View previous topic :: View next topic |
Author |
Message |
simonoff
Joined: 16 Feb 2009
Posts: 161
|
Posted: Jul 21, 2012 13:05 Post subject: Smithsonian 2012 |
|
|
I had the chance to spend time in the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History. Naturally I went to the mineral hall. I took a few pictures, which for the most part do not overlap with ones already taken. There some some duplicates, but since the picture is different, it seems worth posting anyway.
I hope you enjoy. And please remember this is a crowded busy museum with all minerals behind plastic which is ioften scratched and somewhat dirty - so make allowances for the photography :-)
Description: |
Note the lens cap in the middle bottom for scale. Michigan copper |
|
Viewed: |
37143 Time(s) |
|
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
simonoff
Joined: 16 Feb 2009
Posts: 161
|
Posted: Jul 21, 2012 13:12 Post subject: Re: Smithsonian 2012 |
|
|
More
Description: |
Quartz from Namibia. Again there is a lens cap in the bottom center for scale. |
|
Viewed: |
37194 Time(s) |
|
Description: |
|
Viewed: |
37188 Time(s) |
|
Description: |
|
Viewed: |
37192 Time(s) |
|
Description: |
Baryte from Cumbria, England |
|
Viewed: |
37154 Time(s) |
|
Description: |
Baryte from Cumbria, England |
|
Viewed: |
37173 Time(s) |
|
Description: |
Dolomite from Eugui, Spain |
|
Viewed: |
37201 Time(s) |
|
Description: |
Powellite from Nasik, India |
|
Viewed: |
37183 Time(s) |
|
Description: |
Baryte from England (no more specific locality provided) |
|
Viewed: |
37201 Time(s) |
|
Description: |
Pyrite from Navajun, Spain |
|
Viewed: |
37188 Time(s) |
|
Description: |
Fluorite from La Collada, Spain |
|
Viewed: |
37192 Time(s) |
|
Description: |
Rhodochrosite from Silverton, Colorado, USA |
|
Viewed: |
37191 Time(s) |
|
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
simonoff
Joined: 16 Feb 2009
Posts: 161
|
Posted: Jul 21, 2012 13:24 Post subject: Re: Smithsonian 2012 |
|
|
More
Description: |
Galena and calcite from the Ozark Lead Mine, Missouri |
|
Viewed: |
37174 Time(s) |
|
Description: |
Fluorite from Dalnegorsk, Russia |
|
Viewed: |
37142 Time(s) |
|
Description: |
Wulfenite from the Glove Mine, Arizona |
|
Viewed: |
37195 Time(s) |
|
Description: |
Calcite on sphalerite with fluorite from Elmwood, TN, USA |
|
Viewed: |
37158 Time(s) |
|
Description: |
Ferro-axinite from Vitoria da Conquista, Brazil |
|
Viewed: |
37224 Time(s) |
|
Description: |
Large Stibnite from Japan |
|
Viewed: |
37268 Time(s) |
|
Description: |
Zircon from Alteelva River, Norway |
|
Viewed: |
37158 Time(s) |
|
Description: |
Fluorite from Cumbria England. |
|
Viewed: |
37188 Time(s) |
|
Description: |
From a shape display showing how similar garnet and tourmaline can be. |
|
Viewed: |
37180 Time(s) |
|
Description: |
Fluorite on quartz from Uri, Switzerland |
|
Viewed: |
37166 Time(s) |
|
Description: |
Duftite in calcite from Tsumeb |
|
Viewed: |
37169 Time(s) |
|
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
simonoff
Joined: 16 Feb 2009
Posts: 161
|
Posted: Jul 21, 2012 13:28 Post subject: Re: Smithsonian 2012 |
|
|
These are all from the same display case, showing that one mineral can have many different shapes
Description: |
|
Viewed: |
37150 Time(s) |
|
Description: |
|
Viewed: |
37153 Time(s) |
|
Description: |
Another from the same display |
|
Viewed: |
37180 Time(s) |
|
Description: |
|
Viewed: |
37130 Time(s) |
|
Description: |
|
Viewed: |
37184 Time(s) |
|
Description: |
|
Viewed: |
37154 Time(s) |
|
Description: |
Apologies for the focus. I almost left it off, but it is part of the many shapes of calcite story. |
|
Viewed: |
37125 Time(s) |
|
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
simonoff
Joined: 16 Feb 2009
Posts: 161
|
Posted: Jul 21, 2012 16:08 Post subject: Re: Smithsonian 2012 |
|
|
Wulfenites from their One Mineral Many Shapes case.
