For contouring the relief of small palaeontological or sedimentological objects the method of Shadow Moiré Topography, already successfully applied in other fields, is recommended. When a whitened three-dimensional object is seen or photographed through a grating and the illumining light bundle passes through the same grating, equidistant planes of shadow can be produced. The latter generate contour lines on the object where they intersect its surface. The theory of Shadow Moiré Topography is explained by the principles of geometric optics. A simple and cost effective apparatus is proposed and examples of contoured objects are figured.