These fluffy alpaca look like they’re in a scene straight out of a cartoon world, but this is a real photo taken near Patapampa, Peru. Don’t rush out to see fields of pink, though—these hues shine because of how the photo was taken. Italian photographer Paolo Pettigiani used infrared photography to shoot this scene. Infrared light is part of the electromagnetic spectrum—the entire range of energy waves organized by wavelength (distance between a wave’s peaks).

Normally, humans can’t see infrared light. But chlorophyll makes plants appear green by absorbing blue and red light. It also reflects infrared light. When Pettigiani increases his camera’s sensitivity to capture infrared light, plants appear pink instead of green.