A system for locating a patients veins includes an illuminator configured to emit a conical beam for illuminating a target area of the patient and contrast between veins and surrounding tissue. The illuminator can be a short-wave infrared (SWIR) laser with a lens optic coupled to the SWIR laser for shaping the beam into a conical profile. The illuminator can be a visible light source with a reflective optic coupled to a filter configured to allow SWIR wavelengths therethrough.
