This photography project was done in collaboration with a friend: Baptiste Jayet.

This is a series of pictures demonstrating the variety of colours one can achieve using polarisation - no colour filter was used during this project.

The basic setup is inspired by the technique of polarised-light microscopy; it can for instance be used for the analysis of crystals in stone.

In this setup a white light is directed towards the camera. Between the two are placed:

  • a first linear polariser: this one is kept static
  • a transparent object: this is what we take pictures of. In our case this is simply transparent tape laid on regular glass.
  • another linear polariser: this one is rotated between shots.

Colour in such a configuration is the result of polarisation rotation induced by the object (the tape).

dark and light

playing with squares

central symmetry

overflowing colours