Psychedelic Spiders of Okinawa by Shawn Miller

Posted on July 30, 2018 by Admin11

I have been photographing fluorescence for over five years now. Mainly underwater but lately I have been testing the technique on land. I often find insects, spiders, and plants that fluoresce using a specialized Light&Motion Sola Nightsea light. Some of the micro-spiders fluoresce brightly under blue light, the challenge is to get an acceptable photograph.

Below are some comparison photographs of spiders. The first photograph was taken under blue light and the second under white light using on-camera flash. All the spiders were photographed in their natural habitat on the beautiful Island of Okinawa.

Jumping spider -Fluorescence © Shawn Miller

Jumping spider – flash © Shawn Miller

Yanbaru jumping spider

Spider and fluorescence© Shawn Miller

Spider under white light © Shawn Miller

Onomustus kanoi © Shawn Miller

Onomustus kanoi & shadow © Shawn Miller

The custom Light & Motion fluorescence setup for these land-based subjects.

Fluorescence photography setup © Shawn Miller

The giant wood spiders (Nephila maculata) of Okinawa fluoresce under UV light.

giant wood spiders (Nephila maculata)

Giant wood spiders (Nephila maculata)

I used my nauticam underwater setup with NIGHTSEA’s fluorescence excitation filters to photograph the wood spiders.

Nauticam Fluorescence setup

My Mission: To Document and Preserve the Wildlife of the Ryukyu Islands

This site is also designed to help people identify the beautiful animals of Okinawa, basically to serve as an online nature reference guide. If you would like to make a contribution to support my mission, please click on the donation link paypal.me/maketheswitch4nature

Your donations will help conservation initiatives as well as bring solutions to the worldwide pollution issues on our beautiful shorelines. Thank you for your support, Shawn M Miller.

#MakeTheSwitch4Nature

Light&Motion exploration lights – https://www.lightandmotion.com/the-perfect-light

Cherry blossoms of Okinawa by Shawn Miller

Posted on February 2, 2018 by Admin11

The Cherry blossoms are generally in full bloom mid-January through February. Mt Yaedake and Nakijin castle are the most popular viewing locations for the Cherry blossoms. Some of the most beautiful trees can also be found in residential areas and public parks.

Cherry blossoms – Mt Yaedake © Shawn Miller

Nakijin castle blossoms © Shawn Miller

Cherry blossoms -Kume Island © Shawn Miller

Natures Art © Shawn Miller

Every year I try to create an original photograph of the Cherry Blossoms. Something that has not been done before. Below are some of my favorite photographs using specialized blue lights during the night.

Cherry blossoms under blue light © Shawn Miller

People often ask me what kind of camera setup do I use to create these images.

Fluorescence photography setup -Shawn Miller © Shawn Miller

Psychedelic cherry blossoms © Shawn Miller

Cherry blossoms -zakimi castle © Shawn Miller

Cherry blossoms – Yomitan Okinawa © Shawn Miller

Lightpainting with the Sola nightsea.

Lightpainting cherry blossoms © Shawn Miller

I did some light painting comparisons using UV 385nm instead of 450nm. I used my sons Nike shoe as a background. The shoelaces fluoresced bright orange and the heal fluorescence bright green. I wanted to create something unique.

Cherry blossom under UV 385 © Shawn Miller

It can be challenging to photograph the animals that feed on the blossoms. I have photographed fruit bats, birds and insect feeding on the sweet-smelling blossoms.

Fruitbat feeding on Cherry blossoms © Shawn Miller

The Japanese White-eye (Mejiro) is the most popular animal to photograph in the trees.

Japanese White-eye – Mejiro © Shawn Miller

Hummingbird hawk-moth © Shawn Miller

The tree with grow fresh green leaves and produce sweet-smelling cherries. The animals feed on the fruit and help out with seed dispersal.

Cherry tree fruit

The Okinawa rail is a flightless bird endemic to northern Okinawa. It is currently listed as an endangered species. This was my first time documenting this behavior.

Okinawa rail feeding on the sweet fruit © Shawn Miller

My Mission: To Document and Preserve the Wildlife of the Ryukyu Islands

Your donations will help conservation initiatives as well as bring solutions to the worldwide pollution issues on our beautiful shorelines. Thank you for your support, Shawn M Miller.

#MakeTheSwitch4Nature

Light-painting with the nightsea by Shawn Miller

Posted on February 2, 2017 by Admin11

Light painting is the artistic technique of moving a hand held-light source while taking a long exposure. The purpose is to illuminate the subject with constant lighting to create a powerful image. It takes a steady hand, patience, trial and error and imagination. Using a specialized blue light (nightsea) will allow you to capture fluorescence. The images will be enhanced with beautiful bright vibrant colors.

Most plants and animals fluoresce under blue light. Below are some of my favorite long-exposures photographed using the Nightsea and a Canon 70d. I also included some comparison photos under white light.

Beautiful cherry blossoms under blue light, Okinawa-Japan

Cherry blossom under blue light