Background information
Oldest camera with live screen: The Casio QV-10 from 1995
by David Lee
I have made useless thermal images and call it art
29.6.2020
Translation: machine translated
Anyone using a thermal imaging camera wants to measure temperatures. The appearance of the images doesn't matter. But I am interested in the aesthetics. Will I be able to take interesting pictures with the measuring device?
A thermal imaging camera is a measuring device used to determine the temperature of surfaces. It is not designed to take beautiful pictures. But that's exactly what I'm trying to do. There won't be any realistic images, but hopefully something like art. Because art is often created through misappropriation. Or liberation from purpose. If everything had to be subordinated to a practical purpose, art could not be created.
This camera can do nothing
I use the Seek Reveal Pro, which fellow editor Kevin uses to measure the heat generated by notebooks, for example. The device, which costs around 1000 francs or 800 euros, has a resolution of 320×240 pixels. That is 0.07 megapixels. That's a lot for a thermal imaging camera. There are none of the factors familiar from photography such as aperture, shutter speed and ISO. The camera does have a zoom, but it is only digital and extremely awkward to operate: I have to open a submenu and increase the zoom factor individually in tenths of a millimetre increments. It can't do video either. Strangely enough, it has a lamp for lighting, although the light has no effect on the image.
From a photographer's point of view, this camera can do almost nothing. This could be an advantage for my experiment. Limitations encourage creativity. Or as the old saying goes: necessity is the mother of invention.
Heat imaging selfies
The first best subject is myself. Taking a selfie is not that easy with this device. The camera has a relatively small image section. That's why I have to hold it far away to at least get my head in the picture. Of course, there is no self-timer. As the device has to be held like a TV remote control, I can't see the screen when taking a selfie. With the help of a mirror, it finally works.
The colours represent different temperatures and are chosen at random. Other colour palettes can also be used. At Seek, these are called "filters". However, the palette must be defined before the picture is taken.
This image has the "Black" filter. The darker, the warmer. There is also the reverse, but I like black better.
I can't change the colour palette afterwards, but I can change the colours via image editing. Here I have tried to bring out the resemblance to a skull in terms of colour.
Hand and foot
I can capture my hand or feet more easily. Body parts are generally interesting in thermal imaging because they are warmer than the surroundings. At least in reasonably cool indoor spaces.
Distinct temperature distribution desired
The light is largely irrelevant, I can take similar pictures in the dark as in daylight. The important thing is the temperature distribution. If the temperature difference is too small, the subject doesn't stand out well and the image is noisy. Here I have not thermographed myself, but a window pane. The pane reflects my body heat a little, but only slightly. That's why the images are completely noisy.
Here I am touching a window pane. You can see the hand itself and, for comparison, the heat reflection of the pane.
The espresso pot produces interesting colour gradations, but only after it has cooled down a little. At full heat, the temperature difference is too great, so there is no interesting colour distribution.
Simple motifs
The espresso pot is a rather simple motif. Simple objects work better at low resolution. That's why I also take the coffee cup. And in the evening, a cool beer stands out nicely against the much warmer body.
LED lamps only heat up slightly. Fortunately, the light in my pantry is still an incandescent bulb.
My favourite thermal image shows my shower head with hot water coming out of it. To be more precise: 71 degrees warm water.
Landscape images
Landscape photography with a thermal imaging camera? Of all the stupid ideas I've had in this job so far, this is definitely one of the silliest. So here we go
The thermal camera shows negative temperatures in the sky. Sometimes really low values: minus 70 degrees in the middle of summer. The camera measures long-wave infrared, which is reflected by a surface. The sky is not a surface and therefore reflects almost nothing.
These sub-zero temperatures do not have as negative an effect as extreme heat values. Details can still be recognised in the rest of the image. Clouds are clearly visible and the colour is often appropriately blue.
Black and white works well for landscape shots. However, certain images are so similar to a normal photo that it is probably better to use an ordinary camera.
The portrait format is usually not ideal for landscape pictures. It took me a long time to realise that landscape format is also possible. However, it's not so easy because I'm shooting around the corner, so I'm looking 90 degrees in a different direction to the camera. I also have to hold the camera diagonally downwards.
Conclusion: try it out yes, buy extra no
I had a lot of fun using the thermal imaging camera for other purposes, because the pictures I took were completely different to those I would have taken with a normal camera. And often different to what I would have expected. It's exciting to try everything out and learn what has what effect. If you know someone with such a camera, definitely give it a try!
However, it would be pretty crazy to buy a thermal imaging camera just to do something like art with it. I've only tried it out for a few days, but I'm already realising that it gets boring at some point. Once the wow effect of the novelty has worn off, you start to get annoyed by the poor image quality and the awkward operation of the camera. Then it's only good for what it was actually created for: As a measuring device.
David Lee
Senior Editor
David.Lee@digitecgalaxus.chMy interest in IT and writing landed me in tech journalism early on (2000). I want to know how we can use technology without being used. Outside of the office, I’m a keen musician who makes up for lacking talent with excessive enthusiasm.
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