Ghosts and pink roosters! Photographer captures amazing footage in infrared light that is invisible to the human eye

Our eyes perceive a wide range of light, but not all. If the wavelength is shorter than violet, then the radiation becomes ultraviolet. If it is longer than red, then we get the infrared range.

UV the spectrum is distinguishable by insects, birds, reptiles and aquatic inhabitants. This helps them find nectar from plants, avoid dangerous places, and find a mating partner based on feather markings.

But sensitive to infrared scientists have not yet found a spectrum of organs of vision in nature. But modern technology, ingenuity and artistic sight show what the world would look like if added to the human eye режим ИК.

On the left is the ultraviolet spectrum, on the right is the usual one. so bees see world and therefore successfully find nectar

Company Kolari Vision changes the “vision” of the cameras to a spectrum that no known creature in the world had any idea about.

Their cheapest custom solutions start from $300but the photographer Mathieu Stern (Mathieu Stern) sent them his own Sony Alpha 7 Mark II professional camera. And having received it, he began to create frames from a parallel world.

Look at these surreal views

It is difficult to predict the color of infrared photography, the result is unexpected

Shades are formed depending on the absorption and reflection of light

At first it seems that everything green will simply turn into red. But it’s not. Plants also get shades of orange and yellow

Algae surprised. Being black in everyday life, under the filter they exuded red

Ordinary boring landscapes bloom

To take a lot of good shots, the brain has to be retrained in order to understand in advance which angles will be good in red tones.

Architecture becomes like from fabulous illustrations

Buildings for the most part retain their color. That is why the change of nature around them creates a parallel world

People change incredibly depending on the filter

With a weak color spectrum blocking filter, a person’s skin remains the same color, but any dark clothing changes to red (proof not to wear black in the heat)

This matching of clothes creates a world where everyone wears the same uniform.

With a 720nm filter, we become real aliens

Arteries visible through the skin

With the correction of color channels, the skin turns to gray, and the hair to bright red

Sometimes animals retain their natural color

Their feathers and fur do not reflect strong IR radiation in the spectrum of this filter, just like our skin with hair.

But in the spectrum of 720 nm, animals are painted in pink tones no worse than plants.

In this way, new species can be discovered, such as the marshmallow rooster and the strawberry milk cow.

Water and nature

When direct sunlight falls into the rivers, the contrast of the underwater surface and plants is striking.

Usually waterfalls appear white, but this is different. You see the reflection of heavenly light from the trillions of small bubbles

Snow stays white

The contrast between the bright jade water and the boulders creates a unique scene.

Infrared light does not penetrate the water, but the waves of blue and green light continue to color it, coming from the sky

In landscapes, water begins to act like a mirror: in calm weather, the clouds and the vault are completely duplicated, giving an exceptionally blue tint.

And in a light wind, the ripples partially reflect the infrared environment, creating a bright and contrasting transition.

Sea water is more “milky” due to its density, but therefore brighter

pink color filter

This is how the photos look initially, if you put a filter that is sensitive to the 720 nm range. Plants in gray-blue hues, the sky is like watercolor soot, and the mood is as if the world is filled with ghosts.

If you change to channels in Photoshop, the style becomes fabulous pink

Almost all green is repainted in gentle reddish tones.

The greens turn white and the white flowers keep their natural look.

Trees look like they’re covered in snow in black and white

Changing channels in Photoshop absolutely changes the mood of the frame.

Therefore, this type of photography gives a good range for creativity.

Infrared photography opens up a new way of looking at the world

And even the most boring landscapes are filled with rich content

Artificial light and restrictions

Suddenly, LED lamps began to look: instead of the usual yellow, they now exude a magical green color

Sometimes infrared light can become too much, and then everything will be monochrome ugly

Most often this happens in large greenhouses and dense forests.

But the result is still amazing.

How it works

Transformation of the matrix from the visible spectrum to the full spectrum. Source: Lavikka Photography

Due to the fact that the human eye is more sensitive to green than to red and blue, the CMOS sensor of cameras, in order to show photos in colors familiar to us, is covered with a special green layer that blocks infrared and ultraviolet radiation, corrects distortion and glare. You can read more about the device of matrices here.

Therefore, in all promotional images and in real life, the matrix of cameras gives off greenery, while shimmering with a rainbow. Kolari Vision replaces this filter with more light sensitive options: designed for different wavelengths or with a full spectrum, which is then regulated by additional filter attachments.

In this case, for photographer Mathieu Stern, the sensor was changed so that during normal shooting the result does not differ from the factory one, but with additional nozzles it changes the susceptibility towards infrared radiation. At the same time, not completely – part of the usual color gets into the camera, and therefore the effect is so familiar and alien at the same time.

For “conversation” it is advised to use the best quality camera. Given the price of services and filters, this is an expensive pleasure: a full set of color tips, along with a replacement matrix layer service, costs about $1,400. Taking into account the cost of the camera, it turns out at least $ 3,000.