With a new photo-analyzing computer program, a photographer can take a picture of something that’s not even in frame.
The system analyzes light that’s reflected off matte surfaces, such as walls, to discern out-of-sight images, similar to the way a periscope mirror reveals what’s around a corner. Whereas other techniques for spotting out-of-sight objects require expensive, specialist optical equipment (SN: 1/9/16, p. 15), the new program can render a rough, full-color reconstruction of a hidden scene using a single snapshot captured with an ordinary digital camera.