How do I photograph a meteorite well?
Use soft, even light, a plain background, a scale cube or ruler, sharp focus, and several views: whole specimen, crust detail and cut face.
Good photographs record a specimen, help with identification and make sharing with experts or other collectors much easier.
Background. Use a plain, neutral background, such as grey or black card. Avoid busy patterns. For dark meteorites, a mid-grey background often works better than black.
Lighting. Soft, diffused light shows detail best. Daylight from a window, without direct sunlight, works well. Alternatively, use two lamps at angles, softened by tracing paper or a light tent. A low-angle light from one side emphasises surface texture, such as regmaglypts and flow lines. Avoid harsh flash, which creates glare.
Scale. Always include a scale, such as a centimetre cube, a ruler or a coin. Scale cubes are popular with collectors and look neat. Put the scale close to the specimen and at the same distance from the camera.
Focus and stability. Use a tripod or rest the camera on a stable surface. Use a macro mode or lens for close-ups. Check that the specimen is sharp. Focus stacking, combining several images at different focus points, gives detailed close-ups.
Views to take. - The whole specimen, front and back. - Close-ups of crust features. - Cut and polished faces, showing chondrules or metal. Angled light makes metal flecks sparkle. - The label with the specimen.
Colour. Set white balance correctly, perhaps using a grey card, to give accurate colours.
Records. Save photographs with filenames or notes linking them to your catalogue. Photographs are also useful for insurance.