interesting infrared

The other day my friend Eric was over with his fancy new infrared camera. Do you know what an infrared camera actually is? I don't either. So this morning I took it upon myself to learn.

Firstly, I wanted to know what infrared light is. Apparently, infrared energy is light that we cannot see, but our bodies can detect as heat. It is part of the electromagnetic spectrum that includes radio waves, X-rays and visible light. All of these forms of energy have a specific frequency, as represented in the chart below. (source)

Well that's all fine and dandy, but I'm sure you're wondering about a real-world application for this infrared business. Think night vision. If you've ever watched a movie or have seen a news clip showing military night vision equipment, you were looking at infrared technology being put to use. (photo source)

If you look back up to the chart, night vision and infrared photography lie closer to the visible light spectrum. The far end, closer to microwave, is most likely familiar to you as thermography, where infrared radiation is used to determine an object's temperature. (photo source)

Infrared photography is amazing; the resulting photographs are often dream-like and other-worldly. Foliage looks white and contrast increases as there is little infrared light in shadows. Infrared photos can be taken in colour or black and white. Here are a few examples. They really do seem as though from a parallel universe!

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If you google 'infrared photography' you will be met with hundreds of breathtaking images. I think this type of photography is so hauntingly beautiful, I really enjoy the atheistic.

Seeing yourself in infrared, however, takes some getting used to. As I said, this whole exploration began because my friend Eric dropped by with his new infrared camera. Here are a few results from the visit. How strange to see myself with light hair and dark eyes! Also, the shirt I was wearing is black. The infrared way of seeing really does turn the world on its head!