Snell's window
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Snell's window is a phenomenon by which an underwater viewer sees everything above the surface through a cone of light of width of about 96 degrees.[1] This phenomenon is caused by refraction of light entering water, and is governed by Snell's Law.[2] The area outside Snell's window will either be completely dark or show a reflection of underwater objects.
Underwater photographers sometimes compose photographs from below such that their subjects fall inside Snell's window, which backlights and focuses attention on the subjects.
Snell's window is also called 'Snell's circle'[3] or 'optical man-hole'.[4]
Image formation
References
- ↑ Martin Edge and Ian Turner (1999). The Underwater Photographer. Focal Press. ISBN 0-240-51581-1.
- ↑ Robert Williams Wood (1914). Physical Optics. The Macmillan Company.
- ↑ Dave Hughes (1990). Tactics for Trout. Stackpole Books. ISBN 0-8117-2403-4.
- ↑ David K. Lynch and William Livingstone (2001). Color and Light in Nature. Cambridge University Press. p. 79. ISBN 0-521-77504-3.
External links
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