Friday, November 6, 2009

Photo Friday: Mortar/Bowl

The major collections projects at the moment are somewhat less photogenic than the process of packing and moving were.

We're doing an inventory. Moving and unpacking was a group effort which involved many people, and sometimes lines of communication get crossed. Right now we're working to make sure that everything is where it ought to be and that our database reflects that.

At the same time, we're using our new Nikon camera to take high quality photos of the collection. We're starting with our mortars and pestles and moving on to the natural history collection. Here's a photo of a bowl or mortar made of volcanic rock:

This piece was collected in Idaho. According to its catalog record, the donor "worked on it" suggesting that he modified it in some way from how he found it. But what precisely was done is hard to tell. It may have been a chunk of volcanic rock, completely unformed, or it may have had the suggestion of a bowl. Another mystery to speculate on.

3 comments:

Britney said...

Wow, what to do? I skimmed over an earlier post where you mentioned your museum has a lot of objects without extensive documentation. What do you think will happen with this rock/bowl? Do you have any idea why it was collected in the first place?

Corinne said...

Hi,
I've really enjoyed reading your blog over the last few months!
What kind of Nikon camera are you using? My museum is in the market for a new camera and I'm really impressed by the quality of this photo.
Thanks!

Lynn Bethke said...

Britney, I believe we will keep the bowl. At this point it's a part of the history of the museum, and part of the first collection. I think we have a lot of "What if?" type stories we can tell with our lesser documented objects.

Corinne, Thank you! We're using a Nikon D60 with a light box and kuhl lights. This photo was then edited using Picassa. But we keep the original, unedited image as well.