Thread: Coin Photography Help

Hi all,

I recently discovered (thanks to gbroke) the amazing benefits of 2 lamps/light sources instead of 1. I've been fiddling around for a few hours and here's the best I could come up with:

Original photo:




After using Photoscape, here's what it turned out to look like:




Any tips to make the photo (EDIT: the original photo, not the "edited" Photoscape version) look better? What angles do you photographers put your light sources around the coin? I'm having a hard time positioning them around the coin to give it an even light, while still showing off the luster...while also trying to make sure the light isn't blocked out by my camera lol. I've tried axial lighting, the milk jug, and simple straight on shots (with flash). So far, my current setup is working the best.

On a side note, the camera I'm using is a Panasonic Lumix (around a $150 camera...nothing super fancy). It has max shutter speed 1/250, adjustable +/- exposure, and a moderate macro zoom. It is worth investing in a new camera?

Thanks for the help!
-CB

The picture looks pretty good for a point and shot camera! Place the lights at 10 and 2oclock. Add a third at 12 to get more color and luster. For darker coins, bump up the exposure, for white coins keep it a little lower. With Macro mode you want to try to keep your aperature wide open so the most amount of light gets into the lens. Not sure if you can control aperature on that camera though.

As for a camera, a DSLR with a dedicated Macro lens will ALWAYS do better than a point and shot. But with the proper lens these can cost upwards of $1000.

That image is fantastic!
Now try manually adjusting the white balance of the camera. Take a shot with different levels and see how they turn out. But really, that image is really good as far as I'm concerned. Although, the large image is fairly blurry. The embedded image in your post looks great.

-g

Your lighting position (10 and 2) looks good.

Now change their angle just enough to get the reflections out of the picture.
You don't want them to control your camera settings.
You want as much as possible for the camera to see the light coming only from the coin.
Also try a "mask" to block out the light coming from the white NGC insert; again you're trying see only the light coming off the coin.
(A "mask" is a dark, non-reflective piece that covers everything except the coin; you'll have to play with the hole size so that the mask doesn't cast a shadow on the coin. I use dark gray construction paper like used in elementary school art classes.)

You'll also have to experiment with copper coins since the camera settings will be different.
Same with proof and proof-like coins.

Make sure you make notes about your camera settings, lighting, etc. so that once you get them the way you want you can repeat them later.
I hate to "re-invent the wheel" each time I image my coins.

Originally Posted by AnkurJ

The picture looks pretty good for a point and shot camera! Place the lights at 10 and 2oclock. Add a third at 12 to get more color and luster. For darker coins, bump up the exposure, for white coins keep it a little lower. With Macro mode you want to try to keep your aperature wide open so the most amount of light gets into the lens. Not sure if you can control aperature on that camera though.

As for a camera, a DSLR with a dedicated Macro lens will ALWAYS do better than a point and shot. But with the proper lens these can cost upwards of $1000.

Yea, I unfortunately do not have that kind of $$ to spend on a Photography setup. Great ideas -- in fact I already have been utilizing the +/- exposure button. Unfortunately that's about the only "lighting" variable I can control...my camera doesn't have an aperature button though.

Originally Posted by gbroke

That image is fantastic!
Now try manually adjusting the white balance of the camera. Take a shot with different levels and see how they turn out. But really, that image is really good as far as I'm concerned. Although, the large image is fairly blurry. The embedded image in your post looks great.

-g

Thanks! The picture may seem blurry b/c I had to downsize the size in order to attach the picture in this thread. That's what I've been doing...trying different angles and seeing how they turn out. But really I can only do so much with a $150 camera lol.

Originally Posted by kanga

Your lighting position (10 and 2) looks good.

Now change their angle just enough to get the reflections out of the picture.
You don't want them to control your camera settings.
You want as much as possible for the camera to see the light coming only from the coin.
Also try a "mask" to block out the light coming from the white NGC insert; again you're trying see only the light coming off the coin.
(A "mask" is a dark, non-reflective piece that covers everything except the coin; you'll have to play with the hole size so that the mask doesn't cast a shadow on the coin. I use dark gray construction paper like used in elementary school art classes.)

You'll also have to experiment with copper coins since the camera settings will be different.
Same with proof and proof-like coins.

Make sure you make notes about your camera settings, lighting, etc. so that once you get them the way you want you can repeat them later.
I hate to "re-invent the wheel" each time I image my coins.

Now that's a new idea! I just tried that and now my pictures seem to have too much exposure (since all the light in coming from the coin, rather from the whole slab). I'll also definitely keep in mind what I've already tried so I don't spend an hour photographing each coin lol.



Thanks for all the advice! I tried applying your advice and here is what came out:



No matter how much I try, I can't get the photos to stop looking yellow! No matter...nothing a little White Balance editing via PS can't fix...anyways, here's what the cropped/edited photo looks like (as well as one of the reverse):



Which one do you like better? The new set of pictures (above) has more even lighting, but the original set (OP) has more contrast and seems to show more luster.

Thanks again for all the help!
-CB

Of the two images shown in your last post, the first image looks like a coin while the second image looks like manipulation. In all the images I do for myself, my website and my clients, I always strive to have the images look like coins.

Originally Posted by Tom B

Of the two images shown in your last post, the first image looks like a coin while the second image looks like manipulation. In all the images I do for myself, my website and my clients, I always strive to have the images look like coins.

Interesting...I think I would agree with you there. The problem is, I try to strive for both "natural" coin look as well as accuracy. My original photo makes the coin look yellow, which I tried to fix via PS. Any tips on shooting accurate photos so I don't have to edit them in PS? (That is, with a semi-cheap Point and shoot camera lol ).

In my opinion, there is nothing wrong with post-acquisition editing of an image as long as the manipulation is done to make the image reflect more accurately the coin in-hand. I don't think there is a photographer out there who doesn't do at least some editing after the image is shot. This includes me and my work. After all, the camera is already making editing decisions for you without your explicit consent on a shot-by-shot basis due to the software installed in the camera and the choices you make on how to shoot.

The yellow tint in your images might be removed by doing a color balance, but I do not use PhotoShop and instead use Corel Paint Shot Pro Photo X2.

LOVE the obverse.......agree with Tom B on the reverse.

What brand & wattage bulbs are you using?

Originally Posted by Tom B

In my opinion, there is nothing wrong with post-acquisition editing of an image as long as the manipulation is done to make the image reflect more accurately the coin in-hand. I don't think there is a photographer out there who doesn't do at least some editing after the image is shot. This includes me and my work. After all, the camera is already making editing decisions for you without your explicit consent on a shot-by-shot basis due to the software installed in the camera and the choices you make on how to shoot.

The yellow tint in your images might be removed by doing a color balance, but I do not use PhotoShop and instead use Corel Paint Shot Pro Photo X2.

Thanks for the tips. The obverse of the Barber is fairly easy to photograph, while the reverse (since it has a different luster flow lines) is a bit harder for me to capture the best lighting, especially with its intense color. I'll try and fool around a bit more and see what I can come up with.

On a side note, "PS" refers to PhotoScape, not Photo Shop. I don't have enough $$ to afford the latter, lol.

Originally Posted by Irish2Ice

LOVE the obverse.......agree with Tom B on the reverse.

What brand & wattage bulbs are you using?

I am using two identical "America Lights" Sunlight lamps that mimic natural sunlight. IMHO, they reflect the coin's color perfectly...it's just my camera that makes it yellow! Even with the white balance adjustment!

One thing that I have found is to keep the photography environment as drab as possible.....that is to say, don't photograph your coin in a room darkened with red or yellow curtains on a sunshiny day.......