Spring Is A Majestic Wonderland In These Infrared Photos Of NYC

Frolic in photographer Paolo Pettigiani's otherworldly vision of New York City.

When spring finally, well, springs, its brilliance can feel unreal. The sky, we're reminded, can dress itself in a spectrum of hues that includes so much more than pantsuit grey or high rise charcoal. Blue exists! The sun exists! And don't even get us started on the blooms.

To capture the surreality of springtime in New York City, 24-year-old photographer Paolo Pettigiani photoshopped images he snapped of Central Park to give them an infrared-filtered appearance. He describes the inspiration of the project on his personal site: "The purpose is highlight the majesty and the contrast of nature included in the famous Big Apple's skyscrapers."

Infrared is often used to highlight the beauty, novelty or sublimity of nature, or of a landscape unfamiliar to the artist. Of note are Richard Mosse's infrared snaps of the Congo, which juxtapose the violent weaponry wielded by its subjects with the playfulness of neon pinks and brilliant blues.

The effect is especially powerful when you add to it the consideration that infrared is a type of light on a wavelength that's not visible to the human eye. So, the message communicated by the image's vibrant rosiness and clear cerulean hues could be that the subject is beyond comprehension by the viewer; it's too picturesque.

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