If Only I Were A Photographer

[Lloyd]

Finally got around to taking more pictures from my collection.

This set of shells came from J and L Sand Pit in Hardee County Florida. The clams are all complete, I also have a handful of halfs but, eh, I don't really like clams unless I have both sides....

Here's some of my stuff from Rucks Pit in Ft. Drum Florida, Okeechobee County. Rucks is world famous for the honey colored calcite. The pieces pictured on the left have both types: dogtooth and droozy. The Busycon is an anomoly because they are not supposed to have been there during the time the Clam bed was set. The middle picture has complete clams: the two on the bottom are from the calcite area and have a glaze of calcite, the top clam is from the Phosphate section of the pit. The right picture shows shells from the Phosphate area.

[dudeman]

Very nice shells and clams Lloyd. I also love the calcite, nice color. Thanks for posting.

[Lloyd]

Now some things I traded for or bought in stores.

These fish are from the Green River Formation. The Knightia on the top left came from Ancient Artifacts in Winter Park FL. The Knightia on the bottom left also came from Ancient Artifacts, I traded a few slices of Quartz Nodules for it. The two on the right are Leptoditus, I traded Shark Teeth from the Peace River to a guy in Ohio for them.

Here are a few for the Bug lovers out there. They are all from the Green River Formation. I traded Shark Teeth from the Peace River, Kentucky Geodes and 10 pounds of unsearched Peace River gravel from one of my favorite spots for them.

The Moroccan Trilobites on the left were purchased from eBay. I had 15 of them but over the years I gave the other 10 away to schools after giving a fossil presentation for elementary science classes. The Trilobite on the right is Ellipsocephalus hoffi, mid Cambrian in age and from Mount Vyrstrkov in Jince, Czech Republic... I know all this because it, and another of the same type, came labeled when I traded yet more Peace Shark Teeth, Kentucky Geodes, Mt. Ida Quartz and Crinoids from Kentucky and Tennessee for them.

[Lloyd]

Having lived in Charleston SC for a few months in 2009 I'd like to say I found this in the Cooper River but... I don't dive so I did not find any during my time there. I traded two projectile points I found on my grandparents farm a few miles south of Lake Michigan in 1967 for this Cooper River Meg.

[Lloyd]

Some nice stuff Lloyd... but speaking of photography, are you wetting some of these for the photo? (or worse, did you coat them in something permanent?) That generally makes it difficult to get good pics because of the glare. Also depending on the fossil, water will dissolve away certain amount over time so I'd be careful about that. Try different lighting angles and different exposure times etc. and always a tripod.

Cheers.

I got those "shiny" pieces early on and did, in fact, coat them with something permanent. I learned that to be a mistake soon after so stopped doing that, in fact, I stopped coating my stuff with anything. I realize that to also be a mistake, so have followed the threads with information on that subject with some interest as that is a mistake I want to start rectifying. I'm not sure what I'm going to use yet but it's between Butvar and Beeswax <although, since the tip included diluting it with Turpentine... I don't know about that cause I have very few "extra" pieces to practice on>... As for the different exposure times and tripod: I'm using a little point and shoot Kodak camera, I don't think exposures times are really an option for me. I'm a birdwatcher also and want to get a "real" camera for taking those types of pictures but that will have to wait until all my money stops bleeding away to Florida <two sons in college down there>.

[Gray Ghost 27]

Nice fossils. There is alot of fossils and sharks teeth to be found in eastern NC and SC.

[Lloyd]

Nice fossils. There is alot of fossils and sharks teeth to be found in eastern NC and SC.

My mother lives just up the road from you near the racetrack... perhaps you wouldn't mind turning me on to a spot close my next visit?

[Wrangellian]

I got those "shiny" pieces early on and did, in fact, coat them with something permanent. I learned that to be a mistake soon after so stopped doing that, in fact, I stopped coating my stuff with anything. I realize that to also be a mistake, so have followed the threads with information on that subject with some interest as that is a mistake I want to start rectifying. I'm not sure what I'm going to use yet but it's between Butvar and Beeswax <although, since the tip included diluting it with Turpentine... I don't know about that cause I have very few "extra" pieces to practice on>... As for the different exposure times and tripod: I'm using a little point and shoot Kodak camera, I don't think exposures times are really an option for me. I'm a birdwatcher also and want to get a "real" camera for taking those types of pictures but that will have to wait until all my money stops bleeding away to Florida <two sons in college down there>.

Oh well, I have (and still make) my fair share of fossil mistakes.. but as for the photos, if your camera is just a point-and-shoot, just make sure you have sufficient lighting (sun is best) and that the fossil is far enough away from the lens that it can focus - and as long as the photo is clear enough, some of us if necessary can make adjustments to your pics after you have posted them!

If your light level is too low, you need a tripod, there is no getting around that, I have found, except maybe with the flash but the flash isn't always ideal for fossils.

[Lloyd]

Christmas Day Pictures of the rock border by the front porch. Contains a mixture of local rock with material from other places. In the first picture: the geodes are from Kentucky. Next picture has an Agate Nodule from Kentucky and Mercenia parmagna fossils from Florida. Lastly is a small piece of the slate from St. Clair PA.

[Lloyd]

Crinoids from Kentucky and Tennessee. Closer shot of the Geodes on the end of the border.