Infrared portraits of scientists and staff in Antarctica

Henry Kaiser—filmmaker, musician, Antarctic research diver and BoingBoing guest blogger—took a series of infrared portraits of scientists and staff at the McMurdo Research Station. I really like the way these infrared photos feel like they capture the cold environment better than a normal photo would. Another bonus: I keep having to remind myself that, no, everybody in Antarctica has not dyed their hair blue.

Maggie Koerth-Baker is the science editor at BoingBoing.net. She writes a monthly column for The New York Times Magazine and is the author of Before the Lights Go Out, a book about electricity, infrastructure, and the future of energy. You can find Maggie on Twitter and Facebook.

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MORE: Antarctica • happy mutants • Henry Kaiser • McMurdo • people • Science

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Derek Pegritz

I WANT TO GO TO ANTARCTICA SO BAD. Too bad my damned fibromyalgia and a host of other physical ailments prettymuch precludes me of ever being any use there….Damnit. Maybe when I go posthuman and can port myself to another body–a mechanical one that can handle the temps–I’ll get there.
Mark Dow

Everyone’s hot in Antarctica.
t3kna2007

I like the one where she’s wearing a helmet of snow. How did she get that thing to stay up there, anyway? Must be special Antarctica snow-physics.
- MelSkunk
  
  It seems to be a knit hat stuffed with hair, not made of snow
- jeligula
  
  That’s a solidified cloud.
Benny Profane

Is there a link for this? I think I sort of know someone there, and I wanna try to find their portrait.
spacemunky

Jesus, they look just like us. We’ll have to test their blood.
Antinous / Moderator

How come you can’t click on individual images to see bigger pictures?
sam

Whats the deal with the screen-cap?
NutsToMe

Way to use Print Screen there.

I hate it when people leave UI elements in their graphics. Especially the MS Word squiggles. For Gods sake, learn how to properly use Photoshop or something!
http://twitter.com/sofiaoh Sofia Ortiz

Hey, there’s my former flatmate! (: It’s kind of awesome to get updates from 3rd parties interested in this stuff.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000587803418 Jonne Ollakka

If it was infrared, you wouldn’t see the photos.
caddywumpus

If you ever get the chance to work in Antarctica, do it. It’s a magical place. (Only some people had dyed their hair blue.)
http://twitter.com/dr_ultimately Iain Marcks

awesome! i just did a story about infrared photography for American Cinematographer. the DP explained how infrared light exposes vascular patterns beneath the skin, which required makeup artists to apply sunblock underneath their makeup.
http://twitter.com/dargaud Guillaume Dargaud

Something strange about those images, normally snow turns out pitch black in IR. This being said Antarctica is a great place to go and they are always looking for new people. I’ve spent 3 years there: http://www.gdargaud.net/Antarctica/