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[John Robinson]

I have got to find a way to reduce the glare but a person can see around it. I made some new videos today. Who can I talk to about the Spencer flash?

https://youtu.be/Oxy_l2tk7JY

https://youtu.be/RTD2VWdVvUU


https://youtu.be/U-MoXoa4BH4

[edgarscale]

from what i've read somewhere.......

take a large square box (banana box from grocery store is best), paint ALL the inside matt black. then find a piece of black velvet to lay on your table cut larger than the size of the box bottom with *extra all around .  flip the box over it. now you have a full enclosed black box.  take your picture from the hole in the bottom of the box.  a flash is needed.  the matt black should absorb most of the flash if not all of it to reduces the glare.  velvet (is best but not necessary) is a rich black color and a btch to keep clean so keep it rolled up not folded (it creases) when not in use.  personally i would omit the paint and line the whole box with velvet using glue or staples or pins to keep the velvet on. 

another option is:  paint the box matt black.  cut off one of the shorter sides. so now you have a box sitting upright on your table with one side cut off.  discard the cutoff cardboard.  find a white umbrella to hang/suspend over the box.  using spot lamp(s) aim through the umbrella towards the item.  take your picture with a flash.  the white umbrella diffuses the light.  the black absorbs more of the flash but gives enough light to take pictures.  you will have to tweek the set up by adding more umbrellas with more lights depending on your angle of shots taken.  you may have to build a 2x4" frame over the box to screw on the lamps and maybe another much larger box to fasten the umbrellas on for a more permanent setup. 

*try adding various sized small boxes underneath the velvet to raise the item so that angle and depth shots can be taken.  make sure you take into count the *extra material you will need when cutting the material the first time around (see above).

let me know what changes you would make, good luck and have fun.
 

[John Robinson]

Thanks! I was thinking of building a box frame to backlight some translucent agates - which would double as a nightlight or wall lamp - but I had not thought about building a permanent structure just to photograph stones. It would be a good investment of time and resources as I have already wasted hours taking bad photos.
I think I will build it out of plywood, perhaps with louvres on one end to control exposure, put a camera clamp in a good spot(s) and put a little Lazy Susan on a bolt that I can screw up or down.
I should be able to finally get a good focus if I keep the canera still and can move the stone left or right up or down

Afterthought - louvres could be a real pain, a solid piece of diffusion plastic like the kind used on hanging ceilings would be much easier and one could contol exposure by covering parts of it with a cloth or something

[edgarscale]

i've seen the set up give below and it looks very sharp.  any variation of this is also good and best of all it can be really cheap to build.