iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Rain Hayes @rainhayes.com · 30/09/2026

I find photographing flowers very uplifting. When I was younger, doing creative work helped me cope. These days it feels much lighter. (I guess it worked?) Passiflora 'Susan Brigham' under UV light.

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Rain Hayes @rainhayes.com · 23/09/2026

Various forms of and angles on Milkweed, photographed under UV light. As nature intended. #naturephotography #flowerphotography

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Rain Hayes @rainhayes.com · 22/09/2026

🎉 The 2027 UV Floral calendar is now in production at the printer. I really, really love printed work and highly recommend it to all photographers – any size, any format. Just get your best work onto paper and onto the wall. And into people's hands! Pure shared satisfaction. #naturephotography

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Rain Hayes @rainhayes.com · 21/09/2026

UVIVF portrait of a Kangaroo Paw (Anigozanthos), a popular Bay Area import from Western Australia. Last day of summer! Wishing everyone a chill and productive week ahead. #flowerphotography #naturephotography

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Rain Hayes @rainhayes.com · 14/09/2026

The heart of Bougainvillea burns hot ❤️‍🔥 White bracts illuminated by UV light reveal hidden colors. #flowerphotography #naturephotography

Close up photo of a few bougainvillea bracts, the leaf-shaped structures surrounding the plant's tiny flowers. UV light makes the normally white bracts appear in shades of bright pale blue, coral and pink.

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Rain Hayes @rainhayes.com · 14/09/2026

Sunrise season opener, from my balcony this morning. Happy Monday, pitter patter and all the rest!

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Rain Hayes @rainhayes.com · 10/09/2026

A pale yellow Rhododendron bud shows off its sparkly sequins under UV, like a disco rocketship. Kind of excited for the supposed AI extinction event. I will enjoy spending more time doing creative and functional projects, unreachable except by landline or post. #flowerphotography #uvphotography

Close-up photo of a rhododendron bud sparkling and brightly colored under UV light.

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Rain Hayes @rainhayes.com · 08/09/2026

Giant Squill – beautiful bloom, or mild derogonym*? Less ambiguously known as 𝑺𝒄𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒂 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒖𝒗𝒊𝒂𝒏𝒂, this one sat in the edit queue for a long time, but has finally come to life. Already can't wait for another go around with these neato flowers next spring. *As in, 'Stop whining, you giant squill!'

Portrait of a Scilla peruviana flower, turned red and magenta under UV light

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Rain Hayes @rainhayes.com · 02/09/2026

Old blue truck out at the mines, and a friendly tip that you can turn off Adobe Photoshop's new 'ai assist' toolbar nonsense in Settings > Interface. Take it easy, it's only Wednesday. #infraredphotography #landscapephotography

A quaint scene of an old barn and a 1950s blue pickup truck behind a fence. The hills, which are alive with the sound of music, rise up to fill the frame in the background.

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Rain Hayes @rainhayes.com · 28/08/2026

Into the mist. This point juts out 500' / 150m above the Pacific; probably better if you can't see all the way down! #infraredphotography

A trail snakes over a narrow ridge, leading off into the mist. No horizon is visible beyond the end.

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Rain Hayes @rainhayes.com · 18/08/2026

Hello, Bluesky! I'm Rain, a California-based photographer specializing in capturing 'invisible' UV and infrared light. I love connecting with smart, creative people in any and every domain. This balloon milkweed seed pod burst open just as I started photographing. 𝐺𝑜𝑚𝑝ℎ𝑜𝑐𝑎𝑟𝑝𝑢𝑠 𝑝ℎ𝑦𝑠𝑜𝑐𝑎𝑟𝑝𝑢𝑠

A balloon milkweed seed pod has burst open and the inner seeds are peeling off and floating away on tufts of fluff.

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Rain Hayes @rainhayes.com · 17/08/2026

Never done this before, but I'm delighted to celebrate 4,500 connections here on bluesky. Thanks for bringing beauty into the world, friends! #Infrared of two crows among Oakland's thousands, which all together can be wonderful and mildly terrifying. 🐦‍⬛ #wildlifephotography #birdphotography

Two crows perched on a dead branch glance to the left while one side-eyes the camera.

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Rain Hayes @rainhayes.com · 11/08/2026

A cluster of Milkweed seeds in their green state. I almost can't see it as anything but a sea creature. Enjoy #naturephotography ™️

A green (undried) cluster of milkweed seeds glows under black light.

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Rain Hayes @rainhayes.com · 10/08/2026

Explored the local gardens with my #macro lens and 550 nm #infrared filter this past weekend. The 550 nm filter allows both infrared and visible light through, so there is a little more color in it than pure infrared (which is colorless). It's not a widely used filter but I love it.

Macro 550nm infrared photo of agave leaves resembling flames

Macro 550nm infrared photo of an aeonium succulent rosette.