Description: |
|
Viewed: |
37090 Time(s) |
|
Description: |
|
Viewed: |
37057 Time(s) |
|
Description: |
|
Viewed: |
37084 Time(s) |
|
Description: |
|
Viewed: |
37027 Time(s) |
|
Description: |
|
Viewed: |
37048 Time(s) |
|
Description: |
|
Viewed: |
37074 Time(s) |
|
Description: |
|
Viewed: |
37043 Time(s) |
|
Description: |
|
Viewed: |
37030 Time(s) |
|
Description: |
|
Viewed: |
37039 Time(s) |
|
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
simonoff
Joined: 16 Feb 2009
Posts: 161
|
Posted: Jul 21, 2012 19:35 Post subject: Re: Smithsonian 2012 |
|
|
The above wulfenites were part of a suite of "one mineral many shapes" Here is the whole case.
Description: |
|
Viewed: |
36963 Time(s) |
|
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
simonoff
Joined: 16 Feb 2009
Posts: 161
|
Posted: Jul 21, 2012 19:39 Post subject: Re: Smithsonian 2012 |
|
|
Ok, now on to the case called "Mineral Friends"
Description: |
|
Viewed: |
36989 Time(s) |
|
Description: |
|
Viewed: |
36977 Time(s) |
|
Description: |
|
Viewed: |
36988 Time(s) |
|
Description: |
|
Viewed: |
36989 Time(s) |
|
Description: |
|
Viewed: |
36970 Time(s) |
|
Description: |
|
Viewed: |
36991 Time(s) |
|
Description: |
|
Viewed: |
36983 Time(s) |
|
Description: |
|
Viewed: |
37013 Time(s) |
|
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
simonoff
Joined: 16 Feb 2009
Posts: 161
|
Posted: Jul 21, 2012 19:46 Post subject: Re: Smithsonian 2012 |
|
|
These two are form the India Minerals Case
Description: |
Mesolite and apophyllite from Poona, India |
|
Viewed: |
36976 Time(s) |
|
Description: |
|
Viewed: |
36960 Time(s) |
|
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
simonoff
Joined: 16 Feb 2009
Posts: 161
|
Posted: Jul 21, 2012 20:25 Post subject: Re: Smithsonian 2012 |
|
|
Now from the zeolites case
Description: |
|
Viewed: |
36960 Time(s) |
|
Description: |
|
Viewed: |
36978 Time(s) |
|
Description: |
|
Viewed: |
36947 Time(s) |
|
Description: |
|
Viewed: |
36985 Time(s) |
|
Description: |
|
Viewed: |
36977 Time(s) |
|
Description: |
|
Viewed: |
36988 Time(s) |
|
Description: |
|
Viewed: |
37061 Time(s) |
|
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
simonoff
Joined: 16 Feb 2009
Posts: 161
|
Posted: Jul 21, 2012 20:43 Post subject: Re: Smithsonian 2012 |
|
|
Now from the Silicate Gallery
Description: |
|
Viewed: |
36957 Time(s) |
|
Description: |
|
Viewed: |
36948 Time(s) |
|
Description: |
|
Viewed: |
36963 Time(s) |
|
Description: |
|
Viewed: |
36969 Time(s) |
|
Description: |
|
Viewed: |
36970 Time(s) |
|
Description: |
|
Viewed: |
36957 Time(s) |
|
Description: |
Sugilite from South Africa. This was fun listening to a group of women try to pronounce. They saw me photographing it, so assumed I knew something. One asked me how to pronounce it - I told it it was named after Dr Sugi ... so .... |
|
Viewed: |
36990 Time(s) |
|
Description: |
|
Viewed: |
36975 Time(s) |
|
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
simonoff
Joined: 16 Feb 2009
Posts: 161
|
Posted: Jul 21, 2012 21:21 Post subject: Re: Smithsonian 2012 |
|
|
From the phosphates, Arsenates, and Vanadates Gallery.
