The Minerals Photography Blog

Mineral photography, collection management, studio practice. This blog is written for collectors who know their specimens and want to understand what goes into photographing, documenting and presenting them properly. Not a general photography blog. Not a beginner’s guide to minerals.

Articles that assume you already know what you are looking at, and that go into the detail that actually matters: how light behaves on a specific surface, why documentation changes what a collection is worth, what it takes to build a catalog that works the way a collector thinks. One article per month, on subjects that come directly from the work.

Mesolite acicular crystal spray over pale green apophyllite cluster reflected on black surface, macro photography by Minerals Photography© Minerals Photography — Camarda Visual Studio LLC

When the Specimen Cannot Come to the Studio

Some specimens cannot come to the studio. Two stories from the field.
Prehnite botryoidal green globes with dark epidote crystals on black reflective surface, macro photography by Minerals Photography© Minerals Photography — Camarda Visual Studio LLC

How to Photograph Your Mineral Collection with a Smartphone

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Do all minerals deserve to be photographed by a professional? Probably not. A practical guide to getting started with your smartphone.
Quartz crystal cluster with yellow halloysite coating on terminations reflected on black mirror surface, macro photography by Minerals Photography© Minerals Photography — Camarda Visual Studio LLC

The Invisible Risks Every Mineral Collector Should Know

The risks that damage mineral specimens are not always the obvious ones. Shock is just the beginning.
Close-up macro view of translucent green cuprosklodowskite needle crystals in overlapping radiating fans with orange starburst satellite clusters — macro photography by Minerals Photography© Minerals Photography — Camarda Visual Studio LLC

Macro and Microphotography — What Your Mineral Specimens Look Like Beyond the Naked Eye

What macro and microphotography reveal about mineral specimens that the naked eye cannot see, and why it changes the way collectors understand their collection.
Deep blue-violet halite cubic crystal on mirror background with full reflection — mineral specimen photography by Minerals Photography© Minerals Photography — Camarda Visual Studio LLC

Why We Use a Mirror Background for Mineral Photography

Why Minerals Photography uses a black mirror background for mineral specimen photography, how it works, when it does not, and what it actually costs to use it correctly.
Blue-green fluorite cubic crystal cluster on calcite matrix with metric scale bar, mineral specimen measurement photography by Minerals Photography© Minerals Photography — Camarda Visual Studio LLC

Mineral Collection and Insurance

A collector drops an aquamarine. The insurer asks for photographs. There are none. Two real stories about mineral collection insurance and what documentation actually changes.
Chalcopyrite with dolomite mineral specimen — full view on black mirror background showing iridescent magenta gold and teal chalcopyrite crystals on white dolomite matrix, macro photography by Minerals Photography© Minerals Photography — Camarda Visual Studio LLC

An Online Catalog for a Serious Collector

A research institution, a French immunologist, and a collection of over 1,200 mineral specimens. How we built rock-of-science.com: an online catalog organized by species, element and chemical composition, with scientific context for each specimen.