The Weird Lens Museum seems not only to be interested in odd lenses, but also unusual light sources for still life set-ups. Curator Mathieu Stern has published a video showing experimental work with off-visible-spectrum specialist Pierre Luis Ferrer in which they use a handheld UV light to illuminate fruit and everyday objects, making for strange, ethereal patterns and colors.
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| The inside of a kiwi seen with ultraviolet light. |
With the lights off in the studio only the UV light is used on the subjects, which causes some materials to glow in a spectacular way. Different substances react to UV light and can glow in a range of colors, as seen in the kiwi example above.
UV lights don’t cost more than $ 10-20 for handheld varieties, so head to your nearest hardware store (or favorite online store) and pick one up to see what interesting results you end up with. Remember to pick up a pair of protective UV glasses though to keep your eyes safe; UV flashlights are a relatively weak source of UV light, but it’s better to play it safe, especially when it comes to your eyes.
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)