Cretaceous

[Mike Owens]

Trying out some photos to see how they look. I view them on a TV screen & sometimes they look ok to me, but not to the majority of y'all on your computer moniters. Please comment.

Thanks

Edited on 11-03-2007.

I will identify the photos with what little information I have. I welcome anyone who has more information to please add it.

Photo#1: Iron pyrite rosette.

Photo#2: Shark teeth.

Photo#3: Echinoid (as found).

Photo#4: Echinoid (cleaned).

Photo#5: From left to right. Aquatic reptile tooth. Mosasaur Clidastes / Fish tooth. Enchodus / Saw fish tooth. Ischyrhiza mira / Shell crusher fish tooth. Pycnodont / Fish tooth. Portheus molossus (Xiphactinus).

Harry, this is the best I can do on short notice. Also, was it you who was suppose to remind me in mid october about finding an Echinoid in my shed?- Mike

[Harry Pristis]

Trying out some photos to see how they look. I view them on a TV screen & sometimes they look ok to me, but not to the majority of y'all on your computer moniters. Please comment.

Thanks

I think you should experiment with the lighting -- some of these images seem slightly "over-exposed." Try different things until you get images that are "breath-taking." (Don't ask me to quantify that!) The beauty of digital photography is that you can take as many images as you want -- learn by doing.

I don't know what the limitations of your camera/software are. Close-ups are challenging. I find it easiest to make a high definition (lots of pixels) image and crop it and manipulate it to a useful size with software.

For example the image of the andradite garnet(?) takes up only about 16% of the available image space. You might have taken a high-def image of the crystal, then cropped all the margin, and still would have to bring the image down to a useful size with your software. You could make this garnet the size of a baseball. This is process I used with the Glass Mountains invertebrates.

Keep experimenting and sharing!

-------Harry Pristis

[ebrocklds]

good pictures overall. i prefer a white or black background over the yellow.

[Mike Owens]

I think you should experiment with the lighting -- some of these images seem slightly "over-exposed." Try different things until you get images that are "breath-taking." (Don't ask me to quantify that!) The beauty of digital photography is that you can take as many images as you want -- learn by doing.

I don't know what the limitations of your camera/software are. Close-ups are challenging. I find it easiest to make a high definition (lots of pixels) image and crop it and manipulate it to a useful size with software.

For example the image of the andradite garnet(?) takes up only about 16% of the available image space. You might have taken a high-def image of the crystal, then cropped all the margin, and still would have to bring the image down to a useful size with your software. You could make this garnet the size of a baseball. This is process I used with the Glass Mountains invertebrates.

Keep experimenting and sharing!

-------Harry Pristis

Thats what I'm doing -- trial & error. So far mostly error. The mineral is called Iron Pyrite Rosette. There is an old pit a few miles south of me that you can dig them out of the limestone walls. I understand they are sought after by the Rock Hounds. I hope to do some more T & E tomorrow. Thanks for the encouragement.

[Harry Pristis]

Thats what I'm doing -- trial & error. So far mostly error. The mineral is called Iron Pyrite Rosette. There is an old pit a few miles south of me that you can dig them out of the limestone walls. I understand they are sought after by the Rock Hounds. I hope to do some more T & E tomorrow. Thanks for the encouragement.

Pyrite! Interesting. Little pyrite balls from Western Kansas were popular with the crystal-healing folks a while back -- there was a whole mythology about them.

Here's what I thought you had there. These are andradite garnets I bought from a fossil dealer in Erfoud, Morocco. I don't know anything else about them. Some are larger, some smaller, and they occur fused into multiples.

Give us some information about the fossils in your images, Mike.

------Harry Pristis

[Mike Owens]

Pyrite! Interesting. Little pyrite balls from Western Kansas were popular with the crystal-healing folks a while back -- there was a whole mythology about them.

Here's what I thought you had there. These are andradite garnets I bought from a fossil dealer in Erfoud, Morocco. I don't know anything else about them. Some are larger, some smaller, and they occur fused into multiples.

Give us some information about the fossils in your images, Mike.

------Harry Pristis

Harry - I can see why you thought it was an Andradite Garnet. I managed to take what I think is a much clearer photo that shows it's true coloration. They may be the same thing called something different in each location where found, but I'll have to leave it to a mineral expert to determine that. Check out the photo below. Are yours this color? - Mike

[Harry Pristis]

Harry - I can see why you thought it was an Andradite Garnet. I managed to take what I think is a much clearer photo that shows it's true coloration. They may be the same thing called something different in each location where found, but I'll have to leave it to a mineral expert to determine that. Check out the photo below. Are yours this color? - Mike

Now, that's an excellent image, Mike!

Mine? My garnets? The garnets are black. I keep trying to see some red, but they seem opaque. Maybe if I have one faceted, I could get some color.

I don't have a pyrite ball from Kansas. I recall they come in two crystal forms -- one supposedly male, the other female, if you're a crystal-healing believer. I admit that I had an ethical problem selling healing crystals, though I have sold a few display crystals to individuals who could "feel their power!"

I have had such bad luck with pyrite. I have probably a dozen pyritized ammonoids from Europe that are just decaying in their display boxes. It is so disappointing and frustrating. What's your experience with these pyrite balls?

-------Harry Pristis

[Mike Owens]

Now, that's an excellent image, Mike!

Mine? My garnets? The garnets are black. I keep trying to see some red, but they seem opaque. Maybe if I have one faceted, I could get some color.

I don't have a pyrite ball from Kansas. I recall they come in two crystal forms -- one supposedly male, the other female, if you're a crystal-healing believer. I admit that I had an ethical problem selling healing crystals, though I have sold a few display crystals to individuals who could "feel their power!"

I have had such bad luck with pyrite. I have probably a dozen pyritized ammonoids from Europe that are just decaying in their display boxes. It is so disappointing and frustrating. What's your experience with these pyrite balls?

-------Harry Pristis

I've had this one for about 30 years. Some pyrite doesn't hold up well, but theses do.

Mike

[Roz]

Don't know if it's true or not, but I was told to keep marcasite (form of pyrite), I needed to cover it in oil. Have a small

container of them somewhere (just my favorites)

[Mike Owens]

Don't know if it's true or not, but I was told to keep marcasite (form of pyrite), I needed to cover it in oil. Have a small

container of them somewhere (just my favorites)

Never heard of putting them in oil, Roz. I only have a few left as the majority disintergrated. Got mine out of the blue shale in the bottom of Bear Creek about 25 years ago. Where did you get yours?