As Vernon Miller stated, “…It took the camera, with its negative image [photo], to appreciate it.” As is clearly seen below (1, 2) in comparing Vernon’s color and black and white photos of the Shroud, it is only from the negative photo of black and white film that we can appreciate the definite, positive view of the Man of the Shroud.
More examples of black and white films are seen below (3, 4, 5, 6). In his collection, there are many 4 x 5 and 8 x 10 black and white films, which illustrate Vernon’s photographic and dark room expertise. He used different exposure times, etc. to produce very fine black and white negative photos of high contrast that resulted in the clearest features of the Man of the Shroud.
This image of a man (3. The Old) on the Shroud cloth is what one saw until 1898, when the first black and white photograph of the Shroud was taken.
In the process of taking and developing the negative, this is what was seen: the positive image of a man (4. The New) was seen in the negative photo. This means that the original image (3) of the Shroud cloth contained a negative image of a man. How did a negative image get onto this ancient cloth? Note that the blood marks are negative on this photo (4), but the blood marks are positive on the original cloth (3). For more information on positive and negative go to Background including Website. And note the swelling under his right eye; and note that his hair flows down to his shoulders.
This black and white photo of the Shroud cloth shows a number of blood marks on the back of the head indicating that there were numerous puncture wounds which would be consistent with trauma caused by a cap of thorns. Note the many marks on his back that are likely scourge marks. They will be described later.
The black and white negative photo of the Shroud cloth again shows a positive image with negative blood marks. Note that the hair flows down the back.
Vernon’s beautiful high resolution 4 x 5 and 8 x 10 color transparencies of the Shroud image (7, 8, 9) with its blood marks allow the observer to see the Shroud as seen by the naked eye.
This 8 x 10 color transparency (7) includes the back and front of the upper body of the man of the shroud. Note the space in between the front and back of his head. He was laid out on one end of this long linen cloth and the other end was placed over his body. The cloth was sufficiently tucked around his body so that the moist blood clots on his body soaked up into the cloth, leaving the blood marks that are visible.
This 4 x 5 color (white light) transparency (8) focuses on the chest wound and wrist wound. The upper part of the chest wound shows an elliptical wound with blood that had flowed down from it. The wound at the wrist has blood that also flowed down from it indicating that the body had previously been in a crucified position.
This back image photo (4 x 5, white light) of the blood marks of the feet (9) shows the sole of his entire right foot imprinted in blood. His left foot is partially on top of the right. When looking at the cloth itself, understand that the left and right of the man wrapped by the cloth are the opposite of the marks on the original cloth.
Miller took many 35mm color micrographs ranging from 6X to 64X magnification of blood marks, body image, scorch marks, burn marks, water marks, wax, and the clear cloth of the Shroud. It was Vernon’s photographic skill in capturing these microscopic views that allows us to see and understand the Shroud image at its fiber depth.
This is a 35mm color transparency (10) taken at 32 x magnification of the plain Shroud cloth where the is no blood or image.
This 35mm (11) also taken at 32 x magnification was taken over a blood area of the chest wound. The entire area is yellowed from blood protein and is also accompanied by red-rust colored material which has been proven to be blood. There is more blood in the hollows of the cloth whereas the tops of the threads have less blood in that it has been worn away over the years of folding and unfolding this cloth.
This 35 mm (12) was taken over the image area of the right eye at 32 x magnification. Here there is no material accumulated on the cloth and all that is seen is a slight yellowing of the some of the fibers of the threads of the cloth.
This is a 35mm color transparency (13) taken at 64 x magnification over the nose of the image. This photo reveals the threads of the cloth and most important the fibers that make up each thread. The yellowed fibers are the basic building blocks of the image. The fiber diameter (10 to 15 microns) is way less than that of the hairs on one’s head. It is these yellowed cellulose fibers from the flax plant that make up the image. If one takes a pin and pushes fibers around it will be noted for the most part, that the yellowed fibers run only one fiber deep. If you follow one of these fibers until it dips below the next thread, the fiber then becomes white.
From a scientific perspective Miller also captured many 4 x 5 color transparencies under ultraviolet light for the purpose of studying the Shroud’s cloth, blood, image, and more. His ultraviolet light color transparencies have enhanced the precise imagery of the wounds and blood marks of the Man of the Shroud.
The following 4 x 5 transparency (14) is taken with Ultraviolet Light as opposed to White Light. This technique enhances the marks on the shroud, especially the blood. This is the back image extending from the upper back down to below the lower back. At the lower back is a blood flow that extends from right to left. At close observation this blood flow appears to be diluted blood, likely the combination of postmortem blood and pleural fluid that exited from the chest wound when his body was laid out on his back for burial. The rest of the marks on the back appear to be scourge marks caused by a flagrum. A flagrum was made with cords or leather straps that had on their ends metal tips that were dumbbell in shape. These dumbbell shaped marks can be seen all over the back, chest and legs.
This 4 x 5 color transparency (15) per visible light (white light) of the posterior lower legs of the image demonstrates the blood marks of feet as well as the scourge marks of the lower legs.
This 4 x 5 color transparency (16) per ultraviolet light (UV light) of the same area of the image reveals many more details of the blood and scourge marks than does photo 15 which allows the wounds to be studied in much greater detail.
Vernon Miller’s high contrast negatives have brought to light some of the clearest and most beautiful positive and negative images of the Man of the Shroud. The following images compare his original Shroud cloth photos to his high contrast negatives.
“It took the camera, with its negative image (21), to appreciate it.” – Vernon D. Miller
