Quote:
Originally Posted by rsimon
Infra-red is emitted light beyond the "Visible" spectrum that humans can see in.
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The "visible spectrum" covers all electromagnetic radiation (we call it light) the average human can perceive. Infrared is the name given to light just beyond human perception at the red end of the spectrum. Ultraviolet is the name given to the radiation just below the violet end of visible light. You can think of it this way:
Ultraviolet --- Visible Light --- Infrared
UV and Infrared radiation exist all the time. Most people are aware of UV because it gives us a tan...and possibly skin cancer. Most photographers know of infrared film, but both can be photographed by materials able to "see" beyond the human eye in both directions. These materials translate that radiation into a spectrum we can see -- so while an infrared photo looks different, it's not really what the world might look like if we could "see" infrared for real. But they're kinda cool. I actually use infrared filters in "bodyscape" photos (sorry, can't link them on this site) because of the dramatic highlights.