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Post by realrockhound on Jun 23, 2024 12:15:15 GMT -5
Why is it so hard to capture the color and brilliance once you photograph/film it? Frustrating as all hell. Color is way nicer in person.
Anywho.... I've been cutting opals. Once I can figure out this whole photographing thing i'll post a whole thread. Just wanted to share a lil ripper I cut this morning.
The blue looks fantastic but I can see there is more to see in person.
In the pic. The pattern you see on the outside edge is what you see across the whole stone when holding under light in person. Its got a great mix of colors in it. Then....... you photograph or film it and it just magically disappears. Extremely frustrating.
Opal photography is difficult. I've been cutting opal for a long time and have been through many phases with photography. I've found white-base opal like Coober Pedy to be more difficult to shoot than darker base stones for some reason.
I've found that using lower light intensity helps. The stone below is from CP and was photographed in my cardboard box "lightbox" using 5500 K (daylight) incandescent light but dimmed to a fairly low level. So were the others shown.
Opal photography is difficult. I've been cutting opal for a long time and have been through many phases with photography. I've found white-base opal like Coober Pedy to be more difficult to shoot than darker base stones for some reason.
I've found that using lower light intensity helps. The stone below is from CP and was photographed in my cardboard box "lightbox" using 5500 K (daylight) incandescent light but dimmed to a fairly low level. So were the others shown.
Great tip. As I get some more cut up and the lighting figured out, I’ll post a line up. What I’m cutting now are by no means top tier coobers. However.. from looking at a lot of them online, what I’m cutting isn’t particularly bad either. Been working smaller pieces and will move onto some bigger ones soon.
Post by dreamrocks on Jun 23, 2024 14:52:06 GMT -5
Personally I have tried to take a picture a few times of this Ethiopian opal and trust me this picture does not show any of the true colors in this little stone. It’s seriously hard to show all the colors here it has the colors of the rainbow but you wouldn’t know it unless you saw it in your hand. My shark fin
Any agate is fun to cut and polish, I would post some pictures of the stuff I have finished but unable to post pictures nor can I add any posts also have a sweet geode I recently cut. So I put this up to see if I can add to profile nothing else will.
dreamrocks You can't show true opalescence unless the stone is moving while being photographed. Some people use a turntable which shows the colors changing as the stone rotates. I have a good video of one of my Ethiopian opals rotating but the video format is weird and I don't know how to fix it so I can post it here. It's one I did with an old video camera. Most cell phone formats should work but it takes a lot of set-up time to get lighting and other factors right.
Post by dreamrocks on Jun 23, 2024 15:12:22 GMT -5
It certainly a skilled technique to photograph some stones especially the opals
Any agate is fun to cut and polish, I would post some pictures of the stuff I have finished but unable to post pictures nor can I add any posts also have a sweet geode I recently cut. So I put this up to see if I can add to profile nothing else will.
Sure do like opal, right before we left I found a parcel of nice mixed ones, moved to the top drawer in the shop for immediate attention.
“You preachers of equality, the tyrannomania of impotence clamors thus out of you for equality: your most secret ambitions to be tyrants thus shroud themselves in words of virtue. Aggrieved conceit, repressed envy—perhaps the conceit and envy of your fathers—erupt from you as a flame and as the frenzy of revenge.” —Friedrich Nietzsche
Personally I have tried to take a picture a few times of this Ethiopian opal and trust me this picture does not show any of the true colors in this little stone. It’s seriously hard to show all the colors here it has the colors of the rainbow but you wouldn’t know it unless you saw it in your hand. My shark fin
Heres an Ethiopian. Shows better when you move it around and put it on a black backing.
Post by dreamrocks on Jun 23, 2024 16:47:43 GMT -5
Nice stone That does make a big difference gemfeller suggested a turntable and that works just as good I think
Any agate is fun to cut and polish, I would post some pictures of the stuff I have finished but unable to post pictures nor can I add any posts also have a sweet geode I recently cut. So I put this up to see if I can add to profile nothing else will.