Description: |
|
Viewed: |
36952 Time(s) |
|
Description: |
|
Viewed: |
36960 Time(s) |
|
Description: |
|
Viewed: |
36896 Time(s) |
|
Description: |
|
Viewed: |
36970 Time(s) |
|
Description: |
|
Viewed: |
36920 Time(s) |
|
Description: |
|
Viewed: |
36926 Time(s) |
|
Description: |
|
Viewed: |
36987 Time(s) |
|
Description: |
|
Viewed: |
36987 Time(s) |
|
Description: |
|
Viewed: |
36937 Time(s) |
|
Description: |
|
Viewed: |
36970 Time(s) |
|
Description: |
|
Viewed: |
36954 Time(s) |
|
Description: |
|
Viewed: |
36950 Time(s) |
|
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
Matt_Zukowski
Site Admin
Joined: 10 Apr 2009
Posts: 707
Location: Alaska
|
Posted: Jul 21, 2012 22:02 Post subject: Re: Smithsonian 2012 |
|
|
Thanks to the Simonoffs (Jessica? Bob?) for another series of photos from another place displaying minerals. Separately, I have been reading about Googles efforts to photo/map the insides of museums, just like with their Street View app. The Simonoff picts prompted me to go see if Google had mapped the insides of the mineral hall yet. What i found instead was a wonderful app from the Smithsonian that does the same thing. Go to:
https://www.mnh.si.edu/vtp/1-desktop/
(link normalized by FMF)
Look to the upper right of your screen and click on the button marked "second," which will take you to the second floor. Clicking that button also brings up a map, and you can click on any of the blue dots in the hall of minerals to fly to that location. When you walk around, you sometimes see a camera icon that you can click to bring up better photos of areas.
I have just spent the past fifteen minutes virtually walking around the Smithsonian, trying to put the excellent Simonoff pictures in context. Much FUN!
I wonder when Google or other museums put similar things up on the web.
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
Tobi
Site Admin
Joined: 07 Apr 2009
Posts: 4102
Location: Germany
|
Posted: Jul 22, 2012 02:52 Post subject: Re: Smithsonian 2012 |
|
|
Thank you for this wonderful pictures!
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
Jordi Fabre
Overall coordinator of the Forum
Joined: 07 Aug 2006
Posts: 4894
Location: Barcelona
|
Posted: Jul 22, 2012 03:55 Post subject: Re: Smithsonian 2012 |
|
|
Tobi wrote: | Thank you for this wonderful pictures! |
Absolutely! ;-)
Good pics by the way....
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
John S. White
Site Admin
Joined: 04 Sep 2006
Posts: 1295
Location: Stewartstown, Pennsylvania, USA
|
Posted: Jul 22, 2012 04:48 Post subject: Re: Smithsonian 2012 |
|
|
Bob:
Those are some of the best photos that anyone has posted of minerals on display, very nice work! It is not easy to obtain such fine photos of minerals behind glass.
_________________ John S. White
aka Rondinaire |
|
Back to top |
|
|
bugrock
Joined: 24 Nov 2008
Posts: 137
Location: Michigan
|
Posted: Jul 22, 2012 07:36 Post subject: Re: Smithsonian 2012 |
|
|
Agree these images are great for objects behind glass. Can you share your methods?
Did you edit these images to avoid reflections?
George
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
simonoff
Joined: 16 Feb 2009
Posts: 161
|
Posted: Jul 22, 2012 09:06 Post subject: Re: Smithsonian 2012 |
|
|
Wow thanks everyone! What a wonderful thing to see first thing in the morning. I have taken photos at the Smithsonian before and gotten glare (even somehow gotten photos of myself instead of the case contents). I tried using my hand and/or paper as a diffuser and still was not happy. So I took these without flash, as an experiment, to see what would happen.
