World In Infrared

A busker tickles the fret-board of his bass guitar (making it sing) at the Old Fourth Ward Arts Festival in Atlanta, Georgia.

Atlanta, Georgia.

The married acoustic duo spread love and music in Piedmont park, Atlanta. If you are thinking this photo was taken in the middle of winter, guess again! Chlorophyll in plants only require radiation from the spectrum of visible light for photosynthesis so leaves reflect almost all infrared light that hits them. This causes grass, leaves and other vegetation to appear bright white when seen in the near-infrared spectrum.

The normally clear, blue noon-time skies appear evening-like while a Savannah College of Art and Design student blows bubbles in the Piedmont Park Conservancy. As you may or may not know, the Earth's atmosphere absorbs a large amount of infrared radiation. That means it doesn't matter if you take a photo at 2 pm or 2 am, infrared skies will appear blacker than the nighttime sky of Bed-Stuy in July.

A duck breaks the glassy symmetry of Lake Clara Meer in Piedmont Park. Interestingly, the ripples in the water appear to imitate the motion of the branching clouds in the sky.

"When he had the mic you don't go next..." A mix of freestyle rappers and spoken word artists take turns spitting this Sunday afternoon in Piedmont Park.

As we take a stroll down Piedmont Avenue, we come across a mother and her two fledglings on their way to church. While the floral patterns and bright colors of their clothing would normally catch eyes from streets away, the fabric appears bright white under infrared light on this sunny Sunday. That's because the particular material and/or pigments of dye used are strong reflectors of the invisible IR radiation across this spectrum.

Lighting typically used for bright, eye-catchingly colorful displays like neon light signs and giant LED panels are not designed for people with infrared vision in mind. As a result, they are usually poor emitters of infrared light. Rather than seeing the glimmering sign and glowing marquee of Fox Theatre like we are used to, IR-photography portrays the historic landmark of Atlanta in a dark atmosphere of desolation and abandonment… The 3 flags hanging from Fox’s awning (2 of which are American flags) are rendered white due to their high levels of reflectivity in the IR-spectrum, subtly suggesting symbolism of surrender…

Transparent sunglasses and khaki uniforms: The Atlanta Police motorcycle unit form a battalion and parade down Peachtree Street for today's July 4th celebrations in Midtown, but something looks different... The normally dark blue/black uniform we are accustomed to seeing on the Police Officers of Atlanta suddenly appear as bright tones of orange and khaki (much like the LVMPD) as rendered in the infrared spectrum. This happens because the pigment of color in the clothing reflects wavelengths of infrared light rather than absorbing it like visible light.

Meet Ryan and Mitchell. Motorcycle police with the APD. The normally dark blue/black uniform we're accustomed to seeing on Atlanta's Police Officers suddenly appear as bright tones of orange and khaki (much like the LVMPD) as rendered in the infrared spectrum. This happens because the color pigments in their clothing reflect wavelengths of infrared light, rather than absorbing it like it would with visible light.

Infrared light penetrates skin a few cm's deep before reflecting. Blood strongly absorbs infrared light. The combination of these 2 characteristics allows us to actually peek beneath human skin. This bridge happens to be famous as the location of the iconic 'The Walking Dead' highway scene. Coincidence?