Hi all,
I was looking for an excuse to play with my photo light box.
Minerals and gems are difficult to photograph as most of you know. I'm experimenting with a 3-light soft box system now and still getting dialed-in but reasonably happy with the results so far.
This is my first subject. It is a very nice combo which I purchased from a Teller County mine (undisclosed mine or price).

Wow,

Great looking photos Chris. They look like they were taken by a Pro. But then again, I guess maybe they were. Honestly I think you should be able to find someone willing to pay for your services. If I hear of anybody in need of a great photographer I will keep you in mind. Woody.

Thanks for the encouragement Woody. I'm not totally happy with this set of photos and am still working with light angles and various light sources... along with exposure settings and backgrounds.
I'm using mindat photo archives as my gold standard of how minerals should be professionally photographed.
This is another good winter hobby for me, I have LOTS of mineral subjects and decent equipment.
I may try to photograph a couple of Amozonite specimens that you gifted me next, they cleaned up nicely. Thank you again for those!

Great pictures Chris, and you picked one of the hardest kind of specimen to photograph I think. The shinny white surface is always hard to get a picture of, especially with the darkened background. You did great! Your going to have a blast with the new equipment.


Keep up the good work, I always enjoy seeing your pictures......They are top notch, and they just keep getting better and better!!!

I forgot to add what a fantastic specimen that is, a great combination of Microcline and Fluorite.

Thanks Denise!
You're right about white being difficult. I may shoot this piece again at some point. I'm limited on my background cloth now but would like to try it with a more neutral color like gray.

Good plan Chris, trial and error is the best way to learn. We use white, black and grey alot. I find the grey works best for a backing on really light or dark specimens to help bring out the detail and color better.

I have heard some people say that a gold nugget is the hardest specimen to photograph, but we don't seem to have problems with it.

Photography is another hobby I'm thrown money at over the years lol

Got in to it when my daughter was doing high school sports. I also like taking photos of my motorcycle. WIll have to get a good macro lens to be ready to take some pics of my finds! :)