Nathan Renfro's guest appearances

Nathan Renfro

B&H Photography Podcast

Gemology Worldwide

Michael Young

Keith Carter

Irving Penn

Kesha Lambert

Art Wolfe

Stella Johnson

Marc Silber

Mark Thiessen

David Burnett

Sebastian Meyer

Omar Z. Robles

Gulnara Samoilova

Craig Semetko

Ami Vitale

Ralph Gibson

OwlTail

It’s macro week at the Explora blog and you’ll find many helpful articles and videos about the tools, techniques, and practitioners of macro photography. On the podcast, however, we go deeper than macro, like 1000x deeper—our conversation is with geologist, gemologist, and microscopist Nathan Renfro, of the Gemological Institute of America. Renfro is a renowned photomicrographer, and his images of the interiors of gems, with their unique inclusions and imperfect perfections, are stunning color abstractions of the natural world. With Renfro we speak about the art, craft, and science of photomicrography—using  microscopes to make photos, and how he documents the inner life of a stone. Renfro got his start in gemology thanks to the collection of rocks and gems his grandfather, a miner from North Carolina, left to him. From this collection a fascination grew, ultimately taking him to G.I.A. as a protégé of John Koivula, noted gemologist and author of the Photo Atlas of Gems series. Renfro himself has become one of the leading image makers in his field, and we discuss the tools and techniques he uses to create his work, including fiber optic lighting, focus stacking, and Differential Interference Contrast. We also discuss the surprisingly simple  cameras that he uses, as well as the adapters,  filters, and apps that enable his wonderful creations. We ask about the advantages that  mirrorless photography holds for his craft, about the commercial and scientific applications of his work, and how traditional photography with a standard  zoom lens has improved his understanding of composition and color, thus benefitting his photomicrography. Join us for this exploration deep into microverses, which are as complex and unique as any place on earth or beyond. Guest: Nathan Renfro Photograph © Nathan Renfro Today’s episode of the B&amp;H Photography Podcast was produced using  Audio-Technica Microphones.

It’s macro week at the <a href="https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Explora</a> blog and you’ll find many helpful articles and videos about the tools, techniques, and practitioners of macro photography. On the <a href="https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/podcasts" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">podcast</a>, however, we go deeper than macro, like 1000x deeper—our conversation is with geologist, gemologist, and microscopist <a href="https://www.instagram.com/microworldofgems/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Nathan Renfro</a>, of the <a href="https://www.gia.edu/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Gemological Institute of America</a>. Renfro is a renowned photomicrographer, and his images of the interiors of gems, with their unique inclusions and imperfect perfections, are stunning color abstractions of the natural world. With Renfro we speak about the art, craft, and science of photomicrography—using <a href="https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/browse/Microscopes/ci/12412/N/4220238042" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> microscopes</a> to make photos, and how he documents the inner life of a stone. Renfro got his start in gemology thanks to the collection of rocks and gems his grandfather, a miner from North Carolina, left to him. From this collection a fascination grew, ultimately taking him to G.I.A. as a protégé of John Koivula, noted gemologist and author of the Photo Atlas of Gems series. Renfro himself has become one of the leading image makers in his field, and we discuss the tools and techniques he uses to create his work, including fiber optic lighting, focus stacking, and Differential Interference Contrast. We also discuss the surprisingly simple <a href="https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1346734-REG/canon_eos_6d_mark_ii.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> cameras</a> that he uses, as well as the adapters, <a href="https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/browse/Round-Filters/ci/16041/N/4026728367" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> filters</a>, and apps that enable his wonderful creations. We ask about the advantages that <a href="https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1577838-REG/sony_ilce7sm3_b_alpha_a7s_iii_mirrorless.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> mirrorless</a> photography holds for his craft, about the commercial and scientific applications of his work, and how traditional photography with a standard <a href="https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1274709-REG/canon_ef_24_105mm_f_4l_is.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> zoom lens</a> has improved his understanding of composition and color, thus benefitting his photomicrography. Join us for this exploration deep into microverses, which are as complex and unique as any place on earth or beyond. Guest: Nathan Renfro Photograph © Nathan Renfro Today’s episode of the B&amp;H Photography Podcast was produced using <a href="https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/browse/Audio-Technica/ci/15748/N/4232861079" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Audio-Technica</a> Microphones.

Photomicrography of Gems, with Nathan Renfro

In episode 11 of Gemology Worldwide, Lauryn and Josh talk about the vast world of gemstone inclusions, from microscope techniques to the differences between natural and synthetic inclusions. Then, they interview Nathan Renfro, a gemologist and photomicrographer for the GIA.

Gemstone Inclusions with Nathan Renfro