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Black Light Photography
n unusual approach to photographic lighting is to use a blacklight. They emit a moody, purple illumination that normally photographs cobalt blue. In addition, certain types of colors respond to blacklights in a way that makes them super saturated as if they are glowing. Blacklights can be purchased online or in some specialty stores like Hobby Lobby. They come in bulbs and fluorescent-shaped tubes as well as other designs. I bought a 24-inch blacklight tube from Sweetwater.com for $25.
Because the light from a blacklight is so dim, you must use a tripod. The settings for the image below, for example, were .3 seconds, f/7.1, and 640 ISO. The settings for the art object on page 9 were 10 seconds, f/22, and 200 ISO. These numbers give you a sense of the types of exposures you’ll encounter, so I always use a tripod and either the self-timer feature built into the camera or a cable release to insure sharp pictures. Camera meters are not designed to read blacklight illumination. Therefore, you’ll need to
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