Bloke Loc: Waynesboro, Pennsylvania

I have been working on my technique with these, and I think I am getting better. Certainly I don't have to spend quite as much time in PP with this batch.

I have started taking a natural light non-stacked image along with the stack of each specimen, so that you can see what they look like before I start working. I suppose the next step would be a natural light stack, but I need some much brighter days for that.

I have quite a few ready to show now, plus I am still shooting new stuff...

This batch is a small colourful geode which has been cut and polished on one face. I have the cut face, and also the back so you can see the colour. These colours are natural, not bumped up in processing.

Polished face, natural light

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Polished face, stacked

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Outside view, natural

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Outside face, stacked

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Dixiegirl Loc: Alabama gulf coast

Beautiful specimens, Phil, and excellent shots. The first two look like something to eat. :-D

Bloke Loc: Waynesboro, Pennsylvania

I loved the colours... I bought these in the gift shop of a reptile park in Texas between San Antonio and Austin. They had quite a box of them, so I obtained a few for my collection. These ones are probably the most colourful of them.

Dixiegirl Loc: Alabama gulf coast

:thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

DOOK Loc: Maclean, Australia

Excellent work, Phil. :D :D

Bloke Loc: Waynesboro, Pennsylvania

We were talking a few weeks ago, about my posts not appearing to me... This one does not display anywhere. Yesterday, I posted to the true macro group, and went to look, that post was listed in the 'upcoming topics', as I would expect. Then I posted one here, and went I checked *that* one was listed in upcoming topics, but the other one had disappeared.

It seemed like it had been working better since we had that discussion, and I thought maybe somebody had fixed a problem or something. Now, who knows?

The only way I can access this thread is going through the 'my topics' selection on the menu...

DOOK Loc: Maclean, Australia

Phil, this thread shows up in two places, which is normal. It is listed in 'Close up Photography' & also in 'Newest Topics'. Do you look under these sections? Earl.

Dixiegirl Loc: Alabama gulf coast

Phil, the upcoming topics section is static. When someone else posts, one of the topics appearing is dropped and replaced by the new post.

Corolyn Loc: Live in TN

Very nice specimens, Phil. You are just the person I was trying to remember….I posted a photo of some of my rocks (outside) and there was a green rock? to the left in the photo…please check out Some rocks and etc post of mine and see if you know what it is. Some one else commented and wanted to know if it was a jewel :roll: :lol: I did find a nice smooth piece of jasper in my garden when digging for a new plant. So who knows it might be a gem! :-D :-D :-D Corolyn

Bloke Loc: Waynesboro, Pennsylvania

On my page, it doesn't appear in either of these places...
Sometimes, my posts *have* been visible in their respective sections, but usually I don't see them at all. It is inconvenient if I am trying to look back at someone's response. I just figured out today that I *can* go to "My Topics" and see it, but why doesn't it display?

I have posted, and I have no idea if it has posted successfully until someone posts a reply to the thread. Is this just me???

Bloke Loc: Waynesboro, Pennsylvania

Sorry, I did read your post this morning, and I meant to add a comment, but my 2 braincells don't always talk to each other...

I really can't identify stuff... I have a load of trouble with my own, really. I normally cut&paste the picture and description from the eBay ad, and stick it in my 'catalogue' file. When I get specimens from club meetings or somewhere like that, if I lose the info, I am doomed!

I bought a couple of grab-bags of samples from eBay years ago, and haven't done anything with them because of the id problem. I have tentatively identified some of them from the list that came with them, but there are a whole bunch that are just 'pretty rocks'.

You do have some nice stuff in your garden! I really like the white ones to the right of that green thing. Also, being wet and glossy makes it harder to tell. The green one *looks* more like obsidian, or some other kind of 'glass', but I think it is just with it being wet.

I have quite a few 'gemstones' in my collection, but they are none of them gem-quality. I have rubies, a nice sapphire, opals... If they were even good quality, I couldn't afford them at all! None of mine are really worth anything. I think the most I paid was about $50, and that was for the cut and acid-etched meteorite slice which I think I posted a few weeks ago.

DOOK Loc: Maclean, Australia

Phil, it looks as though you are only checking on the Digest (I haven't used the Digest for years). Check my attached pic below. If you click on 'Newest Topics', your post will definitely be there, as all posts are listed here. All posts will be pushed down the list as more topics are posted. When you post, it will be listed at the top of the list, but will rapidly move down. After 24 hours, it will probably be 6 or 7 pages back.

Also, if you click 'Home', it will list the various sections. If the section you want isn't listed, go to the bottom where it says 'All sections'. Find the one that you want (Close up, for example) & subscribe to it. Hope this helps, Phil.

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suci Loc: Texas

Beautiful colors.

Bloke Loc: Waynesboro, Pennsylvania

Ok, thanks for the info. I have always used the daily digest. It seems that if you go through the other way, you get hundreds of threads to sort through...

So, I *can* get to them in various ways, but why don't they show up in the digest? That seems the neatest, most logical place to show them...

Bloke Loc: Waynesboro, Pennsylvania

Thanks, and they really are not 'pushed' in any way. I adjust exposure if needed, crop and zoom sometimes, and check noise and sharpness, but I don't play with saturation. Most of my stuff I got because I think it is pretty as is, and that is what I want to show people.