New Members RockDoctor Posted October 9, 2011 New Members Share Posted October 9, 2011 Hi all! A good portion of my collection is from the Upper carboniferous of PA. The fossils are mostly black compression/impression on black shale. I have scanned them with better than fair results but I have been looking for a good solution to photographing them. It seems no matter the angle, the amount of light, the exposure, the contrast is never good enough. Photoshopping doesn't seem to help. Any suggestions? They would greatly be appreciated. Warmest regards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharkbyte Posted October 9, 2011 Share Posted October 9, 2011 Hello, There is a section on the Forum on photgraphing fossils but I am ashamed to say that I have not read any of it yet. I will pass on something that my son made to photograph fossils and I think he actually got the idea from the Forum but I'm not sure. He took a cardboard box and cut the front off then sloped a piece of poster board on the inside for background. The color of poster board can be changed based on the color of fossils or what ever the photographic subject is but in the case of dark fossils he commonly used white. Then he cut the sides of the box out to make a frame and taped a white cloth like paper over the opening. These will be your lighting windows. He then sets up gooseneck lamps on the outside of the windows and in this way it creates a great amount of light that does not wash out or glare on the fossils because the light is filtered through the cloth. In this way, he does not need the camera flash wich often is hard to control the results when using it. You can experiment with this but it works great for him. Camera wise, there are so many digital camers that I would consider to be entry level at cost and operability that are capable of taking great pictures. Give this inexpensive project a try sometime and see if you like it. I bet you will. Bobby Hi all! A good portion of my collection is from the Upper carboniferous of PA. The fossils are mostly black compression/impression on black shale. I have scanned them with better than fair results but I have been looking for a good solution to photographing them. It seems no matter the angle, the amount of light, the exposure, the contrast is never good enough. Photoshopping doesn't seem to help. Any suggestions? They would greatly be appreciated. Warmest regards. "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." - Confucius Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
32fordboy Posted October 9, 2011 Share Posted October 9, 2011 (edited) Black fossils can be really tough! Have you tried wetting the fossil? You can wet it and either photograph it in a light box or put it on some dark fabric and photograph it outside in the natural light, preferrably when the sun isn't directly above. The water should make it stand out better depending on the amount of relief on the fossil. I've also noticed a white background can wash out the black fossil. Some people prefer a grey background, but it seems unattractive to me. Green, grassy backgrounds also work well and look good. Can you post your pics so far? EDIT: Sharkbyte, you beat me to it. Exmples: Edited October 9, 2011 by 32fordboy www.nicksfossils.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharkbyte Posted October 9, 2011 Share Posted October 9, 2011 (edited) Yes, but you gave him great advice as well. Wetting the fossil and blotting the excess water off works great. I like the box method because you can change out the background for pennies in just a few seconds and you don't have to catch the sun just right in the sky and fight shadows. With the box, you can also experiment with colored light bulbs to enhance the picture with a warm or suttle glow. You have provided some great pictures to prove your methods though as well as some awesome fossils. Good job. Black fossils can be really tough! Have you tried wetting the fossil? You can wet it and either photograph it in a light box or put it on some dark fabric and photograph it outside in the natural light, preferrably when the sun isn't directly above. The water should make it stand out better depending on the amount of relief on the fossil. I've also noticed a white background can wash out the black fossil. Some people prefer a grey background, but it seems unattractive to me. Green, grassy backgrounds also work well and look good. Can you post your pics so far? EDIT: Sharkbyte, you beat me to it. Exmples: Edited October 9, 2011 by Sharkbyte "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." - Confucius Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
32fordboy Posted October 9, 2011 Share Posted October 9, 2011 Thanks! I must also say those pics were taken in a light box, my preferred method, as well. Got one off of eBay for $40 with the lights and use it like crazy. Probably the most relevant of the above pictures is the sloth tooth. The details on the tooth surface are very small and fine, but the gloss of the tooth makes them easy to see. www.nicksfossils.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pleecan Posted October 9, 2011 Share Posted October 9, 2011 A black background works great for photographing Black Shale Fossil. You must use timed exposures which means you need to mount the camera on copy stand or sturdy tripod to minimize vibrations. The Background must be darker than the subject matter or else you overload the photocell electronics into saturation and diminished details due to electrical noise. PL 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry Pristis Posted October 9, 2011 Share Posted October 9, 2011 It's all in the camera-object-light angle. Because you want a nearly 90-degree camera-to-object angle, try moving the light source to maximize the contrast. Watch the possibilities in the view screen until you have a good angle. When you have a good angle for the light-source, make some images of the object, moving the camera position slightly for each image. Pick the best image(s) for manipulation with your editing software ("brightness" and "contrast" being most important). Practice, practice, practice. 1 http://pristis.wix.com/the-demijohn-page What seest thou else In the dark backward and abysm of time? ---Shakespeare, The Tempest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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