  The current direct observations of brown dwarfs and exoplanets have been
obtained using instruments not specifically designed for overcoming the large
contrast ratio between the host star and any wide-separation faint companions.
However, we are about to witness the birth of several new dedicated observing
platforms specifically geared towards high contrast imaging of these objects.
The Gemini Planet Imager, VLT-SPHERE, Subaru HiCIAO, and Project 1640 at the
Palomar 5m telescope will return images of numerous exoplanets and brown dwarfs
over hundreds of observing nights in the next five years. Along with
diffraction-limited coronagraphs and high-order adaptive optics, these
instruments also will return spectral and polarimetric information on any
discovered targets, giving clues to their atmospheric compositions and
characteristics. Such spectral characterization will be key to forming a
detailed theory of comparative exoplanetary science which will be widely
applicable to both exoplanets and brown dwarfs. Further, the prevalence of
aperture masking interferometry in the field of high contrast imaging is also
allowing observers to sense massive, young planets at solar system scales
(~3-30 AU)---separations out of reach to conventional direct imaging
techniques. Such observations can provide snapshots at the earliest phases of
planet formation---information essential for constraining formation mechanisms
as well as evolutionary models of planetary mass companions. As a demonstration
of the power of this technique, I briefly review recent aperture masking
observations of the HR 8799 system. Moreover, all of the aforementioned
techniques are already extremely adept at detecting low-mass stellar companions
to their target stars, and I present some recent highlights.
