I received a unique call from an auction house – a nice one. They needed to photograph a collection of fossils that the owner wanted to sell at auction.  The set included very small pieces as well as very large ones including a “slice” of stone containing hundreds of embedded fossils that measured about 8 feet wide. The caveat – it all must be photographed on gray seamless inside the owner’s home in Georgetown. Georgetown homes are not known for their spacious interiors. In fact, we had to set up the seamless parallel to the long dimension of the home because even the widest part of the living area couldn’t accommodate a 9 foot seamless with stands.

Every image had to look great to entice buyers to bid on the pieces. Plus, even the minutest of details had to show through in order for people to see exactly what they were getting. Fossil collectors are a finicky bunch and certain marks or cracks could mean the difference between hundreds of dollars. This ended up being one of my favorite assignments over the years not just because of the unique subject matter, but it was also challenging, but highly rewarding; tiring, but somehow energizing; educational, enlightening and memorable.

The pictured image is of a Hadrosaur skull, quite intact. Note the rows of tiny, flat teeth indicating it was herbivorous.

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