Award-winning mineral collector to give advice on “Digital Mineral Photography”. Thursday, February 15, 2007

POUGHKEEPSIE, NY – John Betts, an internationally respected mineral collector and dealer, will give a lecture on "Digital Mineral Photography" on Thursday, February 15, at 7 p.m., in the AULA room in Ely Hall, followed by a reception in the geology and geography department's A. Scott Warthin Museum of Geology and Natural History on the ground floor of Ely Hall. The event is free and open to the public, and convenient parking is available nearby in the North Lot.

Above: Malachite from Lubumbashi, Shaba Copper Belt, Democratic Republic of the Congo (Zaire). www.johnbetts-fineminerals.com

Betts will discuss the tools and techniques of photographing minerals using digital cameras. The presentation will include advice on purchasing a digital camera and a demonstration of manipulating raw images in Photoshop, followed by a general discussion of what makes a good mineral photograph. Audience members are invited to bring a few of their own mineral photographs on a CD for an open critique.

Before becoming a full-time minerals dealer, Betts worked for 23 years as a production designer, including several successful designs for Polaroid and Kodak cameras. In 1990, Fusion Planning magazine (Japan) cited him as one of the top 50 product designers in the U.S. and, in 1994, BusinessWeek magazine awarded him the Gold Design Excellence, its highest honor in design. He earned a BFA in Industrial Design in 1978 from the University of Illinois.

Betts started collecting minerals in 1969, but the interest became more than a hobby during a summer vacation in Maine where he heard the famous mineral collector Stan Perham lecture about the huge beryl crystals discovered at the Bumpus Quarry in Maine. His skills as a prolific field collector lead to modest mineral sales at local mineral shows in the New York City area. In fact, it wasn't until 1996, when he started his rapidly expanding web site, that Betts left design work to devote his full energy to selling minerals.

[Left: Quartz variety smoky with phantom growth from Smoky Bear Claim, Lincoln County, New Mexico. www.johnbetts-fineminerals.com] Now one of the major web sites presenting minerals for sale, johnbetts-fineminerals.com has had almost one million visitors since 1997 and has received several awards, including the title of "The most diverse mineral web site on the Internet" (from mineralcollecting.org). Today, Betts's web site sells more than 5,000 mineral specimens per year to customers around the world. John Betts's lecture is sponsored by the A. Scott Warthin Museum of Geology and Natural History and the Mid-Hudson Valley Gem and Mineral Society of Poughkeepsie.

Individuals with disabilities requiring accommodations should call the Office of Campus Activities at (845) 437-5370. Vassar College is a highly selective, coeducational, independent, residential, liberal arts college founded in 1861.

Individuals with disabilities requiring accommodations or information on accessibility should contact Campus Activities Office at (845) 437-5370. Without sufficient notice, appropriate space and/or assistance may not be available.

Vassar College is a highly selective, coeducational, independent, residential liberal arts college founded in 1861.

This article was posted on Tuesday, February 6th, 2007.