Macro 550nm infrared photo of a California poppy

Macro 550nm infrared photo of dandelions swaying in the breeze

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Rain Hayes @rainhayes.com · 06/08/2026

Valley Oak and lace lichen show off their spring greens in the East Bay hills. A rare 'normal light' photo from me - to an IR photographer, taking visible light photos can be a challenge because it feels somehow horribly boring in the moment. This tree easily persuaded me out of that for a moment.

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Rain Hayes @rainhayes.com · 03/08/2026

The satisfying geometry of a ball dahlia Happy Monday, friends! #infraredphotography #flowerphotography

A B&W infrared close-up of a ball dahlia flower uses strong light and shadow to reveal its highly regular symmetry and form.

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Rain Hayes @rainhayes.com · 31/07/2026

Sometimes a photo is only as clear as your state of mind while you were taking it. Wandering through the light at Briones Regional Park, SF Bay Area #infraredphotography #landscapephotography

B&W infrared image of a hilly path leading through the backlit trees. Lens flare creates geometric light spots across the image, obscuring the image slightly and creating a dreamy effect.

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Rain Hayes @rainhayes.com · 21/07/2026

This Echinocereus expels tiny galaxies into the night air. Naughty flower left a tiny, invisible spine in my finger. I finally got it out after a month of minor agony. I did get a photo op out of it, though! #flowerphotography

Portrait of a UV-illuminated Echinocereus flower against a black background.

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Rain Hayes @rainhayes.com · 17/07/2026

Butterfly Ranunculus doing its shimmery thing under UV light. Do we not all need a spiritual and psychic reset this weekend? World events are too much to sustain. Planning to spend some time outside, not doing too much. #FlowersOnFriday #BloomScrolling

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Rain Hayes @rainhayes.com · 14/07/2026

My friend's garden across the lake is graced with a Cobaea scandens (cup-and-saucer vine). They're so cool in person - no photo can do justice. They are generally white-to-purple but UV light reveals blue, red and pink in there as well. #flowerphotography

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Rain Hayes @rainhayes.com · 09/07/2026

White Amaryllis, photographed under UV. Many flowers do not react at all to UV, or if they do, they don't look very appealing. It's very hard to predict. Every once in a while, I luck out and get a 'like whoa!' #flowerphotography #macrophotography

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Rain Hayes @rainhayes.com · 08/07/2026

This'll do, lil friend Yes, I am full of mediocre puns. How else can I distract myself from the wind and cold of a Bay Area summer day? 𝐶𝑎𝑟𝑑𝑢𝑢𝑠 𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑢𝑖𝑓𝑙𝑜𝑟𝑢𝑠, or slender flower thistle. A naturalized perennial here in the East Bay Hills. UV #flowerphotography

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Rain Hayes @rainhayes.com · 06/07/2026

Pbbt! Thunbergia, on a mission to make people smile. Happy Monday, hope everyone had a wonderful holiday weekend. #flowerphotography #NaturePhotography

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Rain Hayes @rainhayes.com · 04/07/2026

#SanFrancisco exists under a thousand feet of fog (actual). Sutro Tower breaks through at the horizon. The Bay Bridge passes through Yerba Buena island, with Treasure Island off to the right. View from the Berkeley Hills. #Infrared cuts cleanly through haze. #wide #panorama ##landscapephotography

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Rain Hayes @rainhayes.com · 02/07/2026

Magnolias in the blue sky, 550nm false color #infrared #naturephotography One of the largest prints I've done, around 90 x 60" (230 x 152). I wish everyone had that kind of wall space because images at scale are great fun.

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Rain Hayes @rainhayes.com · 01/07/2026

Magnolias in Golden Gate Park Cool colors on a hot summer day 550nm #infrared #flowers #flowerphotography

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Rain Hayes @rainhayes.com · 22/06/2026

Lost in the fog on the Sonoma Coast, which always seems to be in some state of superbloom. Happy Monday, friends. 720nm #infrared #flowerphotography

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Rain Hayes @rainhayes.com · 19/06/2026

Briza shows off some surprise colors under UV. I see (and hear rattling) this grass all over the SF Bay Area and I agree with Helen – it is beautiful. #flowerphotography #phtoography #FlowersonFriday

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Rain Hayes @rainhayes.com · 16/06/2026

Sad to awaken to the news that the California Cherry Oak isn't actually a cherry, nor even an oak, but a figment of last night's dream. #infrared #photography

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Rain Hayes @rainhayes.com · 15/06/2026

This is not a drill, people ;) #photography #flowerphotography 𝐼𝑝𝑜𝑚𝑜𝑒𝑎 𝑝𝑢𝑟𝑝𝑢𝑟𝑒𝑎 (Morning Glory)

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Rain Hayes @rainhayes.com · 12/06/2026

It's fun to watch Mother Nature getting high on her own supply. This one makes me hear a fairground organ. #flowerphotography #photography 𝑃𝑎𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑓𝑙𝑜𝑟𝑎 𝑖𝑛𝑐𝑎𝑟𝑛𝑎𝑡𝑎

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Rain Hayes @rainhayes.com · 11/06/2026

The Catherine Wheel pincushion protea. Unclear whether it is named for the medieval torture device or the 90s shoegaze band (suspect the former.) Either way, a spectacularly expressive #flower in both visible (normal) light and here in ultraviolet. #photography

Overhead view of the radial form of a pincushion protea flower, colored orange and blue by uv light.

