Amethystguy & Jypsie tackle rough stones head on...

[Jypsie]

Hi Amethystguy! I saw your first stone, it''s beautiful! Great job

I have a question for you - are you finding taking pictures of your finished products difficult? What kind of camera are you using? Your picture looked great... I have not posted a picture of my first stones, the pictures are horrendous! I''ve struggled with this for a long time now, I think it may be my camera, but I''m not sure.

I''d really like it, if you don''t mind, to track our progress in pictures and to share experiences. I too am using Jeff Graham''s books and some discussions that I''ve had with him via phone and email to learn.

What machine did you go with? I am using an omni-e and I absolutely LOVE it! My husband is getting more and more intrigued as he sees me totally get lost in the hobby for hours on end... I think it''s just a matter of time before he''s getting into it and we''re needing to invest in another machine, I''m interested in experiences on other machines, if you are using something different.

Anyway, thanks - hope to see this thread grow and for our stones and pictures to improve with each new post.

 

[Barrett]

It is very difficult to take a good photograph of a stone...of course you have to take 10-20 pics and then pick the best one. i have a solux light and the exact same setup..my only problem is the camera..it can take good closeups but only when the camera is real close..i need to be able to take closeups with the camera 6-10 inches away to be really effective..all i have is a $120 brand new olympus and $60 bucks used on ebay..it's probably the best for that price.$60..heck thats the price of eating out one weekend..it's got a super macro that is awesome..of course if you want real good pics like the pros take the camera/lens has to be better..I am using a Graves and just got 2 batt laps and a darkside from gearloose today so will be ready to step it up a notch..any of you ladies need a new camera and don't want to spend a lot check out the olympus Fe-360..a buddy of mine who sells minerals turned me onto it...it does alright for gems with the proper lighting and real good for minerals..the only thing i wish it had was a manuel focus