Buscaron Photography

Two distinct classes of photography rely on ultraviolet radiation. In the first, the recording material is exposed directly with ultraviolet radiation emitted, reflected, or transmitted by the subject; in the other, exposure is made solely with visible radiation resulting from the fluorescence of certain materials when irradiated in the ultraviolet. In the direct case, the wavelength region is usually restricted by the camera lens and filtration to 350–400 nm, which is readily detected with conventional black-and-white films. Ultraviolet photography is accomplished at shorter wavelengths in spectrographs and cameras fitted with ultraviolet-transmitting or reflecting optics, usually with specialized films. In ultraviolet-fluorescence photography, ultraviolet radiation is blocked from the film by filtration over the camera lens and the fluorescing subject is recorded readily with conventional color or panchromatic films. Both forms of ultraviolet photography are used in close-up photography and photomicrography by mineralogists, museums, art galleries, and forensic photographers.