Desert Star
The adventures in ultraviolet fluorescence continues with an image of a cactus I have been watching under a "plant light" for the perfect bloom. It reached its peak today!
I’ve always had a hunch that cactus flowers would fluoresce, as many other succulents behave favourably under UV light. However, cacti typically don’t flower until they are a little larger, and the local greenhouses only stock the small ones. I got lucky when I saw a few flower buds starting to form and immediately bought this un-named cactus variety about a month ago.
You can see part of the cactus in the behind-the-scenes image here (donkom.ca/bts/IMG_20190416_141536.jpg ) but more important it shows the lens and lighting used. I figured this would be the perfect subject to break out the Laowa 24mm F/14 probe lens for, since I needed to get close to the subject yet still have clearance for lighting. The Adaptalux UV lighting arms were the tool of choice for lighting, since they could get in very close around the subject for even, smooth lighting in a tight space. The image was recorded on a Lumix S1R at 30sec, roughly F/18 and ISO 1000. A winning combination of equipment!
Lumix S1R kit: www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1455068-REG/panasonic_dc_s...
Laowa 24mm F/14 probe lens: www.bhphotovideo.com/c/buy/Laowa_24mm/Ntt/Laowa%2B24mm/N/...
Adaptalux kits: adaptalux.com/shop/
The image is created in complete darkness – any stray ambient light would contaminate the scene. There is a tiny bit of blur in the very middle of the image because the stamens were actually moving over the 30-second exposure, something I hope to visualize in time-lapse video in the near future. It would be a lot of fun to see how this flower opens and closes! At night, it completely closes up and is most open around 2PM. A very dynamic flower!
I am often fascinated by this “unseen world”, and I’m glad I’ve been able to fill in the dull gap between winter and spring with some of these vibrant blooms. It won’t be long before these experiments turn to the first spring flowers – maybe even layer this week. :)
While I can’t handle UV fluorescence in group workshops, if you want to learn this from me I offer private workshops as well. Feel free to e-mail me at don@komarechka.com or check out my group workshops at www.donkom.ca/workshops/ - some great macro opportunities plus an adventure in Iceland that is more than half sold out!
Desert Star
The adventures in ultraviolet fluorescence continues with an image of a cactus I have been watching under a "plant light" for the perfect bloom. It reached its peak today!
I’ve always had a hunch that cactus flowers would fluoresce, as many other succulents behave favourably under UV light. However, cacti typically don’t flower until they are a little larger, and the local greenhouses only stock the small ones. I got lucky when I saw a few flower buds starting to form and immediately bought this un-named cactus variety about a month ago.
You can see part of the cactus in the behind-the-scenes image here (donkom.ca/bts/IMG_20190416_141536.jpg ) but more important it shows the lens and lighting used. I figured this would be the perfect subject to break out the Laowa 24mm F/14 probe lens for, since I needed to get close to the subject yet still have clearance for lighting. The Adaptalux UV lighting arms were the tool of choice for lighting, since they could get in very close around the subject for even, smooth lighting in a tight space. The image was recorded on a Lumix S1R at 30sec, roughly F/18 and ISO 1000. A winning combination of equipment!
Lumix S1R kit: www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1455068-REG/panasonic_dc_s...
Laowa 24mm F/14 probe lens: www.bhphotovideo.com/c/buy/Laowa_24mm/Ntt/Laowa%2B24mm/N/...
Adaptalux kits: adaptalux.com/shop/
The image is created in complete darkness – any stray ambient light would contaminate the scene. There is a tiny bit of blur in the very middle of the image because the stamens were actually moving over the 30-second exposure, something I hope to visualize in time-lapse video in the near future. It would be a lot of fun to see how this flower opens and closes! At night, it completely closes up and is most open around 2PM. A very dynamic flower!
I am often fascinated by this “unseen world”, and I’m glad I’ve been able to fill in the dull gap between winter and spring with some of these vibrant blooms. It won’t be long before these experiments turn to the first spring flowers – maybe even layer this week. :)
While I can’t handle UV fluorescence in group workshops, if you want to learn this from me I offer private workshops as well. Feel free to e-mail me at don@komarechka.com or check out my group workshops at www.donkom.ca/workshops/ - some great macro opportunities plus an adventure in Iceland that is more than half sold out!