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Rain Hayes @rainhayes.com · 08/06/2026

Mirrored close-up of an Acanthus flower for #MacroMonday I've been taking relatively fewer pictures lately as I ramp up some writing projects. I won't get to even 10% of the creative stuff I'd like to in my lifetime. How boredom even a thing for some people is a great mystery. #uv #photography

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Rain Hayes @rainhayes.com · 04/06/2026

Some unusual last light at Black Diamond. We sometimes refer to taking photos as "making memories" but it's amazing how even just one landscape photo from years ago can spark that entire day back to life in the mind. #infrared #photography

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Rain Hayes @rainhayes.com · 01/06/2026

A dry storm rolling into Alhambra Valley, California. Every time I wander off trail around here I think of the TICKsplosion! headline from a couple of years ago. Hoping not to get Rocky Mountain spotted fever again – '94 was a rough summer. Happy Monday, friends! #infrared #photography

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Rain Hayes @rainhayes.com · 28/05/2026

Daytrip! Cabin fever needs corrected. Please enjoy an ornithogalum if you happen to be on a screen and keep being one of the good ones. #flower #photography

An ornithogalum flower stem photographed under UV light in the dark causes the white flowers to glow and show off hidden pink, violet, orange and yellow.

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Rain Hayes @rainhayes.com · 27/05/2026

Springtime at the coal mine Experimenting with some b&w #infrared #photography

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Rain Hayes @rainhayes.com · 19/05/2026

I thought 'escapism' photography was getting corny but as our current era unfolds I'm starting to find it incredibly appealing. Anyway, there's a reason we put up with the cost of living in California. There's simply no other place like it. Monterey Peninsula #infrared #photography

Stone steps rise and disappear underneath the arch of a gnarled Monterey cypress. The light is golden and the skies are pink and mauve.

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Rain Hayes @rainhayes.com · 14/05/2026

A 200-year-old Monterey Cypress clings to a cliff above the Pacific Ocean. A rugged life, but the views are amazing. False-color #infrared #photography

A 200-year-old Monterey Cypress clings to a cliff above the Pacific Ocean on a foggy day.

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Rain Hayes @rainhayes.com · 13/05/2026

Stewartville, California (ghost town) At Black Diamond Mines, now a beautiful preserve for hiking and observing about a dozen raptor species. It's one of my favorite East Bay Parks to photograph. #infrared #photography

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Rain Hayes @rainhayes.com · 08/05/2026

A very good Friday to you! I'm flinging down the keyboard and running off to the gardens. Shirk work and go enjoy some natural beauty. (Or become a photographer and make that your legitimate work.) #flowers #photography #FlowersonFriday Allium triquetrum, our glorious spring 'weed'.

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Rain Hayes @rainhayes.com · 02/05/2026

An unusual day at Deer Valley No one else was there to see it. #infrared #photography

Infrared image of a lone coral-pink tree on a pale golden hill

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Rain Hayes @rainhayes.com · 01/05/2026

California Buckeye, at Briones Our regional metro parks system is the largest in the USA. Redwood forests and coastal trails are within 15 mins of the heart of the city. My favorite: the miles and miles of rolling hills rippling out from the Diablo Range. False-color #infrared #photography #EBRPD

Portrait of a pink California buckeye tree in full bloom with puffy clouds in the background and yellow grass.

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Rain Hayes @rainhayes.com · 28/04/2026

UV highlights the iridescence of Butterfly Ranunculuses, showing off the petal veins. Somehow each blossom is unique, and I never get tired of them. They last forever and are so lovely to have around the studio and house. #flowers #photography

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Rain Hayes @rainhayes.com · 25/04/2026

Mainly an appreciator of the #BlueSkyArtShow, I couldn't resist today's #Odd theme. A Storksbill seed, photographed in infrared. They're a super common weed, but I never really noticed them til the pandemic gave me little else to work with. #photography

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Rain Hayes @rainhayes.com · 17/04/2026

On the last day of #ButterflyWeek, here's the one and only in my portfolio - a false-color #infrared of migrating #monarchs at Pacific Grove, taken on my birthday trip a few years ago. Fun fact: #Butterflies use infrared to thermoregulate. Happy Friday, friends! #photography

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Rain Hayes @rainhayes.com · 16/04/2026

Little baby tree out wandering the Diablo Range foothills. #infrared #landscape #photography

A small pink tree wanders the hills under a blue sky with puffy clouds

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Rain Hayes @rainhayes.com · 09/04/2026

The Crowletariat gather for a union meeting outside my window. An #infrared from the archives, while I wait for 13TB of photos to restore from backup. #wildlife #photography #naturalperch #birdoftheday

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