The board is suspended from the ceiling by a pulley and string.  The counter balance is a cluster of quartz crystals from the Burgin property.  With the counter balance I can raise and lower the background in order to accommodate a wide variety of specimen sizes.  The camera is always angled downward into the mirror so that the blue "horizon" line is actually a reflection in the mirror, thus creating the illusion of being further away.  Since the field of view for macro lenses is very small, objects in the background are out of focus.  This is how I achieve the fuzzy or smooth gradient between the black background and the blue "horizon". 

And what's this thing?  It's where my specimens sit.  It is a simple contraption consisting of a large metal bolt, a magnet, a 1 1/2" steel ball bearing, and of course some mineral tac.  This creates a ball and socket joint that allows me to spin, turn, and rotate the specimen into virtually any position I wish.

For larger cabinet size I put a small towel or piece of foam down underneath it to protect the mirror.  With a towel I'm able to fold and tuck sections underneath any side of the specimen in order to position it.  I use regular "white" light variety CFL's.  I purchased the gooseneck lamps at Walmart and Lowes.  I attribute the sharpness I obtain to the macro lense I use which cost more than the camera itself, and the focus stacking software I use, Helicon Focus.  The focus stacking software allows me to open the aperature as wide as it can go for optimal crispness.  The wide open aperature increases the sharpness but narrows the field of view.  This is where the software comes in. I focus in on the specimen at a spot nearest the camera and then take a shot, then adjust the focus further out (away from the camera) and take another shot, and so on.  Think of it like taking 3D slices of the specimens.  The software then blends all of the photos together creating one crisp and sharp image.  I've taken up to 15 or more pictures of one specimen before stacking them. Focus stacking is a great tool and something I would advise for anyone interested in mineral photography or any photography involving motionless subject matter.

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