Gazania splendens: human vision vs simulated bee vison; reflected UV ultraviolet photography

Today about a special yellow Gazania splendens flower I had shot a few times already, so since I was working on a new filter, here again it is in multispectral representation. I took some shots in normal human vision VIS, in UV using the Baader-U, Jupiter-U and Saturn-U filter, as well as in simulated bee vision using my XBV2, XBV3 and the new, stricter XBV5 and XBV6 filters respectively.

[click on image to see a larger one]

Visual shot:


Simulated bee vison using XBV3 filter:


Simulated bee vison using XBV2 filter:


Simulated bee vison using XBV5 filter:


Simulated bee vison using XBV6 filter:


UV using Baader-U filter:


UV using Jupiter-U filter:


UV using Saturn-U filter:


IR (basically) as it was shot using only a ND filter:


Also here it is uite interesting how this new filtering technique makes the very different reflectance of the petals visible.

As you may have noticed, I'm still working on my bee vision (BV) filters; BV5 is a very strict one that cuts all longer than short wave green, wheras BV6 now is one with very intensive colors and much shorter exposure time, due to new filter glass combinations.

More about these special new filters here later in a seperate entry.


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

More info on this very interesting field may be found on my site http://www.pbase.com/kds315/uv_photos

Gazania splendens: human vision vs simulated bee vison

This now is about a Gazania splendens flower that just blossomed. Took some shots, in normal human vision, in UV using the Baader-U filter as well as in simulated bee vision using my XBV2 and XBV3 filters respectively.

[click on image to see a larger one]

Visual shot:


Simulated bee vison using XBV3 filter:


Simulated bee vison using XBV2 filter:


UV using Baader-U filter:


So and here you have the full comparison as a quadriptych VIS-UV-BV2-BV3:




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

More info on this very interesting field may be found on my site http://www.pbase.com/kds315/uv_photos

[UV] Gazania splendens: Baader-U vs Jupiter-U filter for reflected UV ultraviolet photography

Again more about that new Jupiter-U filter of mine. This time it is about a yellow Gazania splendens flower, that I bought at a nursery (Huben, Ladenburg, Germany)

[click on image to see a larger one]

All triptychs are presented VIS left, Baader-U middle, Jupiter-U right:



The petal tips of this flower reflect strongly around 365nm (yellow), but also the inside has some surprises, a ring of UV bright white dots (also visible for us humans) set against a very dark petal ground. There are a few more UV colors visible that indicate soem reflection around 385nm (purple) that the longer wave Baader-U filter as well as a to a lesser amount also the Jupiter-U is able to reveal.

Here more details of that flower (VIS, Baader-U, Jupiter-U in that sequence):







A very pretty species and surely attractive to its pollinating bees!


Might it be that the unusual high UV reflection of its leafs aims at protecting it from too much UV radiation?

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

More info on this very interesting field may be found on my site http://www.pbase.com/kds315/uv_photos