# Seashells On Black Foam Core



## TonyBritton

One of my favorite tabletop photography projects involves the use of black foam core board. I especially enjoy photographing my seashell collection. In this case, it's all about the wonderful interplay of light & shadow.

Tony

1. Additional use of mirror, of course!





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4. Illuminated




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7.




8.


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## jcdeboever

Very cool


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## smoke665

Really nice set. We did some shelling last month and found what we thought were pretty, but nothing as beautiful as these.


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## Cody'sCaptures

I love the first one! The pearlescent on the middle shell is gorgeous


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## BrentC

Nice!


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## TonyBritton

jcdeboever said:


> Very cool


Thanks!

Tony


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## TonyBritton

smoke665 said:


> Really nice set. We did some shelling last month and found what we thought were pretty, but nothing as beautiful as these.


Thanks. Just to be sure, the ultra-shiny shells have been polished, which despite their enhanced beauty, are always a challenge to photograph in the sense of minimizing "hot spots" due to the lighting. They look especially nice against the black background!

Tony


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## TonyBritton

Cody'sCaptures said:


> I love the first one! The pearlescent on the middle shell is gorgeous


Me too! The additional challenge comes from placing them upon a mirror!

Tony


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## TonyBritton

I hope you'll enjoy these. I'll include starfish, as well.

1.




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4. Illuminated




5.




6.




7.


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## BrentC

How do you polish them?  Love #6!   What possible creature can use a shell like that?  Really weird form for a shell but gorgeous.


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## jcdeboever

Man, I love these!


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## TonyBritton

BrentC said:


> How do you polish them?  Love #6!   What possible creature can use a shell like that?  Really weird form for a shell but gorgeous.


Hi Brent,

I don't polish them myself. There was a shop on a municipal wharf that sold these and I thought they'd be interesting lighting projects. I expect that #6 as well as #1 in this set have been cut / sliced for added visual interest. Number 7 looks like a braking wave! One of my primary goals in these types of black foam core board projects is to present the subject, a seashell in this case, as if viewing an astrophotography image. For example, sunlight striking the "planet" from an oblique angle as if it's floating in the blackness of outer space. I used a similar approach with an aquarium photo of a jellyfish, which I made appear nearly like a photograph of a deep space nebula. I call the jellyfish photo "Inner Space Meets Outer Space."

Tony


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## TonyBritton

jcdeboever said:


> Man, I love these!


Thanks. It's fun to play with light & shadow!

Tony


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## Derrel

EXCELLENT photos! Shot after shot after shot! Well-done!


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## r0r5ch4ch

Very nice set you have there. I would love to try some macros of some of the colorful shells... Very beautiful collection 

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## TonyBritton

Derrel said:


> EXCELLENT photos! Shot after shot after shot! Well-done!


Thanks very much, Derrel. I really enjoyed browsing your excellent website!

Tony


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## TonyBritton

r0r5ch4ch said:


> Very nice set you have there. I would love to try some macros of some of the colorful shells... Very beautiful collection
> 
> Gesendet von meinem SM-G930F mit Tapatalk


Yes, it's a great project that I really enjoy, especially from a lighting standpoint.

Tony


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## TonyBritton

Here's a few more.

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2. Illuminated




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4.




5. Illuminated




6.


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## TonyBritton

I hope you'll enjoy this set.

1. illuminated.
*Even Broken Hearts Can Shine Again



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## smoke665

See you haven't lost your touch. Number 1 is fantastic!


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## annamaria

Beautifully done!! 


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## Gary A.

Wow, wow, wow ... very nice.  I imagine that with some shapes you can spend forever just adjusting the lighting looking for different returns.  Many/most of the shells have been cut and/or polished and/or ground to reveal different layers, chambers and looks.


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## BrentC

Fantastic!   Love #1 and #2.


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## BlackSheep

Wow, all of your shots are beautiful, thanks for showing them here!


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## TonyBritton

smoke665 said:


> See you haven't lost your touch. Number 1 is fantastic!


Thanks for looking and commenting.

Tony


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## TonyBritton

annamaria said:


> Beautifully done!!
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Thank you very much.

Tony


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## TonyBritton

Gary A. said:


> Wow, wow, wow ... very nice.  I imagine that with some shapes you can spend forever just adjusting the lighting looking for different returns.  Many/most of the shells have been cut and/or polished and/or ground to reveal different layers, chambers and looks.


Thanks. Yes, the lighting is the most enjoyable part of this type of project and the polished shells can occasionally present a bit of a lighting challenge, as well.

Tony


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## TonyBritton

BrentC said:


> Fantastic!   Love #1 and #2.


Thanks very much!

Tony


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## TonyBritton

BlackSheep said:


> Wow, all of your shots are beautiful, thanks for showing them here!


Thank you very much!

Tony


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## Steven Dillon

Very nice.  I think the one that has the silver looking reflective surface is my favorite, but you have a nice collection overall.  You also seem to have the lighting down too.


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