I set the camera to Av mode. This pinned the aperture to my selected setting, f4, since that would let it in the most light. Then I turned the ISO to the lowest number that allowed enough time so the shutter would stay open for more than 1/60 of a second. For most cases that was 800, but for some it was 1600, like the cat's eyes that will be posted later on. Then I braced as best I could for each shot. When the first 2 were minerals ok, I shot the rest. I also found that placing the camera lens against the plastic - yes lens touching the plastic GENTLY - eliminated almost all reflections of me, other guests and kids doing things I won't mention.
In Photoshop, I use white balance and unsharp mask automatically on all pictures. I found that in all cases where the color still looked wrong, after white balancing, Auto Color Correction seemed to fix it. There were a small number of pictures that had glare from the plastic, probably because of a picture being taken behind me. After some experimentation I found that gamma correction reduced or eliminated the glare when it was not too bad. Several of these pictures, however, were not fixable by me without doing artwork, so they are not posted. Unfortunately, one was a Les Farges pyromorphite that was incredible. There were a few shots that were embarrassingly crooked, Photoshop has a fix for that. I try very hard to use ONLY tools that keep the picture honest and avoid those that create artworks. The tools I listed are really the only ones I know other than cropping :-)
I hope that doesn't disappoint you or ruin the photos for you. But I have found Photoshop to be helpful when used in small doses. I have tried very hard to make accurate pictures of the minerals using these tools and these tools only. And I threw out about 2-3% of the pictures as not salvageable. I honestly think the biggest help was in getting the best picture within my skill initially (no flash, Av mode, camera against the plastic), since only a small number of shots were rescued by gamma correction..
Bob
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
simonoff
Joined: 16 Feb 2009
Posts: 161
|
Posted: Jul 22, 2012 10:23 Post subject: Re: Smithsonian 2012 |
|
|
How about some more
Description: |
|
Viewed: |
36683 Time(s) |
|
Description: |
|
Viewed: |
36692 Time(s) |
|
Description: |
Had to get a second shot - closer. I LOVE this piece. Ok I love most of the pieces ... |
|
Viewed: |
36680 Time(s) |
|
Description: |
|
Viewed: |
36684 Time(s) |
|
Description: |
Another closer view of the prior piece, since I think this one is pretty special as well. |
|
Viewed: |
36659 Time(s) |
|
Description: |
|
Viewed: |
36672 Time(s) |
|
Description: |
|
Viewed: |
36685 Time(s) |
|
Description: |
|
Viewed: |
36650 Time(s) |
|
Description: |
|
Viewed: |
36656 Time(s) |
|
Description: |
|
Viewed: |
36675 Time(s) |
|
Description: |
|
Viewed: |
36662 Time(s) |
|
Description: |
|
Viewed: |
36655 Time(s) |
|
Description: |
|
Viewed: |
36698 Time(s) |
|
Description: |
|
Viewed: |
36666 Time(s) |
|
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
simonoff
Joined: 16 Feb 2009
Posts: 161
|
Posted: Jul 22, 2012 10:28 Post subject: Re: Smithsonian 2012 |
|
|
Bored yet? These are from the carbonates and borates case
Description: |
|
Viewed: |
36666 Time(s) |
|
Description: |
|
Viewed: |
36657 Time(s) |
|
Description: |
|
Viewed: |
36687 Time(s) |
|
Description: |
|
Viewed: |
36671 Time(s) |
|
Description: |
|
Viewed: |
36672 Time(s) |
|
Description: |
|
Viewed: |
36682 Time(s) |
|
Description: |
|
Viewed: |
36667 Time(s) |
|
Description: |
|
Viewed: |
36661 Time(s) |
|
Description: |
|
Viewed: |
36671 Time(s) |
|
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
simonoff
Joined: 16 Feb 2009
Posts: 161
|
Posted: Jul 22, 2012 10:30 Post subject: Re: Smithsonian 2012 |
|
|
From the Oxides Case
Description: |
|
Viewed: |
36617 Time(s) |
|
Description: |
|
Viewed: |
36644 Time(s) |
|
Description: |
I will post this one, however, I am not happy with the way it came out |
|
Viewed: |
36637 Time(s) |
|
Description: |
Oh no, out of focus ... oh well, sorry everyone |
|
Viewed: |
36651 Time(s) |
|
Description: |
|
Viewed: |
36628 Time(s) |
|
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
|