The secrets of nature - Craig Burrows
Detailed close-ups, plants that glow in neon colors and rise glittering out of the darkness: Craig Burrows' photographs of fluorescent plants are enchanting and evoke a completely different fantasy world. He shows things that are otherwise invisible.
By Leonie M?ller
Craig Burrows Exploring the world of nature
Craig Burrows from Southern California began photographing in 2010, sparking his interest in documenting the natural world. His work has always focused on infrared and ultraviolet-induced visible fluorescence, through which he explored his environment.
With UVIVF photography, which he has been practicing since 2014, he puts plants in the spotlight and manages to inspire other people to do the same. His extraordinary close-up photos made it into National Geographic Magazine in 2018, among others, and were licensed by Apple for use in their operating systems. Commissioned work for renowned organizations as well as the national and international market is now also part of his work.
Craig Burrows What actually is UVIVF?
But let's start from the beginning: UVIVF may not mean anything to everyone. It is black light photography (or ultraviolet-induced visible fluorescence photography). To do this, you need black light, which most people are probably familiar with from nightlife, when light-colored shoes or T-shirts have a bluish glow. Black light contains UV-A radiation and is therefore also known as UV light. There are black light tubes, spotlights or flashlights that provide either selective or wide dispersion of light.
In order for the plants to shine as in Craig's motifs, they have to fluoresce, i.e. light up on their own or with the help of UV radiation by absorbing it beforehand. As the slightest movement during his shots can change the motif, he attaches the plants to a metal stand and works with a tripod and remote shutter release. This prevents blurring, even with exposure times of 10 to 20 seconds. He uses 365nm LED light sources for his photos and recommends anyone who would like to try out black light photography for themselves to buy a Convoy S2+ with Nichia LED and a type of UV bandpass filter such as Schott UG11 or Hoya U340. However, it is always important to pay attention to the sensitivity of the camera and your own body, as you should not expose yourself to this light for too long and too intensively. If you want to experiment with black light and portraits yourself, there are special black light paints and black light make-up that are especially suitable for this purpose.
Craig Burrows 
Craig Burrows People and ecosystems
As a passionate plant owner of over 100 orchids and many other plants, he is also enthusiastic about exchanging ideas with people who work in the fields of botany and ecology. He enjoys exchanging ideas with them to learn more about his subjects and their ecosystems.
The fascinating thing for Craig is that this type of photography is unpredictable, as each plant fluoresces differently, showing that nature is still full of secrets that we don't know about and can't see. It is important to him to draw attention to what otherwise goes unnoticed. He wants to remind us to keep exploring the world. In the future, he hopes to be able to cooperate with nature conservation groups in order to develop projects that focus on endangered plant species. With his work, he is pursuing the goal of awakening his fellow human beings' interest in the environment, making them more aware of it and grateful for it, and getting even closer to it.
More about Craig Burrows:
Instagram: @cpburrowsphoto
www.facebook.com/cpburrowsphotography
conspectusargosy.tumblr.com
