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UltravioletPhotography

Reviving rusty UV field techniques


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This year, spring has been late as far as the native flowers are concerned. Apart from the ubiquitous Tussilago (Colt's foot), nothing much has appeared on the scene.

 

I have been away from the practicalities of doing UV photography in the field for a while now, due to the combination of several contingencies none of which is related to photography. Thus I feared, rightfully so, that my technique had rusted and needed a revival to get the UV photos flowing again. I availed myself of an uncommon event, namely a day with sunshine, to visit a location known to harbour the native spring flower Hepatica nobilis (Liver Leaf). No sooner had I found the flowers, the sun went away to be hidden in a dense cloud bank and the first drops of rain could be felt. Oh well. Nature has its hidden messages.

 

I had the Nikon Df with the 120 mm f/4 Medical-Nikkor for documenting the visible side of things, and the Panasonic GH-2 with Coastal APO 60 mm f/45 and the Nikon D600 with the UV-Nikkor 105 mm f/4.5; both UV systems had Baader U2" filtration. Since I had no reason to believe the sun would be co-operative, I also brought an SB-140 UV flash with me.

 

My standard "small-sized" UV gear for floral documentation is either the Panasonic GH-2/Coastal 60, or a Nikon D3200 using the same lens. The Panasonic has the Baader filter rear-mounted (inside the lens adapter) and the D3200 has it internally in place of the usual filter pack on top of the sensor. For the visual documentation I pack a Nikon D300 usually with the Medical-Nikkor 120 mm f/4 as this lens is self-contained with its built-in ring flash. Not something to produce award-winning photography as such, but robust and reliable for documentation-style UV/Vis photography. The field of view for these lens/camera combinations is fairly similar if I use the Panasonic, less so with the D3200 so I often replace the Coastal lens with a UV-Nikkor in this case to even out the balance.

 

Anyway, putting the 120 Medical on the Nikon df was experimental to see if I could combine this camera for Vis documentation when I used a D600 for UV. Turned out the front-heavy lens did not balance well on the Df, so I won't repeat this setup and next time shall try a 105 Micro instead. Or perhaps return to the old work-horse, the D300.

 

However, what caused most issue was the low level of incident UV to the scene I shot. Anyone singing the praise of mirrorless systems and EVF finders would experience a crash encounter with reality, or rather, trying to observe the proverbial cat in a coal cellar. Because Murphy always is your friend my UV torch was left home, needless to say. So was my D3200, which due to its optical finder would have solved these issues perfectly.

 

I had to tripod-mount the camera and remove the front filtration on the D600 to get any hope of getting the focus about correct. Fortunately the Baader was mounted in a quick-release bayonet holder, so switching back and forth was feasible though quite inconvenient. With the Panasonic this option is not possible since the filter is rear-mounted, thus in this case I had to open the lens fully to produce a faint ghost of the flower, then try to guess when said ghost came into focus, stop down, and hope for the best.

 

Obviously I have to repeat this exercise a few times in the forthcoming days before I safely can take on a UV flower excursion again. Food for thought. And I'll ensure the UV torch and the D3200 accompany me the next time.

 

Here are a few shots from this encounter with the Hepatica.

 

HEPA_NOB_T1404044867_VIS.jpg

Visible light: Nikon Df, Medical-Nikkor 120 mm f/4 lens, built-in flash

 

HEPA_NOB_T1404045932_UV.jpg

UV light: Nikon D600, UV-Nikkor 105 mm f/4.5 lens, Baader U2" (Venus) filter, SB-140 flash

 

HEPA_NOB_T1404040163_UV.jpg

UV light: Panasonic GH-2, Coastal APO 60 mm f/4 lens, Baader U2" (Venus) filter, SB-140 flash

 

The apertures varied from f/11 to f/16 for these captures. ISO 160 and 200 for the Panasonic and the Nikons, respectively. The SB-140 was run at 1/4 power.

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Well for rusty Bjorn, you have produced the good oil :)

Nothing out of touch with these, you are out of reach, that is all !

Cheers

Col

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Very stunning (and useful) captures of the pretty Hepatica. I would love to photograph that flower, too.

 

It's funny how we can have shot UV in the field for years - and yet it still requires a re-immersion every spring to work out the kinks and become familiar with the practicalities all over again. In the US the major league baseball teams stage Spring Training every year - usually in Florida - to accomplish this kind of transition back into game play. I held my own UV Spring Training the other day and, like Bjørn, found myself a bit rusty. Went to the beach under glaring overcast, forgot my Hoodman loupe, couldn't see a thing. Had to resort to the old routine: remove Baader-U, focus in visible light, replace filter, shoot. When I got home, I gathered all parts of the UV kit into one place so next time I will be good-to-go. That UV kit includes my sunscreen, too. :)

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