Looks cool iris photos, but actually hides a mystery

Produced by: Science Popularization China

Author: Yiyan Science Team

Producer: China Science Expo

Recently, iris photos have become quite popular among young people as a unique form of artistic expression. Iris photos have not only become a way to express personality, but also full of romantic colors. How are these deep iris photos taken? What are the hidden "secrets" of iris photos that can be obtained for only a hundred yuan?

Iris close-up

(Photo source: veer photo gallery)

What is the iris and why are iris photos so shocking?

The iris is a thin, flat, circular membrane located in the middle layer of the eyeball wall. It is composed of the pigment epithelium, stroma and other tissues and is commonly known as the "black eyeball". The color of the iris is mainly determined by the pigment cells in the pigment epithelium. The iris color varies significantly among different races and individuals. Common colors include brown, blue, green, gray, etc.

Eyeball structure diagram

(Photo source: veer photo gallery)

The iris is not only related to the color of the eyeball, but also serves as a "regulator" of the pupil size. There are two types of smooth muscles in the iris, the pupillary sphincter and the pupillary dilator. The pupillary sphincter is arranged around the pupil. When strong light shines on the eye, the sphincter contracts to reduce the amount of light entering; the pupillary dilator is a smooth muscle arranged radially around the pupil. When the light is weak, the pupil dilator expands the pupil to increase the amount of light entering.

Iris photos are so stunning because of the unique texture and details they present. These radial, uneven textures are called iris patterns and are highly individual-specific.

Blue eyes

(Photo source: veer photo gallery)

So, what are these unique textures?

The texture of the iris includes complex stripes, filaments, crypts (pit-like depressions) and other structures, and is unique. For an individual, the texture of the iris is unique, and the texture of the left and right irises of the same individual is also different, which gives the iris the characteristic of identity recognition. It is for this reason that iris photography can show personalized characteristics.

How are iris photos taken?

The shooting of "iris portrait" is similar to the method of eye examination. The subject puts his chin on a fixed platform, and the pupil is illuminated under strong light. The photographer uses a professional macro lens to record the microscopic structure and color changes of the iris. Finally, various high-definition images are obtained through post-rendering.

Eye examination

(Photo source: veer photo gallery)

Some photographers use a combination of simple equipment, such as mobile phone cameras and strong flashlights, to capture iris images themselves, and then provide them to businesses for rendering. They can also obtain iris images in a "cosmic" style that symbolize love and personal identity characteristics.

Will iris photography cause damage to the eyes?

The principle of iris photography is to partially enlarge the iris to make the texture structure prominent and easier to shoot. Generally speaking, if the appropriate light source and exposure time are used during the shooting process, it will not cause damage to the eyes. In addition, some eye diagnosis technologies are also achieved through the technology of showing the texture structure of the iris. Doctors can evaluate the health of the human body based on the length of the cracks, the shape of the lines, the degree of pigmentation and the fiber density of the iris.

However, due to the different tolerance of the iris to strong light, direct exposure of strong light to the eyes for a long time may cause discomfort or damage, especially for people with eye diseases such as conjunctivitis and those who have recently undergone eye surgery. Even people with normal eyes should take necessary protective measures when shooting, such as using low-power light sources and fast exposure.

Why is it said that iris photos may leak personal privacy?

The complexity and uniqueness of each person's iris make iris recognition more reliable, opening a new era of identity authentication. In the security field, iris recognition technology is used in access control systems, border control and other scenarios. This technology can realize large-scale personnel screening and can quickly realize identity authentication.

Iris and Information Security

(Photo source: veer photo gallery)

In the financial field, iris recognition technology has become an alternative to traditional identification methods such as passwords and fingerprints. During financial transactions, users only need to scan their irises to complete identity authentication, eliminating the tedious process of entering passwords and carrying physical cards. Compared with identification methods such as fingerprints, iris information is more difficult to steal and is much more secure.

In the medical field, iris recognition can be used as a means of confirming the patient's identity and improving the accuracy of personalized medical care, medication monitoring, etc. In addition, iris recognition can better protect the patient's personal privacy and prevent medical records from being viewed by others without authorization.

From this perspective, the iris is an important personal privacy. Isn’t “showing off” iris photos equivalent to making personal information public?

In fact, the process and principle of iris recognition is more complicated than iris photography. The image acquisition equipment used in iris recognition technology is usually a camera with extremely high resolution, and it needs to go through complex image processing stages such as enhancing image quality and removing noise, which has higher technical barriers.

Human eye scanning recognition

(Photo source: veer photo gallery)

However, since iris photos show clear iris texture information, even after post-rendering, they may still be analyzed and cracked by criminals using technological means, which may lead to personal information leakage. Therefore, although iris photos are cool, you should be cautious when making them public!

Why are many people keen on taking iris photos?

Despite the risk of eye injury and personal information leakage in iris photography, people are still very enthusiastic about it.

First of all, the identity recognition and personalized expression presented by iris photos are one of the important factors that drive people to take iris photos. As a unique feature of the human body, the iris can show the uniqueness of an individual and meet people's needs for self-identity and personalized expression. In the era of social media, personalized display can easily make people stand out and gain more attention.

Secondly, iris photos attract people's attention with their unique visual effects. Some businesses render iris images in a cosmic style. The shocking and detail-rich effects can impact our vision and stimulate the viewer's curiosity and desire to explore.

Finally, the popularity of iris photography also reflects the worship of technology and innovation in modern society. The emergence of new technologies is often accompanied by challenges to traditional aesthetics and expressions. Iris photography is presented to people as an emerging art form, and its novelty and sense of technology have attracted many people who pursue fashion trends.

Conclusion

People's pursuit of beauty is eternal. Iris photos satisfy people's appreciation and pursuit of beauty with their unique aesthetic value. Iris photos not only bring us the enjoyment of beauty, but also pose a challenge to privacy protection. While enjoying the personalized expression and visual shock brought by iris photos, we should also strengthen the protection of personal privacy.

References:

1.Hu Y, Sirlantzis K, Howells G. Optimal Generation of Iris Codes for Iris Recognition[J]. IEEE Transactions on Information Forensics and Security, 2016.

2.AYKJ, ABJK, BKR P. A study on eyelid localization considering image focus for iris recognition-ScienceDirect[J]. Pattern Recognition Letters, 2008.

3. Liao Yiyi. Research on texture description algorithm for iris recognition[D]. Hangzhou Dianzi University, 2023.

4. Gao Yuan. Research on feature extraction method of iris texture[D]. Shenyang University of Technology, 2024.

5. Liu Jiaqi, Li Fengming, Wu Jingan, et al. Practical Ophthalmology[J]. People's Medical Publishing House, 2010.