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Nathan Newell posted an image in the group
Imaging and Digitization for Avocational Paleontologists Workshop from the myFOSSIL app 4 years, 8 months ago 4 years, 8 months ago4 years, 8 months agoSo here’s my current fossil photo setup. The stuff I incorporated from the workshop include: 1)Velvet back drop: I got a necklace hanger because that’s the only flat velvet thing that Michael’s had, but it works pretty well. It shows all kinds of dust, though; I need to figure out how to clean it. 2) Secondary light source: In this case, I’m using a myFOSSIL card to reflect the light back so there aren’t any all-black areas on the fossil itself. 3) Clay: This stuff is really useful for propping up either the cards or the fossil to take pics at different angles. I use black Sculpey so it blends in with the velvet. The pics for my last few fossils in the eMuseum were taken with this setup. It’s pretty basic, but I think it gets the job done. The clay in particular is very useful because I don’t have to hold the fossil with my hands to get different views. How is everybody else’s setup coming?
I agree with the velvet showing every speck of dust. The way we use it in our photo lab is just to have a good solid flat background with no reflection so that in the processing of the image, we have an easier time removing the background and placing it on a digital, black background. Perhaps a lint roller? Or a quick pass through the dryer?
@jeanette-pirlo I tried a lint roller and it works for picking up the little bits of stuff, but it can’t pick up the dust for some reason. The dryer might work, but this is a necklace stand so I can’t throw it in. It might be easier to just remove any smudges digitally, like you all do.
@jess-cost A lint roller hasn’t worked all that well for me, but I wonder if the smudges are really oil or something from my hands instead of dust particles.