocker S8612 in a 2mm thickness. The results are found in this topic: http://www.ultravioletphotography.com/content/index.php/topic/1709-u360bg40-u360s8612-baaderu-ir-leak-test/ (http://www.ultravioletphotography.com/content/index.php/topic/1709-u360bg40-u360s8612-baaderu-ir-leak-test/)
The dark red against the paler pink is an elegant contrast.
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Andrea, thanks for the link. A convincing reminder.
My BG40 is 1mm thick and shows 2.3% transmittance at 750nm, and the 2.5mm U-360 has an IR bump that peaks at 750nm with the 10% transmittance.
Considering that the UV modified (meaning, with the protection window removed) flash I used emitted a fair amount of IR, its contamination should be present in my last images. Considering that he shape and the size of the central dark area of both images with and without BG40 looks pretty much identical, it could be safe to say that the IR contamination doesn't really affect the bull's eye pattern. Maybe.
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I dont no what I`m doing, I dont know where I go. The first stumbling steps in UV, thanks to Bjørn :)
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Not bad for a UV newbie, Børge ... The D40X at your service I presume.
As you should be well aware of by now, the false colours in UV captures are truly false, meaning it's up to you how they show be rendered and perceived. That gives a very wide artistic license and nobody can shoot you down for not obeying the 'rules'.
Out of curiosity, which filter(s) did you use? That is a recurrent theme amongst UV shooters.
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The D40x behaves like a well trained dog, as long as I get the focus shift right. I think I do now. The colors are a real treat. One never know where it ends. Suits me just fine :)
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I'm pleased to hear. That specimen of D40X has secured a surprising number of my better UV captures up to to 2013/2014.
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I know some of the things you have achieved with the camera, so right now the limiting factor is behind it :)
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... it could be safe to say that the IR contamination doesn't really affect the bull's eye pattern. Maybe.
Akira, I was thinking about this. How important we consider the IR washout that occurs with "leaky" UV-pass filters probably depends on the nature of the UV photography in progress. If the goal is artistic and the IR contamination is minor, then perhaps it doesn't matter too much. If the goal is documentary, then we must add on more IR-blocking and crank up the artificial UV illumination to ensure we are achieving a good representation of the UV-signature for the given scene. Of course, we are never capturing an actual UV-signature because the raw data must be tweaked in order for human eyes to see a photograph instead of a flat, dark mess. 8)
Having said all that though, it is surprising how many people do not realize that all UV-pass glass leaks IR and that it is necessary to block as much as possible in order to claim that the photograph is UV. For example, the U-330 - if used without any IR blocking at all - passes so much IR, that it can be used as a kind of funky IR filter outdoors in sunlight where the ratio of UV/Visible/IR is about 5/45/50 (depending on location, altitude, time of day).
Well, I am rambling on here.......this is what happens when one attempts to think. ;D
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To elaborate the point made by Andrea: blocking IR contamination is the key to successful UV photography.
Using a dandelion as example, capturing with the UV-Nikkor lens on a D70 camera. This camera already has pretty good IR blocking as it was not modified at all. Even the stock model of D70 is able to record UV, but compared to modified cameras its sensitivity is of course much lower.
Visible light as a reference:
(http://ultravioletphotography.com/content/uploads/monthly_02_2013/post-2-0-59605100-1360081529.jpg)
Using the Nikon FF filter that was delivered with the UV-Nikkor. As everything at that time was film-based and normal film stocks lack IR response, nobody talked about IR contamination back then.
(http://ultravioletphotography.com/content/uploads/monthly_02_2013/post-2-0-57815900-1360087359.jpg)
Apparently the dandelion mop has no clear "bull's eye" pattern to boast of?
However, that conclusion is entirely false, just look what happens if a better UV bandpass filter is deployed on the lens. Now IR contributions are eliminated and the real UV signature can be seen.
(http://ultravioletphotography.com/content/uploads/monthly_02_2013/post-2-0-70068000-1360088207.jpg)
The full article is found here:
http://www.ultravioletphotography.com/content/index.php/topic/107-how-to-use-filters-for-uv-photography/
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... it could be safe to say that the IR contamination doesn't really affect the bull's eye pattern. Maybe.
