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~~~ Specimen Photos ~~~ How Photos Are Taken We take all specimen photos ourselves and do our best to make them as representative and accurate as possible. This can be challenging as cameras may change or enhance important aspects such as colour, contrast and saturation and can easily give a false impression of the specimen. We use daylight bulbs (Solux 4700K halogen lamps) for illumination so that the colours are comparable to those seen under normal daylight conditions. We choose camera settings carefully so as not to artificially enhance colours or contrast and we do not edit photos to improve the appearance of the specimens. We take pictures of the front, sides and back of each specimen. The first photo will typically show the best orientation for display but subsequent photos will give views all round and we try to make sure that where present any damage and contact areas are clearly visible. Photos are taken using a Nikon Coolpix 4500, a digital camera with a superb macro function which enables crystals as small as 1mm to be clearly photographed. This allows a high level of detail to be seen and helps to give an accurate impression of the crystal form, features and textures. However it can be difficult to judge the size of specimens and individual crystals just from the photos so the dimensions given in the description should always be referred to. Viewing Photos Accurately As well as the accuracy of the photos themselves it is important to consider how the images are displayed on your screen. In order for the colours to appear as they should, screens must be correctly balanced and calibrated. The method for calibration varies according to the makes and models but generally includes adjusting settings such as gamma, brightness, colour balance and saturation. There are a number of software packages that can be purchased to perform screen calibrations. Alternatively you can carry out a calibration yourself by viewing a series of images which are designed to help you check your screen settings. We have provided some introductory information and simple instructions to get started with, these can be downloaded as a pdf document using the link below. More detailed information can be found on numerous other websites with a simple internet search. If you don’t attempt to calibrate your screen, or if you use other devices such as tablets and smartphones that have less options for calibration, then keep in mind that images may not be displayed accurately even if they look nice and bright and sharp. Using Taranis Minerals Photos If you would like to use any photos from this website please contact Taranis Minerals and provide details of the intended use. Assuming they are not to be used for commercial purposes and there is no conflict of interest, high resolution images may be supplied on the condition that Taranis Minerals is acknowledged when the photos are used. Please see our Terms & Conditions for further information. |