| Author |
Cleaning and Photographing Cup & Circle stones |
colint
Joined:
29-06-2011
Messages: 15
from Bishop Auckland
 OFF-Line
|  Posted 05-07-2011 at 11:15
I have visited a farm that has a Standing Stone (not recorded). On this farm the farmer for many years has cleared his field of stones, from as large a 2m x 2m x 1m to less than 50cm. Some he has put as a giant rockery on his lawn and others genrally the small ones on a rubble pile for general use. These stones have been on their current sites for many years and are covered in debris and moss.
What should I do to clean them and prepare them for photography. Some appear to have cup and other marks (possibly faces - but I may be halucinating).
The farmer does not want me make public
the location.
 Profile
 Reply
|
colint
Joined:
29-06-2011
Messages: 15
from Bishop Auckland
OFF-Line
| Posted 05-07-2011 at 12:54
Has anyone tried the methods of 3D photography ?
I have photographed inside Egyptian Temples without flash using their Strip lighting to show the engraving. My camera is a digital compact and I probably can only get to the stones in daylight any ideas for a high intensity strip light ?
Maybe using a sun shade.
Possibly a mirror with the Sun - but I think 1 need to make it a strip.
Colin
Profile
Reply
|
davidmorgan
Joined:
23-11-2006
Messages: 1601
from The New Forest
OFF-Line
| Posted 05-07-2011 at 17:42
Anaglyph images of stone carvings work pretty well since they're monochromatic.
I thought about it once but I couldn't find the software to do it. Apparently it's possible in photoshop with layering and incorporating red and cyan layers and merging somehow - plenty of instructions on the net.
The "cha-cha" method of taking the photos seems to work OK for it.
Here's a nice one of Eexterhalte passage grave.
(Get out your 3D specs!).
[ This message was edited by: davidmorgan on 2011-07-05 17:44 ]
Profile
Reply
|
Sunny100
Joined:
20-03-2010
Messages: 216
from Near Nelson, Lancashire
 ON-Line
| Posted 05-07-2011 at 21:27
I'm afraid the place IS already known to many.  That's if its the same place that I know of ?
[ This message was edited by: Sunny100 on 2011-07-06 22:19 ]
Profile
Reply
|
colint
Joined:
29-06-2011
Messages: 15
from Bishop Auckland
OFF-Line
| Posted 08-07-2011 at 19:07
Last night I attended a local history meeting and showed photos of some of the stones on this site. A number of people saw faces on them, but they had seen my photos from Eldon earlier, with a face on.
Now I am seeing faces on many of the stones.
How do you stop people seeing faces on Burnt toast, Clouds, Ink Splats, Cliffs and of course Rocks.
I think I might try broken concrete therapy as I can see them too !
Profile
Reply
|
colint
Joined:
29-06-2011
Messages: 15
from Bishop Auckland
OFF-Line
| Posted 08-07-2011 at 19:08
Ones just appeared on my message.
Profile
Reply
|
cerrig
Joined:
25-09-2009
Messages: 907
from Brecon Beacons
OFF-Line
| Posted 08-07-2011 at 20:14
Profile
Reply
|
sem
Joined:
12-11-2003
Messages: 1704
from Bridgend,S.Wales
ON-Line
| Posted 08-07-2011 at 21:04
Seeing Cerrig and Colint together reminds me of the story of Mike and Bernie Winters appearing at the Glasgow Empire, a famous graveyard for English comedians.
Mike opened the show on his own and after fifteen minutes had raised barely a titter from the hostile audience. Bernie then came on stage, whereupon some wag in the adience shouted "Oh My God.... there's two of them!"
Profile
Reply
|
colint
Joined:
29-06-2011
Messages: 15
from Bishop Auckland
OFF-Line
| Posted 10-07-2011 at 06:17
Yesterday, I visited 2 farms to get permission to walk on their land. Both farms had interesting features/locations.
One of the farmers had a pile of stones near to the farmhouse - got permission to look at it - and permission to remove a small grey/blue stone. In our chat I asked him how he responded to hitting a buried stone in the field.
Modern ploughs have a flip up feature and an automatic reset. Soft stones are not much of a problem, blue stones can damage ploughs and show very little marking. I showed him some of my photos, he thought none of them were the result of multiple plough strikes.
I think he will be carefully looking at any new stones he hits.
Profile
Reply
|
colint
Joined:
29-06-2011
Messages: 15
from Bishop Auckland
OFF-Line
| Posted 10-07-2011 at 07:03
While thinking about photography and lighting, I remembered a small stone (fit in pocket) that I found locally in a field while looking for fossils (yes, we grow them in fields locally, normally they appear before the later food crop is grown ).
I looked through my photos and stones and determined the original location and that the stone had man made markings on much of the surface - short connected straight lines and indentations.
I will try to setup a rotating table and light source to find out the best way I can light this and how it can be translated to large stones in situ.
Has anyone else found small engraved stones on ancient sites ?
Profile
Reply
|
colint
Joined:
29-06-2011
Messages: 15
from Bishop Auckland
OFF-Line
| Posted 10-07-2011 at 09:48
Rotating object test with camera set up approx right angle to sun. Various stones rotated and photographed at 30 deg intervals, stone turned to show bottom face and repeated.
The stone with interesting markings showed up more than I had seen previously and some markings needed 15 deg accuracy to show up clearly.
Sound like a 2 person job to do this on large stones in situ and at night. Alternatively timelapse and a day a stone (half a stone because of the range of sun movement).
Low light and a strong mobile light source, maybe a light triggered slave flash and the camera one shielded from the stone.
Profile
Reply
|
colint
Joined:
29-06-2011
Messages: 15
from Bishop Auckland
OFF-Line
| Posted 10-07-2011 at 09:58
Blue stone hardness, my sample piece I broke with a brickies hammer - along the grain and with extreme force.
I then tried producing a groove with a flint edge scribing it for about 5mins. Some dust appeared, the flint edge was destroyed and after blowing the dust away all that was visible was a slightly smoothed line - no groove.
I will have to contact a Stonemason and find out if Blue stone can be worked.
Profile
Reply
|
Sunny100
Joined:
20-03-2010
Messages: 216
from Near Nelson, Lancashire
ON-Line
|  Posted 11-07-2011 at 18:13
Colin, try contacting Phil Harding at Wessex Archaeology !! 
Profile
Reply
|
colint
Joined:
29-06-2011
Messages: 15
from Bishop Auckland
OFF-Line
| Posted 22-10-2011 at 18:28
Sorry I havn't been active for a while, I was preparing for my 'Images of Eldon' exhibition, including boards on ancient tracks/roadways in the valley and stones with marks (runes images scuptures) found Nearby.
Regards Colin
Profile
Reply
|
Andy B
Joined:
13-02-2001
Messages: 6999
from Surrey, UK
ON-Line
| Posted 22-10-2011 at 19:59
Welcome back, is Images of Eldon still running?
[ This message was edited by: Andy B on 2011-10-22 20:00 ]
Profile
 Email
Reply
|
colint
Joined:
29-06-2011
Messages: 15
from Bishop Auckland
OFF-Line
| Posted 23-10-2011 at 05:40
Unfortunately, as it takes over the whole of St Mark's church it can only run for 3 days, with additional days for setting up and taking down.
So it was open Tuesday to Thursday 10am -8pm.
It will run again in the church next year probably May.
Over 2000 old photos related to the valley mostly 6x4, but many A4. Many maps mostly old, some documents, a few objects and many people talking to each other about the past.
Regards Colin
PS I am looking for a permanent (ish) location for some of the display but nothing yet on the horizon.
Profile
Reply
|
Main News