Any technique for the photographic recording of schlieren, which are regions or stria in a medium that is surrounded by a medium of different refractive index. Refractive index gradients in transparent media cause light rays to bend (refract) in the direction of increasing refractive index. This is a result of the reduced light velocity in a higher-refractive-index material. This phenomenon is exploited in viewing the schlieren, with schlieren photographs as the result. Modern schlieren systems are rarely limited to photography; electronic video recorders, scanning diode array cameras, and holography are widely used as supplements.