A method of forming 2 dimensional image of a translucent object in or behind a turbid medium. In one embodiment, the method comprises the steps of illuminating the translucent object through one side of the turbid medium with an ultrafast pulse of light, the light emergent from the opposite side of the turbid medium consisting of a ballistic component, a snake-like component and a diffuse component. The emergent light is then temporally and spatially gated to preferentially pass the ballistic component and the snake-like component. Preferably, the temporal and spatial gating is achieved by positioning the Kerr cell of an optical Kerr gate at the 2F spectral plane of a 4F Kerr-Fourier imaging system. At the appropriate time, that portion of the Kerr cell located at the focal point of the 2F spectral plane is gated open, allowing predominantly ballistic and snake-like components of the transilluminated light to pass therethrough. A cooled CCD detector is positioned at the 4F spectral plane to form a 2-dimensional image of the temporally and spatially gated light.