Selenite
Light that has passed through stone.
Selenite is a crystal, a pale translucent form of gypsum that cleaves into thin sheets. The Greeks named it after the moon, for the light it gives back. Hold a piece up and whatever is behind it softens — still there, just further off now, and paler, with a hint of soft mineral blue.
The highlights take on a pearly, moon-like glow and the blacks go smoky and charcoal, with a silky, even quality between them and colour held back to pale pastels. Bright and pale, but never washed out. Two creative profiles carry it — Selenite cool and quiet, Golden Selenite the same look warmed through — over three base presets and three tools named for the ways the stone carries light.
Selenite is a crystal, a pale translucent form of gypsum that cleaves into thin sheets. The Greeks named it after the moon, for the light it gives back. Hold a piece up and whatever is behind it softens. Still there, just further off now, and paler, with a hint of soft mineral blue. Photographers have been doing this for years. Prisms, crystals, a shard of something held loose in front of the lens, shooting through it to catch what the glass alone won’t give them.
Selenite is that, built as a set. The highlights take on a pearly, moon-like glow. The blacks go smoky and charcoal. Between them the image has a silky, even quality, with color held back to pale pastels. The result is bright and pale, but not washed out. It shines on skin, white fabric, backlight, anything shot into the sun.
Two profiles. Selenite is the base, cool and quiet. Golden Selenite is the same look warmed through, for late afternoon and golden hour.
Three presets on that foundation. 01 is the softest, with the most lift in the shadows. 02 has a touch more contrast and pulls the greens and blues furthest toward pale. 03 keeps more of the color in, for scenes where you want the palette to still read. All three presets carry a fine grain.
Three tools, each named for a way the stone carries light.
Lamina - the thin cleaved sheet, fibres running one way, a leak coming in at the edge.
Isinglass - scatter and transmission, the softness you get through mineral rather than glass.
Amberglass - inspired by golden amber selenite. The warm one, for light with gold still in it.
Selenite is a crystal, a pale translucent form of gypsum that cleaves into thin sheets. The Greeks named it after the moon, for the light it gives back. Hold a piece up and whatever is behind it softens. Still there, just further off now, and paler, with a hint of soft mineral blue. Photographers have been doing this for years. Prisms, crystals, a shard of something held loose in front of the lens, shooting through it to catch what the glass alone won’t give them.
Selenite is that, built as a set. The highlights take on a pearly, moon-like glow. The blacks go smoky and charcoal. Between them the image has a silky, even quality, with color held back to pale pastels. The result is bright and pale, but not washed out. It shines on skin, white fabric, backlight, anything shot into the sun.
Two profiles. Selenite is the base, cool and quiet. Golden Selenite is the same look warmed through, for late afternoon and golden hour.
Three presets on that foundation. 01 is the softest, with the most lift in the shadows. 02 has a touch more contrast and pulls the greens and blues furthest toward pale. 03 keeps more of the color in, for scenes where you want the palette to still read. All three presets carry a fine grain.
Three tools, each named for a way the stone carries light.
Lamina - the thin cleaved sheet, fibres running one way, a leak coming in at the edge.
Isinglass - scatter and transmission, the softness you get through mineral rather than glass.
Amberglass - inspired by golden amber selenite. The warm one, for light with gold still in it.
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"One of my favorite characteristics is the way they handle whites. Whites remain clean rather than shifting overly warm or muddy, but there is also a beautiful, subtle separation within them that allows texture and detail to remain visible. Selenite 01 was my favorite of the three — it enhances the glow of the highlights and introduces a pastel overtone that feels noticeable but still believable. I found myself returning to the Golden Selenite profile quite a bit; the added warmth worked beautifully with golden-hour and backlit beach images. The set feels stylized without pushing an image so far that the original scene disappears."
"This set is perfectly moody, while still being versatile and easy to use. All three tones have a similar overall feel, but each has its own distinct look. Selenite 03 with Amberglass was one of my favourite combos and the one I kept reaching for across all of the images I tested. I also loved the more prismatic look that Isinglass and Lamina gave, and how each preset brought something a little different to the images. Perfect for photographers who love a storytelling, documentary style of work with just the right touch of mood."
Selenite in the Wild
Examples from photographers around the world. Hover to pause, drag to explore.
