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UltravioletPhotography

Melting snow in western North Carolina


OlDoinyo

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Last weekend we had a brief blast of wintry weather, with 20 centimeters of snow followed by 72 consecutive hours below freezing (only a memory now, as temperatures are around 20C outside today.) As the snow started to melt, I got out and managed to snap a couple of UV photos. The Sony A900 was used at ISO 100 with the Baader U2 filter for these shots. Apertures were f/16 and display intent is BGR.

 

The last train on the Toxaway Branch of the Norfolk Southern Railway ran in 2003 before the line was abandoned. Since then, it has been subject matter for numerous abandoned-railroad shots of mine. The first shot looks west from the old grade crossing in Penrose; the Steinheil was used with an exposure of 1 second.

 

"Tristesse:"

 

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The pink hue of the low sun is the only chromatic feature of note here.

 

The next shot was taken from the same spot but facing in the opposite direction. The Asahi 35mm was used for this shot; the light had faded, and exposure was 25 seconds this time. The difference with the previous frame is due more to the change in light than difference in UV pass: the two lenses are not 4+ stops apart in this respect.

 

"Dead Crossing:"

 

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I have heard this lens criticized for its allegedly poor bandpass, but it does produce very sharp images stopped down, and I do not have a wide-angle with better bandpass. The orange color of the switch indicator is clearly visible here, as is that of the white paint stripe on the near road margin.

 

The Blue Ridge Parkway is not plowed after snow, and thus tends to be barricaded off at such times. Here is the barricade at Wagon Road Gap (elevation 1382 meters) photographed with the Steinheil.

 

"Not This Way:"

 

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The painted gate is the main colored feature in this image, although some orange coloration is visible in the tree bark.

 

Farther down the mountain lies the Cradle of Forestry, where Gifford Pinchot helped establish the nation's first National Forest; there is a complex of historic buildings on the site. The one depicted was the forest ranger's cabin, with the Steinheil, 1 second exposure:

 

"Historic Ranger's Cabin, Cradle of Forestry:"

 

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The chromaticity here is very subtle; the evergreen foliage is faintly green while some of the tree trunks appear rosy. I got fairly good textural rendition on both the snow and the wood with this lighting. This photo may not tell us anything new about UV photography, but I share it here because it was one of the better images of the day.

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Yes on the BGR. The typical sequencing is given as "RGB", so when we channel swap or channel stack we usually list the replacements in the same order.

 

 

OlDoinyo has developed a lovely technique for his UV photographs. They have this subtle coloration which gives them an interesting "look" somewhere between monochrome and full color.

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