” Fluorescence is the absorption of electromagnetic radiation (light) at one wavelength and its re-emission at another, longer wavelength ” Dr Charles Mazel. I attached a link to his website at the bottom of the page for more info.
In order to photograph fluorescence you will need a excitation source (blue light), barrier filter and a camera.
Shawn Miller fluorescence setup
Underwater equipment used – Night dive at Kadena north, Okinawa.
Canon 70d * Canon 100macro lens
Ikelite underwater housing
2 x Light&Motion Sola Nightsea blue lights
1 Light & Motion Sola 1200 red * 1 Sola 3800
Light&Motion barrier filter and mask
Some of my favorite photographs from our night dive with the crew
All photographers experience a time when their work becomes redundant and lose vision. The Light & Motion Sola Nightsea has opened up a new style of photography for me. Recently I have been blending the Light&Motion Nightsea blue light with ambient light underwater and getting beautiful vibrant results.
Some of my Fluorescence enhancement coral images were featured in The Blue Planet 11 publication. It’s always nice to see years of hard work finally pay off.
Underwater fluorescence – Shawn Miller featured Blue planet 11
Here are some basic lighting examples using different techniques.
Here are some of my favorite images using this fluorescence enhancement technique. All Images I used Light&Motion Sola lights to achieve these beautiful vibrant results.
The Light & Motion Sola NightSea blue light will enhance your night diving experience like nothing before. It Is an underwater blue light that allows you to see fluorescence. The NightSea blue LEDs cause proteins and minerals to fluoresce brightly underwater. If you want to photograph fluorescence you will need a yellow barrier filter over your camera lens. The barrier filter will block the reflected excitation of light and transmit the fluorescence to deliver a psychedelic experience.
Underwater fluorescence by Shawn Miller
Below is a photograph of my underwater rig. This is the setup I use to capture the underwater fluorescence in Okinawa. I am currently using one Light & Motion Sola Nightsea and one GoBe nightsea blue light.
Below is a photograph of the Light & Motion Sola NightSea Underwater blue light photographed in the studio. I wanted to capture the blue light rays coming out of the light. No previous photos displayed this and I had to do it.
Some cases the fluorescence is so strong it can be photographed during the day without any specialized lights or filters. This red heart coral was photographed at a depth of Seventy-five feet.
I decided to experiment using the nightsea and custom filters over my strobes to give it an original look. I call this technique fluoro blending.(Nightdive)