Akira, I was thinking about this. How important we consider the IR washout that occurs with "leaky" UV-pass filters probably depends on the nature of the UV photography in progress. If the goal is artistic and the IR contamination is minor, then perhaps it doesn't matter too much. If the goal is documentary, then we must add on more IR-blocking and crank up the artificial UV illumination to ensure we are achieving a good representation of the UV-signature for the given scene. Of course, we are never capturing an actual UV-signature because the raw data must be tweaked in order for human eyes to see a photograph instead of a flat, dark mess. 8)
Having said all that though, it is surprising how many people do not realize that all UV-pass glass leaks IR and that it is necessary to block as much as possible in order to claim that the photograph is UV. For example, the U-330 - if used without any IR blocking at all - passes so much IR, that it can be used as a kind of funky IR filter outdoors in sunlight where the ratio of UV/Visible/IR is about 5/45/50 (depending on location, altitude, time of day).
Well, I am rambling on here.......this is what happens when one attempts to think. ;D
Fully agree with you, Andrea. One of the main reasons for our awareness of IR contamination even as newbies was Bjørn's thorough tutorial on his original website. U-330 was basically good enough for the films (except for the IR film, of course) which are virtually immune to IR.
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Is UV film still available? I know absoutely nothing about film. ::)
We do have a Nikon film camera here of some kind. (Belongs to Michael.)
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A b/w film will have *some* sensitivity to UV even though the makers these days add a UV-filter on top of the emulsion.
Colour film - tungsten-balanced material used to be the best choice, but no idea what the situation is these days. Most film types have lost terrain or even became obsolete during the last decade, rumours tell me.
You can mount all of your existing F-mount lenses to that film camera (if you find it, and there is film to be purchased/developed somewhere). Then there is the small problem of getting any useful slide or negative into digital format for web use.
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I don't think any slide film for tungsten bulb lighting are in production.
Fuji still makes color negative film called Natura 1600 which can be used for UV using U-360 or U-330. I tested it once. The color balance of the prints is quite strange but interestingly brilliant. "If" I can find the print(s), I will shoot them with my DSLR and post here.
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Cinestill makes a Tungsten balanced iso 800 film capable of being pushed to 3200. It is motion picture stock that's been repurposed for 35mm and the anti-halation rem-jet layer has been removed from this film, not sure if that would make a difference for UV work. It is however negative film, not slide film.
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A quick test with my oldest boy to see if UV could offer something for portraits. A "Billy the kid"-theme was the first that came to mind. It has some potensial.
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Try decorating with some sun lotion. You will be surprised.
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Børge, what a beautiful portrait!
Get two sun tan lotions, one with a low factor of 5 and one with a high factor of 50 UVP 8)
Then apply them on different places :)
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I tried with my wife. She use some anti aging cream ( ::) ::)) that is absolutely fantastic and expensive. It turned out to be a sunscreen ;)
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A quick test with my oldest boy to see if UV could offer something for portraits. A "Billy the kid"-theme was the first that came to mind. It has some potensial.
Indeed the portrait looks like an old glass plate image from 19c. :)
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Yes, perhaps give it a sepia tone effect? Cool portrait.
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Thanks Andrea! A slight golden tint might make it more "authentic". I think I shall add texture layer as well. Post later. Nice tip :)
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This treatment might give the picture more of a "authentic" wet plate collodion "look". To a certain degree, it works IMO. Dont be afraid to give me the thumbs down. The texture was from the glass of my wood stove. With the proper lighting I might get som more 3D-pop out of texture, but this will do for now.
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All that is required now is a 'Wanted' poster with the period typeface in print.
By the way, happy to see my old UV workhorse camera found itself a new good home ...
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Wanted for making a mess and not cleaning his room ;D It´s a lot of fun and all the proper gear has been neglected for a few days. I love making pictures slow and steady.
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Exit D40X. Enter D3200.
Today's Tussilago.
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I love those small flowers :) Is that done with a flash and a wide angle?
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Tamron 21 mm f/4.5 and the SB-140 flash.
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A quick search, gave me the impression that it is not an easy lens to get hold of.
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It goes by a number of alternate 'brand' names. Still, not the most common lens out there and as it is old, many specimens are pretty beaten up.
Should you get hold of one of these, remove the rear filter otherwise you won't get much UV through it.
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Børge, that sepia version is terrific!
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Brook flower, Caltha palustris showing of some concealed patterns.
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Anemone nemorosa, Wood anemone, appear quite different under UV.
