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UltravioletPhotography

The Amazing Gazania


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Bought a couple of these guys from a farm stand a few days ago and Wow do they have a cool UV signature.

Vis--Nikon D70 1/800s F11 iso 200

UV--Nikon D70 2s F11 iso 200

 

-D

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Interesting thing about Gazanias is that they have multiple UV signatures, not all the same.
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Nice shot, Damon! I also noticed that young gazanias do not have yellow on petals at all. all black...then somehow the tip starts to reflect UV and changes to yellow. the reverse is true for corn flowers...the red half of the petals are uniform in yellow under UV.
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The amazing Gazania it was supposed to say--dang! Been living in the pines too long. When you can't get your UV flowers to come out right--go get some Gazanias and you will start to feel better.

 

That is pretty interesting Zach. Thanks for the compliment too.

Gazania tips: Little sense in having a nectar guide if you are immature maybe?

 

Here are some more:

 

-D

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I love these Zanies.

I finally posted mine tonight after getting inspired by yours. "-)

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I just saw yours and they are spectacular.

I would love to get a nice grouping together like that.

 

Thanks for the kind words. I am only riding on the backs of you guys and people like Klaus who undertook many years of trial and error so I can put together a great kit and dive right in. I thank all of you for that and appreciate it immensely.

It is privilege to be able to share a new passion with people that have been doing it a long time but still take the time to help and answer new beginners' questions even if it is in a sticky and they asked anyway. :lol:

Or explaining something 3 times in a row and I still don't get it and remaining patient somehow ( sorry Dr. Schmitt :) :)

 

-D

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Thanks Col,

Getting a great image doesn't usually stop after the shutter gets pressed (at least not mine). Software can fortunately hide most of my flaws!

 

-D

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You can edit your post title by clicking:

Edit > Use Full Editor

 

Sometimes I correct typos or spelling errors as somehow I've landed the job of Editor & Housekeeper

along with a few hundred other tasks. Bjørn is Head Spam Hunter along with his other admin jobs.

:lol:

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Thanks for the info. and for all you both do to keep the site running so smooth and happy. I am sure it is much more than meets the eye.

I finally came across some Rudbekia's today in the "wild" and then some at the local Shoprite. One of the species looks (visible) just like the regular one does in UV. It already has a signature but it's visible. I am looking forward to soaking in some UV's with them tomorrow.

 

-D

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Yes, there are some Rudbeckias with both Visible bullseyes and UV bullseyes. But even on some plain, solid colour Rudbeckias (and on some other flowers also), you can sometimes see a variation in the yellow-orange colour where the UV pattern will show up. There are flavonols and (some other organic substance I don't recall just now) underlying the UV-absorbing areas of Rudbeckias. (Flower chemistry is quite complex.)

 

Observations to make:

  • Do the UV-dark areas match any Visible areas?
  • Are the UV-dark areas larger/smaller than the dark Visible areas?
  • Are the UV-dark areas sharply demarcated or do they have diffuse edges?
  • What does the back of the flower look like in UV?

Carry on !!

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Regarding 4th photo of 2nd set, I think this may be the first time I have seen UV-yellow and UV-orange in the same frame.

Really cool, thanks!

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Soaked up some UV's today as did my Rudbeckia's.

-On the one which has a dark visible signature--it has almost exactly the same UV dark signature. The UV dark signature takes up slightly more real estate

-On the visible ones, you are correct Andrea! I can discern a change in light to darker yellow which corresponds to the Dark UV signature almost exactly. Pretty Cool!

-I am not sure about your 3rd and 4th questions. It does not look real diffuse to me. What do you think? I did not take the back of the flower (but I will tomorrow!)

 

This is starting to make me wonder. Why have UV signatures at all? Why not just advertise in the visible? Why not advertise to the largest amount of pollinators as possible--which would be in the visible (as far as I can tell anyway--I realize we don't see what an animal is seeing). Bees are top shelf pollinators (they are after pollen after all, as well as nectar) so maybe they are getting an extra enticement with the UV?

So exciting!

 

1st photo Rudbeckia's visible - In Situ (in pot).

Nikon D70,

El-Nikkor 80mm f5.6

1/320s f11 iso200

 

2nd photo Rudbeckia's UV - in Situ (in pot)

Nikon D70, Baader U filter

El-Nikkor 80mm f5.6

3s f11 iso200

 

3rd diptych

Same flowers and settings as above

 

Thanks JC, I appreciate the compliment!

 

 

 

-D

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Nice work, Damon !!

Please remember to include which filters you are using with the other photo data.

 

I think you should make a Rudbeckia post in the cultivar section using this last set.

Are these Rudbeckia hirta? (I think so.) Do you know the name of the cultivar?

 

If these are un-named R. hirta, then make a post in with the title Rudbeckia hirta [Gloriosa Daisy]

and follow the guidelines in Publishing Guidelines: Formal Botanical Presentation.

 

If your R. hirta cultivar has already been posted, then make a post with some tweaks as given in

Publishing Guidlines: Multiple Presentations of the Same Botanical Item.

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Thanks so much!

Yes I believe they are hirta. The name of the cultivar with the visible signature is Toto Rustic. I will see if I can get the other.

I am currently busier than a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs. I will begin some formal work soon. Thanks for making it easier.

 

Question--why does UV allow me to see into/through some shadows made from visible light?