Really pretty, even though you can’t show it fully, I can imagine it. Nice cab cut too and pretty good size. Did you have to cut it out of matrix? And, are these opals ones that you have to worry about drying out? I know some they say to keep in water or to wear often. Might be a whole nother topic… I haven’t gotten into opals yet because it seems to require an expertise.
Really pretty, even though you can’t show it fully, I can imagine it. Nice cab cut too and pretty good size. Did you have to cut it out of matrix? And, are these opals ones that you have to worry about drying out? I know some they say to keep in water or to wear often. Might be a whole nother topic… I haven’t gotten into opals yet because it seems to require an expertise.
Yeah, It was cut from a rough piece of stone. I did a run on the edges, then cut it down to the bar initially to see just what the bar is going to do. Couple sand spots in the bar that wouldn't come out so that kinda determined the shape. Then came in from the back to start anticipating girdle thickness. I'm super super new to cutting opal and just kinda did what I felt would work best (i'm talking days lol). Lots of water, patience, etc.. This stuff has all sat out and cured. So i'm not battling crazing, cracking etc..
Really pretty, even though you can’t show it fully, I can imagine it. Nice cab cut too and pretty good size. Did you have to cut it out of matrix? And, are these opals ones that you have to worry about drying out? I know some they say to keep in water or to wear often. Might be a whole nother topic… I haven’t gotten into opals yet because it seems to require an expertise.
Yes there was only a small piece showing promise the rest was hidden in matrix so I bought it at the gem show from a couple I know they gave me a good deal so I bought a couple chunks
This hasn’t crazed or cracked yet it’s been a couple years I guess now the others haven’t dried out or cracked either
The only thing I did was very carefully clean the matrix off real slow so not to lose any of it That’s the issue with buying opal in matrix you never know if it will payoff or not
Any agate is fun to cut and polish, I would post some pictures of the stuff I have finished but unable to post pictures nor can I add any posts also have a sweet geode I recently cut. So I put this up to see if I can add to profile nothing else will.
Post by dreamrocks on Jun 23, 2024 17:23:34 GMT -5
Makes me want to cut this one after seeing all the opal lately It sucks my facet machine has been down or it probably be either cut or in the process of being cut
Any agate is fun to cut and polish, I would post some pictures of the stuff I have finished but unable to post pictures nor can I add any posts also have a sweet geode I recently cut. So I put this up to see if I can add to profile nothing else will.
Been waiting for you to post these! Now...not only do I have to start cutting the opals I've got...I've got to get my pictures right when I post them! LOL
Favorite Quotes: "It always seems impossible until it is done." - Nelson Mandela "Life becomes easier when you learn to accept the apology you never got." - Robert Brault "You can't wait until life isn't hard anymore before you decide to be happy." - Nightbirde (RIP 2/19/22)
Been waiting for you to post these! Now...not only do I have to start cutting the opals I've got...I've got to get my pictures right when I post them! LOL
What are you talking about? You taught me how to take pictures! Hahaha 🤪
Any agate is fun to cut and polish, I would post some pictures of the stuff I have finished but unable to post pictures nor can I add any posts also have a sweet geode I recently cut. So I put this up to see if I can add to profile nothing else will.
Been waiting for you to post these! Now...not only do I have to start cutting the opals I've got...I've got to get my pictures right when I post them! LOL
What are you talking about? You taught me how to take pictures! Hahaha 🤪
Not yours...RRH's! LOL
Favorite Quotes: "It always seems impossible until it is done." - Nelson Mandela "Life becomes easier when you learn to accept the apology you never got." - Robert Brault "You can't wait until life isn't hard anymore before you decide to be happy." - Nightbirde (RIP 2/19/22)
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Welcome to the Rock Tumbling Hobby Forum where we share a love of rocks and a sense of community as enduring as the stones we polish.
The RTH Forum of www.RockTumbling.com is an Amazon Associate site and we earn money from
qualifying purchases you make after clicking on our links such as this
Rock Tumbling Supplies on Amazon
link for instance, or any of our various product ads and banners. By clicking our links every time you begin your Amazon shopping
experience, you are generating a bit of revenue for the forum which helps us cover our expenses. Thank you for your support!
