- A tripod (or other sturdy surface to place your camera on)
- A blacklight
- An UV filter (you want to photograph the light from the phospor - not the UV light itself)
- A darkened area to work in
- A flashlight (optional)
- Glowsticks (optional)
Setting Up
Attach the UV filter to your camera. Set your camera on the tripod or other sturdy surface. Focus on your subject with the regular lights on in the room.
Taking the Image
Set your camera shutter speed to 8 seconds, your Aperture/F-Stop to 5.6, and film speed to 100 or 200. Swap to blacklight and check your camera's light meter to see if the exposure is good. Remember that with blacklight you will need to overexpose several stops to get a good glow. If your exposure looks good trip the shutter. If the exposure is off, make the necessary adjustments to your shutter speed. If you are shooting film and cannot see the results of your image, it is best to take several exposures with slightly different exposure times to ensure you get a good shot.
Composition Notes
When composing your subject, remember that only white or very light colors will glow. If your subject has a lot of dark areas that you want to show up in the image, you will need to use a flashlight or glowstick to cast light on those areas. For the pumpkin image above I used a glowstick inside a white pumpkin.
