Sunday, June 23, 2013

Mexican Zinnia - Zinnia haageana in deep reflected ultraviolet photography at 300 - 315nm

Today again shots of a decorative flower, Zinnia haageana - Mexican Zinnia in reflected ultraviolet photography using my "work horse" UV filter, the Baader-U filter as well as a special very deep reaching 315nm UV filter. Lens was my CERCO 94mm quartz flourite lens. Light source was a high power Xenon flash. All shots were done at about f8.

[click on image to see a larger one]

All images are reflected UV images, using ; two different white baklancing methods were used.


Visible light image  

UV image using Baader-U filter (approx. 320-395nm, effective peak approx. 375nm)  

UV image using 300 - 315nm (peak 308nm) UV filter:  

Triptych of the above:
 


This Mexican Zinnia flower has a very specific UV pattern, its petals are very UV dark on the middle and bottom, but its petal tips are very UV bright, reaching much deeper into UV as any other flower I know (to 300nm), which the 300 - 315nm image clearly shows, reflecting UV in the greenish appearing region below 345nm, and in the yellow areas around 360nm and all this gets nicely visible.


I have written previously about these flowers HERE, also showing them in simulated butterfly + bee vision.

Stay tuned, more will follow on that fascinating subject...