My entry for this competition has been rejected, so I will be interested to see what images get selected for showing at the RHS Botanical Art & Photography Show at the Saatchi Gallery in London later this year. My statement of intent was as follows:
Ultra Violet Fluorescence
It is fascinating to see the way the natural world looks under Ultra Violet (UV) light which causes fluorescence in many subjects. You are, quite literally, seeing the world in a new light: colours can change and detail gets enhanced or diminished.
What I have chosen to show in each image is that about half shows how the subject is seen in ‘daylight’ whilst the other half shows the UV fluorescence. These photos are taken from the same viewpoint within minutes of each other so that they register together almost perfectly. In some cases the difference is stark (such as the tomatoes), in others it is more subtle (such as the Eryngium). I have placed a thin white line at the divide to emphasise the two halves.
Technically, two methods of illumination were needed. For the ‘daylight’ part of the images flashguns or LED lights were used. For the UV fluorescence this involved ‘painting with light’ over the subject with a UV torch. Each subject needed several photos that get blended together to produce a fully illuminated image.
The UV fluorescence shows many dust spots or other small detritus that is not normally visible. I have chosen to keep them in as that is how the subject looks in reality. I have, though, removed a few of the larger, distracting ones.
Apart from the usual exposure type adjustments and ‘de-spotting’, no other digital processing has been made.
These were my entries, starting with the hanging plan:
Please feel free to make constructive comments…