Kirlian Photography Camera
In today’s text, we will deal with the topic of the Kirlian Photography Camera, we will tell you everything you need to know about this type of photography that has caused a lot of controversy throughout history whenever it was mentioned.
The Kirlian technique has long been a mystery. Some still believe that magical forces or auras are depicted in Kirlian photographs. Despite this fact, high voltage is responsible for the entire process. This technique is not recommended for beginners as it involves high voltage and special equipment.
More about Kirlian Photography Camera
The Kirlian effect or Kirlian photography refers to photographs made using a type of live photogram. It got its name from Semjon Kirliyan, who accidentally discovered in 1939 that if an object on a photographic plate is connected to a voltage source, an image is formed on the photographic plate. The Kirlian technique represents contact photography, where the object is placed in direct contact with the film on a live metal plate.
Kirlian claimed that the image he studied could be compared to the human aura. Experimental evidence of energy fields generated by living beings is considered Kirlian contact photographs of a given leaf at certain time intervals, and its gradual decay corresponds to the decrease in the strength of the aura. In some experiments, if part of the leaf was torn off after the first photo, a faint image of the missing parts will remain in the next photo taken.
Professional photographers use different objects for this type of photography. From leaves to apples, they first choose the one they want to test. Another important thing they know, which is essential for such a photo, is that they should choose a wet subject to have a vivid wave surrounding it.
They also buy equipment online or make it themselves. James Randi, an American magician and scientific skeptic, hypothesized that this effect occurs due to the contamination of the glass plates, which were reused for photographs both “before” and “after” tearing off part of the sheet.
History of Kirlian Photography
When, in the 19th century, interest in parapsychological phenomena awoke, there was also a desire for scientific confirmation (or refutation) of the existence of the famous energy body. The advent of photography will greatly contribute to this effort. The first attempts to record the aura, ectoplasm, and phenomena that are considered manifestations of this body appear on photographic plates. However, the poor quality of the photographs at the time and the uncontrolled conditions of their creation still left room for doubt as to the authenticity of what was taken.
This is precisely why the discovery known as the Kirlian photograph will arouse enormous interest in the public. It was thought that a technique had finally been obtained by which an energetic body could be recorded on a photographic plate in a completely scientific way, and the procedure, named after its discoverer Semyon Kirlian, was accepted as a method that removed another veil from the secrets of nature.
The Russian technician Semjon Kirlijan came to this discovery in 1939, and, according to his own words, almost by accident. While repairing electrotherapy medical equipment, he noticed that objects placed in a high-frequency electric field left an unusual mark on a photographic plate. He started research with his wife Valentina, and in 1949 he reported this method of photography to the Patent Office of the USSR.
Nevertheless, the phenomenon, which owes its popularization to Kirlian, was known for more than half a century. It was observed by Nikola Tesla in 1890 during the research of high-frequency fields. Tesla called it electrographic photography, or electrography. Moreover, the entire technology of Kirlian photography is made possible precisely by the application of Tesla’s high-frequency transformer.
Since the rediscovery of this phenomenon in the 20th century, the number of experimenters, both experts and laymen, has grown very quickly, because relatively simple equipment is needed to take these photographs. A metal capacitor plate is connected to the Tesla transformer, which is also relatively easy to make. Photographic paper or film and the object to be photographed are inserted between it and the glass plate. Over time, this procedure was developed so that today the Kirlian effect can be recorded with a camera in real time.
Striking images of previously invisible auras of plants and the human body, as well as various objects, began to appear in public. Research has begun with the aim of getting to know the nature of this phenomenon. As usual, the researchers divided into two irreconcilable camps: those who saw it as just another natural and physically explainable phenomenon, and those for whom it was the final confirmation of the existence of a life fluid, a mysterious life energy.
Steps to take a Kirlian Photo
Step 1: Preparing the equipment
To test and learn the Kirlian photography Camera technique, you need to set up the equipment in place. You can certainly buy some of the manuals on the Internet and use them additionally. You need to have a discharge plate or photographic plate, a high voltage source, the object you want to photograph, a digital camera with a long exposure (more than 10 seconds). Some use a photographic plate, so they don’t need a camera. However, those using a camera may also need a small tripod to keep the camera steady while taking photos. Contact with a high-voltage source is also avoided.
Step 2: Setting up the space
You need to find a place in the room where you would have access to light. It would be best to turn the camera on and off before and after taking photos. This technique could only be done in a dark room. Anyone attempting this should never leave the equipment alone, so you should also find a place near the equipment and light.
Step 3: Be careful
You must be extremely careful when you decide to test this technique. It is important not to touch the equipment during photography and for several minutes after disconnecting the high-voltage source. Be sure to keep a little distance from the equipment while taking photos, as the sound and sparks can be quite scary at first. You get used to them later, so they become easier.
Step 4: Preparation of the discharge plate
You should clean and prepare the discharge plate before connecting it to a high voltage source. After cleaning with a wet cloth, make sure to remove all moisture and dirt with a dry cloth. Also, this is the time when you put the object on the plate and stick it with adhesive tape. Then you turn the board upside down so that the object is facing down.
Step 5: Taking photos
Now we have finally reached the interesting part. After setting up the equipment and placing the object, connect the high voltage source to the discharge board. Then you need to turn off the light while taking photos to capture all the colorful waves surrounding the subject. Take a photo after the high voltage reaches the discharge plate or use a photographic plate.
It’s also great if you can ask someone to help you turn the lights on and off. After you finish taking pictures, turn on the light and disconnect the high voltage source. Be careful not to touch the discharge plate or the high voltage source – this is essential and you must be careful here. You can take as many photos as you like, as many photographers repeat this experiment if the photos are blurry.
This is an interesting technique that will amaze many photographers. One thing everyone should consider is the high voltage source. Once a person gets used to the equipment and technique, they can try photographing different subjects to see which one they like best. This method allows photographers to become creative, remembering that caution is a task that accompanies them at every step of the process.
Although Kirlian took his first photographs of the “light aura” in 1939, they were not published publicly until 1958, and the phenomenon of “Kirlian photographs” was not publicly known until 1970. In the meantime, his photographs were the subject of many myths and controversial discussions, from the opinion that Kirlian photographs can show the emotional and physical states of living beings, to the claims that they depict only pure physics.
In any case, they are completely realistic and show the existence of a light envelope around objects that cannot otherwise be seen with the naked eye. Practitioners of energy alternative healing methods very quickly adopted the Kirlian technique as a diagnostic tool and believe in it. They see this as one way to help those who seek their services for emotional and physical healing of all kinds.
So they are deeply convinced that “Kirlian photographs” are caused by something spiritual called “life energy”, and they find proof of this in a very well-known experiment with a slowly dying leaf. In it, the initial photo was taken when the leaf is still fresh and had a prominent shine. As the leaf gets older, the photos show that the shine around the leaf starts to fade. This can be explained by the theory of loss of life force, but also by simple loss of water and drying over time, which will realistically reproduce less light in the photo.
Conclusion
Today, seventy years after its discovery, thanks to the global media, especially the Internet, Kirlian’s photography has become part of popular culture, and for many, the first contact with the mysterious riddles of visible and invisible nature.
Regardless of whether it is just an interesting natural phenomenon or a door to a new dimension of nature and man, it is undeniably a way to get to know another secret of this wonderful world in which we live.
