Reed Curry bio

[rfcurry (1950-2024)]

I entered the world of UV photography by happenstance. I was writing a book on ultraviolet vision in trout and realized that UV photos were a necessary complement to the text. Fortunately, I received some sound advice from the folks at nikongear.com. The first purchases were a Nikon D40, an inexpensive triplet lens, and a Baader U filter. Alas, I am a natural for GAS. Soon lenses were arriving with every other post. Unfortunately, the old German Exakta triplet lenses I desired required a shorter flange-to-film distance than the Nikon F mount. So I took a grinder to the D40, converting it to an M42 mount, while converting the Exakta mount lenses to M42. The arrival of a Panasonic Lumix with in-camera WB and Liveview was a glorious turning point in ease of use for me.

 

The work on the book led me to investigate the value of modern military camouflage in the near-UV. As a result, I applied for a patent for camouflage that would provide consistent reflection of UVA wavelengths but would not alter the appearance of the underlying camouflage in visible or near-IR. After two years of R&D, I had a product and a patent. Great fun! I also ended up making my own UV-bandpass filters in order to get just what I wanted; now I make them for others. (Actually, my wonderful wife assembles them as the neuropathy and palsy in my hands prevents me from performing any precision work.)

[Andrea B.]

Hello Reed - It's nice to see you here. Welcome!

[nfoto]

Welcome, Reed. You might find time to write up some of your UV experiences?