I've known Michael Bainbridge for many years but somehow he had never been to my home or had a look at my collection. We had tried to set a date for some time but, due to our mutually busy schedules, could never make it work. All of that finally changed during the Rochester Mineralogical Symposium in April, 2011. Michael put himself in the Annual Auction as an item to bid on! Whoever was the successful bidder would win a visit from Michael Bainbridge to their home and he would photograph a couple or few of their specimens. As it turns out, I was the successfull bidder in the auction from which all proceeds go to helping the Symposium operate. Ha! I had him! He HAD to visit me now to live up to the Auction committment. We arranged a date and had a great visit. Michael was happy to go through my collection, see the various specimens and learn about the provenance of many.
Michael set up his amazing portable photography studio and captured some very nice images of some of the specimens in my collection. My friend Vic Berzins, from Barrie, came along for the day, as well. We all had a delightful day looking and talking about minerals and watching Michael, a real pro, at work.
Michael Bainbridge can visit YOU, as well! He has reasonable rates and can document the better specimens in your collection if you need excellent images of them for presentations, archives, insurance, cataloguing or for whatever purpose. You can see a smattering of his work at http://www.theoccurrence.ca/Portfolio/Specimens%204.html. If you visit that site you'll learn that Michael is an excellent mineral specimen photographer but also excels in other media, as well.
Michael set up his portable studio and worked his magic on some of my specimens.
Michael seemed to enjoy perusing the drawers for interesting and/or photogenic specimens. My friend Vic Berzins, amazing mineral collector from Barrie, Ontario, observed the goings-on from a strategic perch.
The thing is that he can set up this portable studio pretty well anywhere! It collapses down into one compact bundle and he has a couple of bags for lights and gear. Pretty cool. He could set up at your place any time!
I am very fortunate to have obtained one of these antimony specimens many years ago. One of only 23 specimens recovered from the find, I believe. 4.8cm across.
The Mann Mine is famous for crystallized silvers like this. Very unusual.7.8cm across.
A close-up of the Mann Mine specimen. Unique!
This is an unusual one! Botryoidal safflorite melded together and associated with rivulets of nickeline. 6.5 cm across.
A sweet wire silver specimen from the Cobalt Lode Mine given to me by retired mining eengineer who collected it underground in the 1950's when he worked there as a shift boss. Nice job! 4.2cm tall.
People that have seen this specimen usually get pretty excited! It is a fluorite cube, coated with pyrite on a hematite-coated amethyst crystal from the Thunder Bay area. I have seen a few specimens from this 100+yr old find over the years. Nobody seems to know exactly where they originated, other than "Thunder Bay". 7.0cm across.