 

Ever eaten a Tomatillo? I played around in my garden Sunday and found some interesting UV signatures. Below is one. Tomato has a cool one as well.

 

Visible Tomatillo

Nikon D70,

El-Nikkor 80mm f5.6

1/400s f11 iso200

Full Sun-No Flash

 

 

UVTomatillo

Nikon D70, Baader U filter

El-Nikkor 80mm f5.6

2s f11 iso200

Full Sun-No Flash

 

 

-D

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Now that is cool !! We really must have a Tomatillo in the database (and a Tomato also). You get first dibs on the formal Tomatillo post. :D

 

Yes, I know tomatillos from having lived in the Southwest and California. Green salsa, yum!

 

BTW, for your Visible shots I think you might have been using a Baader UVIR-Cut filter, not a Baader-U. Typo?

 

Google indicates that the 'Toto' plants are indeed Rudbeckia hirta.

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Thanks Andrea and Col!

 

The garden is flush with different flowers so I am amassing pics of them before they go away. It is getting hard to keep up with stuff coming into bloom and I am selfish and don't want to wait another season. So when the day is full of wind and I am out of flash batteries I pray to the God of wind to spare me a few hours. :)

He has been answering about the same rate as all the Gods. ~50%

 

I will take my first place in the Tomatillo line with pride :D

 

Re:Filter

I only own one filter--the Baader U.

I will remove the Baader reference in the visible shot--who knows what I was thinking there (I apparently wasn't!) Thank goodness we have some people around here paying attention!

 

I have recently been getting small hot spots in the centerish part of my images, but only at certain times. I made a new homemade lens hood but maybe it's not long enough. Is that was usually causes that? It's like a fog of sorts. I have attached some totally raw untouched UV pics.

 

What do you use as a lens hood? Stock one?

 

-D

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BTW, for your Visible shots I think you might have been using a Baader UVIR-Cut filter, not a Baader-U. Typo?

 

Damon, I think, is using an unmodified D70. This brings up something I have wondered about that and other such cams in the UV Sticky #1.

 

If usable/good unmodified for UV, how then is it able to take a Vis photo without at least UV blocking filter or a UVIR-Cut as you mentioned?

 

Sorry, I know this is a naive question but I have no history with these older CCD Nikons.

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The D70 does have an internal UVIR-cut filter, but is is a rather weak one. Indeed, sometimes when you make a visible photograph of certain subjects with this kind of camera - synthetic black fabric is a prime example - you can get a bit of IR contamination - and the black will appear dark purple or otherwise 'washed out'. In certain scenic situations you might also get a bit of "haze" in landscape shots due to UV contamination but probably no haze in close shots.

 

Added Later: Also flowers in violet, purple or magenta can be difficult to photograph with weak-filtered DSLRs (or other digicams) due to a bit of IR contamination. (Not that these colour flowers are particularly easy to shoot accurately (for color) with DSLRs having strong internal cut filters.)

 

So because the D70 internal UVIR-cut filter is weak, you can also make a UV photo when you use an external UV-pass filter. Exposure times are typically longer than with 'broadband' cameras.

 

Added Later: Even though you can make UV photos with an unmodified D70, they would likely be better if made with a filterless D70. Whenever you have to "force" the UV through weak cut-filters, you are going to get some noise and some occasional muddle (not a scientific photography term !!). Damon's 3-flash setup probably helps a lot with the unmodified D70.

 

********

 

Hotspots are usually just hotspots. However, you might want to try to figure out if you have any contamination from light leaks. For example, if the viewfinder is not blocked while shooting UV, you can get light leak through that. I've also had light leaks from open ports. I've also had light leaks from an unusually constructed adapter. You can get light leaks through aperture windows on a lens. And so forth. Hope this helps.

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Another addition: Using a Baader UVIR-Cut filter with the unmodified D70 would certainly contain almost all (if not all) UVIR contamination which might come through the lens.

 

(I was in Manhattan all day walking around looking at architecture. I am a bit tired and keep thinking of things I should have said.)

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Andrea, that is all good information for me. I pondered about getting the UVIR-Cut filter but my pictures were showing that I did not need one. Plus, it is just another piece of glass cutting down on the clarity of the picture. I confess though that I do not have any experience whatsoever with those filters so maybe they are actually pretty well made and don't compromise your pics in any compelling way. I will think about this some more.

 

Re: Hotspots--I will make a black cover for my entire setup and see if the "ghost" ever comes around again. I never covered anything until just yesterday. Viewfinder was always open to the sun.

 

Thanks for the useful info. and I hope you are wrapping your head around all that architecture.

 

-D

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A filter is a filter. Anytime you use one, no matter how good, you potentially could get a bit of flare or reflection or slightly slower exposures. For the D70 you only need to get an IR-blocker if you notice problems which I mentioned above in visible shots - black fabric washout or trouble with blue/purple flowers.

 

I think closing/blocking the viewfinder is mandatory when shooting UV. I don't recall whether the D70 has a built-in viewfinder shutter? If not, you can get a removable viewfinder cover for it. (Easily lost, so get two.) Or you can rig up something yourself to cover the viewfinder. Trying to put your thumb over it usually results in bumping the rig out of focus. "-) Although a thumb would suffice for testing purposes.

 

***

My neck is kinda sore from looking up so much. :D

 

***

BTW, that's a Tidy Spidey you photographed.

But sometimes I turn into such a girl when I see certain spider fotos !!!!!!!

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