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For any one interested in, or working with, UV photography, one of the biggest conceptional hurdles is the notion that all colours are false by definition. Neither camera nor processing software is aware of this fundamental fact, though. Furthermore, personal preferences, the filter(s) applied, and the manner in which images are developed, all will have a huge impact on the colour palette that results. The final colours are not 'right' or 'wrong', after all they are genuinely false; they are just different.
For a good deal years now, Andrea and I have advocated a certain approach to the balancing of UV 'colours' to make the output from different cameras easier to compare in a botanical context. This scheme typically involves a filtration capable of transmitting a large portion of the 300-390(400) nm UV(A), keeping IR contamination to a minimum, and colour-balancing against a target having uniform (flat) reflectance across the recorded UV spectral band. A white Teflon/PTFE disc will do fine, but one should note that a grey disc of the same material should also record neutral. Many RAW converters can do a white balance against the [UV-]white disc, but fails to achieve a neutral balance otherwise. PhotoNinja is the reference program here as it does the UV-white balance perfectly. Andrea uses Capture NX2/NX-D, which I never managed properly myself. ACR apparently fails, as do Aftershot 2/3. It is noteworthy that the broad-band converted Panasonic GH-x can set the correct colour balance directly in camera, a feature which becomes most useful for UV video recording.
I'll dive into my archives and pull some examples of the same species Børge has shown us, just to illustrate the variation in appearance typical for UV imagery.
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As promised, some examples of Wood anemone Anemone nemorosa, a common species all over our country. For a short period in April and early May, the dense carpets of white flowers turn the forest floor into a echo of the show pack existing there only weeks before.
These images are taken 4 years apart using different cameras, yet the overall UV w/b is remarkably similar. We observe that cameras as different as Nikon D40/40X, D200, D3200, D3, Pentax K-1, Panasonic GF-1, GH-2, and Sony A7R, all can render these scenes in a similar manner if the prescribed procedure for UV w/b is followed (including the software recommendations).
The "dusty" areas of the tepals shown in the close-up (#2) are caused by an aggregation of so-called Conical cells, a feature UV depicts with remarkable clarity and that is virtually impossible to observe in visible light unless magnification is increased by an order of magnitude or more. The conical cells are believed to be an important feature in the relationship between flower and its pollinators.
Whether one should wish for a reproducible UV colour palette is another question. As stated earlier, these are true false colours. For the scientific approach to UV photography I would recommend a standardisation, every where else it should be a question left to the photographer and his/her vision.
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These photos are off course developed to my liking and I was not aware that there was a way of setting the wb to a uniform value. I'm just playing around here in an entirely different universe :)
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My recent posts were in no way meant as a criticism of your work, just to add to the understanding of what UV photography entails, and why the results are so seemingly different between various photographers.
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The final examples, of Marsh Marigold Caltha palustris. The Baader U ('Venus') filter of the latest generation used throughout.
First, this time taken with a Panasonic GH-2 and Coastal optics 60 mm f/4 APO lens. Like the Wood Anemone pictures shown earlier, this is obtained under daylight conditions, and UV w/b set against a Teflon disc.
Second is obtained with Nikon D3200 and the Nikkor 18 mm f/4 AI. It is not easy to find wide-angle lenses with acceptable UV performance, however the old 18 mm Nikkor is among the selected few.
Do note again the striking similarity of UV appearance of this species across different cameras and lenses.
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Excellent Bjørn! Love the tufts with Caltha. I guess their proper english name is Marsh Marigold :)
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The vernacular names in English (UK/US etc.) are little standardised (compared to the Nordic system in which official names and spellings are provided). Marigold thus is used also for other species.
To illustrate the confusion by non-standardised vernacular names, the following excerpt from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/caltha_palustris is presented;
"In the UK, Caltha palustris is known by a variety of vernacular names, varying by geographical region. These include in addition to the most common two, marsh marigold and kingcup, also brave bassinets, crazy Beth, horse blob, May blob, mare blob, boots, water boots, meadow-bright, bullflower, meadow buttercup, water buttercup, soldier's buttons, meadow cowslip, water cowslip, publican's cloak, crowfoot, water dragon, drunkards, water goggles, meadow gowan, water gowan, yellow gowan, goldes, golds, goldings, gools, cow lily, marybuds, and publicans-and-sinners.[5] The common name "marigold" refers to its use in medieval churches at Easter as a tribute to the Virgin Mary, as in "Mary gold". In North America Caltha palustris is sometimes known as cowslip. However, cowslip more often refers to Primula veris, the original plant to go by that name."
