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Joke,

Nice pair of fossil flies. As I new biy around here, I hope that I do not tread on toes by offering two pieces of unsolicited advice.

The first is that the polish "as purchased" on small pieces of amber can easily be improved, for example the small scratches which are evident on the surface of your second picture. Ideally, sue 1 micron followed bu 0.05 micron aluminium oixide suspended in water. Use a small piece of felt, such as found in the lining of jewellery boxes. This will give a finish like the top of a new concert grand piano in a very short time. Another way is to use one of the micro abrasive containing tooth polishes, such as "Pearl Drops". Again, use it on a small piece of felt. You will be amased at how much more detail you will be able to see on your fossils.

The other is about photographing small shiny pieces of amber. To avoid reflections of the lights, like in your second picture, use a diffuser between the light and the fossil. For small pieces, I use a 35 mm film cannister (remember film?) with the bottom sliced off. This gives you a small cylinder to slip over the amber. This will kill the refelctions on shiny surfaces - even beetles. The fly which posed at http://www.dipter...d_id=19661 was lit by twin flashguns about 50 mm from an old film cannister.

Once again, I hope that I do not offend with unsolicited advice.

regards,

Peter