Day 6 - Minerals - Flat

I had a field day at the museum with my mineral shots. I noticed, though, that my techniques for photographing the "flatter" ones (you'll see what I mean) are very different from the 3D objects. Again, I'll have to explain this visually. For now, though, here are my favorite 2D shots:







Hopefully, you can see what I mean. All of these are nice, flat, and smooth. They are easier to shoot than the ones I'm showing you tomorrow, for several reasons:

1) They're flat, so you don't have to experiment too much with depth of field. Things should appear equally sharp.

2) These shapes are easier to play with. If you move the camera a centimeter, you have an entirely different picture.

3) The colors are interesting, and these pictures really stand on their own. They don't need much from you. I didn't even have to crop these.

General tips:

1) Don't use the Auto White Balance. If you're taking these in soft light, go with Tungsten.

2) If you can use ISO 800, you should.

3) Have fun with these. They're far less technical than other types of mineral shots. You can never make a mistake, as you'll have a pretty picture, regardless.

Till tomorrow (when I discuss the more labor-intensive version of mineral shots)!