I rather prefer Caltha palustris.
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To be on the safe side I`ll stick to scientific names :)
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Børge, I quite like the colors of your photos, particularly post #127. Which lens are you using for you UV work?
Bjørn, I'm curious to try the white balance method you've mentioned. Using a Baader U filter is it as simple as finding any opaque white teflon/PTFE material and setting W/B off of it?
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I have the total of one lens for UV. It is a Novoflexar 35 mm f3,5 that Bjørn kindly sold me. The colors are a result of my work on the RAW-file. It comes out more purple-looking, while the yellows come out yellow :)
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Charlie: any UV-neutral subject will do. White Teflon is a good choice, but be aware that its reflectance usually is non-Lambertian, ie. the angle of incidence comes into play. Bitumen sidewalks tend to be neutral, as well as the kind of expanded grey foam-like padding material used in packing of consumer goods.
Setting the w/b under UV against a single ("UV-white") reference point might not suffice if the software is incapable of handling the skewed ratio red:blue in the RAW file. See examples below (Nikon D3, UV-Nikkor 105, Baader U, studio flash with uncoated Xenon tube). First example using a click-white operation in Aftershot Pro, the second using PhotoNinja. The failed w/b usually is typically manifested in an inability of remove the strong reddish cast of the RAW file.
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Thank you for the info. There is quite the difference between Aftershot and Photoninja. The PN version is quite 'natural' looking even though it is a false color image. I've always adjusted the W/B slider by eye to get the most satisfying result on a image by image basis, I am interested in trying this technique in the RAW converters I have on my machine to see the differences. ACR, NX-D, & Capture One.
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In PhotoNinja, a simple "click-white" operation to a UV-neutral target will suffice. However, for other programs, do ensure you have more than one target of different intensity and use curve tool to bring them all to be rendered neutral. ASP will do this quite successfully, but of course with far more efforts than the ease of PhotoNinja. Also every image will need its own fine-tuning, whilst with PhotoNinja you can just paste the settings to other images taken under similar light conditions.
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Further interpretation of the UV-world. Taraxacum officinale "my style" :)
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Lovely! I like this interpretation.
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Nothing beats a fertilised meadow in May when the dandelions bloom ... an eyesight in any part of the spectrum. Apparently there is no lack of suitable meadows in your part of the country :D Nice and the depth of field adds to the overall impact as well.
Just a hint: try in IR. Dandelions have many surprises in store.
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Thanks Andrea and Bjørn! I will tray IR version later. But I have to hurry before the cows comes marching in :)
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Børge! Your Billie-the-kid smashes me, esp the super small DOF combined with the super high definition and the convincing expressions. Great models you have there!
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Recent years have seen an invasion of beavers into my neighbourhood, which is situated on the northern perimeter of Oslo, capital of Norway. The return of wildlife isn't surprising and even wolves have been reported from the suburban areas in the last decade.
A small creek nearby now is almost impassable due to all the recently felled logs of Downy Birch, apparently a favourite snack of the local beaver tribe. I combined a birch trunk with spring blooming Marsh Marigold (Caltha palustris) in this snapshot of the riparian ecosystem. Later, upon processing the files, I observed how UV actually made the forage trail left by beavers going back and forth to this log much more visible than in the field. The trail cuts into the frame diagonally from the lower right.
Nikon D3200, internal Baader U (gen.2 Venus filter), Tamron 21 mm f/4.5.
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Schnell's Window (restricted view of sky seen under water due to water's refractive index of 1.33-1.34). Here done in UV using the water surface itself as "lens".
I used an old Nikonos II housing loaded with Fuji negative colour film and the bespoke dome port of a 7.5 mm Fisheye lens adapted for Nikonos, but without any lens inside, only a Hoya U-360 UV bandpass filter. The lens mount and film gate prevents capturing the entire Schnell's Window (around 120 degrees).
The brighter blobs within the window are probably sun reflecting off the water surface.
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Extreme minimalism! Very impressive:)
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Impressive, creative and skillful with a fantastic result!
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Stunning image, Bjørn. Love the color composition. I suspect you used Fuji Natura...
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From the recent Norwgian 'post-celebration' trip with Erik, but posting here as it is very much a UV image.
Nikon D3200, Tamron 21/4.5, Baader U (Venus) filter.
The [pristine] world is not enough