This week I have a UV photograph taken with our lab’s new camera that has been modified for greater sensitivity in the UV and infrared. We purchased our complete camera system from Dr. Klaus Schmitt, a truly accomplished UV photographer. I chose this Dandelion for the picture because like many flowers in the Asteraceae they show a pronounced ‘bulls-eye’ pattern with a UV-dark center.

I am really blown away with the UV sensitivity of this new camera system. It is sensitive enough in the UV to allow for handheld shots (like the one above) using only sunlight for illumination. This is a welcome change from previous UV camera systems I’ve used which required long exposures with a tripod or strong UV flashes. I’m still experimenting with color processing the images. You can see the image with the original colours by mousing over the image.