Natrolite, An Evolution

Natrolite

No!  This is not a mushroom but rather natrolite from Tic Canyon, California, whose formula is Na2Al2Si2O10 · 2H2O.  It belongs to the zeolite group and is hydrated sodium and aluminum silicate.  I made this image today, April 20, 2018.

I started photographing it on March 5, 2018.  I made this one on April 3, 2018, a resumption after a digression to photographing another mineral to test my lighting.   

Natrolite

I changed my lighting setup from using softboxes to the Fotodiox Led 440 Portable Studio because the soft boxes became crowded around the tiny subject.  The led lights are in the top and I hung the white nylon material which came with the unit so that the led lights would be like a softbox.

Fotodiox LED 440 Portable Studio

This studio is for product photography and works great for my use.

Natrolite

I use a white card cut to the size of my pedestal so that custom white balance is a breeze.  Instead of sticking the subject to the white card, I installed a screw upon which to mount my subject thereby saving the white card from the damage of the tic-tac to its surface.

Natrolite

I came to think that I must show the natrolite with the crystals pointed upward.  After that revelation this is the last shot of it inverted which I turned 180°.

Natrolite

 I decided that I would need a low tone back ground to make the crystals stand out after making this capture.  (To be continued} 

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