so i keep experimenting. But lately some lower end PL or DMPL Morgans for some reason I am having a very difficult time taking good accurate pics. Its either I show no luster at all and the coin looks a bit dull and lifeless, or i use different lighting and it shows the luster well but it also makes the coin looked scratched to all **** like its a real hunk of junk. Its like the damn mirror finish multiplies the scratches in the cameras eye by 10. How can I fix this?
Yes but explain please Gary. I have tried so many types of lights, numbers of lights, combos of lights and so far everything just does not do the coin justice. The only ones that seem half ok are the dinky ones where i just held it in my hand by the letters to show reflection. The last photo with LED lights, that technique works great for none PL or DMPL or ones that are super high MS without many scratches. But toss in a few scratches and it looks like BEEEEP. the 3rd photo looks a tad better and thats just using a single upclose floresent spotlight. But it still shows off those scratches way more harshly then they are. The first two I just took in my kitchen with the kitchen lights on and its kinda the best ones lol...
I just went all out last night at like 3am I went to walmart, got a second spot light then got4 different pairs of bulbs of all sorts. So now imma hook them all up and experiment to see what looks best with mirror surface coins.
I went through this exact same issue snapsalot, until I managed to figure it out after much trial and error. As Gary mentioned, it's all about light control. Here are a couple of things to try. Assuming you are using 2 lights. Everyone has their own way of doing it, some use copy stands and such, but this is just a quick example of some ways to try with lighting. Practice, practice, practice. Get good bulbs, like GE reveal. Adjust your brightness control on the camera. The more light directly on the coin, means turn your brightness down. MM's make a difference when adjusting the lights. Use your view screen on your camera to see the difference. Sometimes angling your coin slightly will make a big difference as well. Use a photo editing program to adjust the images if necessary. Specifically, brightness and contrast. EDIT: Wanted to mention, I shoot in my basement with just the desk lamps on, nothing else. No other lights on. Try out these configurations.
hey snapsalot, I also forgot to say that I don't have a DMPL anything. So all of that may be pointless for you lol.
Yes I use two of those adjustable swivel lamps. I had only 1 before but I bought another last night at wall mart. As for bulbs I bought many types lemme list them and you can perhaps tell me which might be good and which suck and i should return. All of these are GE So one that I got was the "Reveal 40, with full color spectrum" Another is a "Halogen 53 watt with 1050 lumens) "soft white 40 watt spotlight bulbs" "floresent bulbs" and a "40 watt crystal clear bulb" So what do ya think GB? Use the reveal and return the rest?
I can't really denounce any of the other bulbs. I can just say that I use the reveals. I use the indoor floodlight ones. They are about $20 a pop. So I don't know how the others will work. Seems like 40w is a little low though. EDIT: whatever bulb you decide on, be sure to have the EXACT same one in both lamps. Mismatching bulbs is not recommended. I have 3 exact lamps. So i know they are all pushing the same power and light (in a perfect world). disclaimer: I am by no means an expert at this. Quite the opposite really. I only recently was able to get good images. A new camera helped a lot, but lighting is number one, and any decent 'point and click' is capable of good images. I am learning all the time and hope someday my skills will be like robec, lehigh, kryptonite and the like.
Well for none proof type coins I have had great results using 2 adjustable LED bulbs. They have a blast white direct light to them which shows luster very well and color fairly decent. But on the damn proof type coins the smallest scratch looks like a tiger mauled my coin. The reveal bulb I got is much different. Its not a flood light its more of a clear glass that has a slight blue tint. Was a bit cheaper too as I paid like 10 bucks for 2. I may just end up cracking them all out and testing them then keeping the best and returning the rest . Gotta love Walmarts return policy.
Right on! Take some pics and post them so we can judge you. What I am pretty sure of though, is in your original pictures, and the reason I had the same problem, is there isn't enough light. I am not sure how close you are to the coin, but you need to get enough light between the coin and the lens. My lens is about a foot from the coin. I use the zoom on smaller coins. But I do not get closer to the coin with the camera. Try some different distances. I also put my lamps on some make shift stands. So try raising your lights sometimes too.
ive always done my pics with as close as i can get it and have it clear thats what ill do. So usually my lens is like 4 or 5 inches away maybe less. I can try to put the camera far away and use zoom. see what happens.
New update with the GBroke era pics. Its the same exact coin as above in first post and a much more accurate pic to how it looks in hand. Also in case any of you guys wondered or cared here is my copystand and my super awesome couch that I never sit in :/
I am a little confused. What lighting setup are you using? The lighting setup in the photo you provided has the lights at a very low angle. It is my experience that the high the light source the better. If you are having problems with reflections on prooflike surfaces, you can always diffuse the light by covering the light with a sheet of paper, paper towel etc. I know you are saying that the new photos are an accurate depiction of the coin but I have never seen a Morgan Dollar that looked like that. Here is a photo of a DMPL obverse Morgan that I took using high angle direct lighting.
I can adjust the lights in any direction. Some I take at a more horizontal angle with them pointing nearly at the coin. Others I had them kinda facing the other way. Some I have going near vertical. Tbh I am not sure exactly the angle of light I used for those pics because i took like 40 for each side all with different angles. But LeHigh how would you suggest I take them? With the lights farther away from the coin and almost directly above the coin pointing straight down? I know its asking a lot but maybe draw a quick diagram or such for a good angle on prooflike or dmpl coins.
This coin in particular isnt really DMPL its more just PL the reverse eagle is fairly frosty but i think the obverse has seen more wear from something and a lot of its strong mirrror is gone in comparison to the reverse. Or maybe it was just struck with a stronger mirror on the reverse? iono lol. But ya a lil more details from photo guru Lehigh would be awesome and much appreciated and I shall try the light defusing to see what kind of results that gives.
Whenever I photograph a coin, I always start with two gooeseneck lamps positioned at 10 & 2 o'clock with the lights pointed straight down at the coin. I will usually place another coin underneath the object coin at 6 o'clock in order to slightly tilt the coin into the light source. Then I position the light so that the edge of the light comes as close to the edge of the coin without reflecting off the surface of the coin. I use a camera with macro mode and place the camera as far away from the coin as I can while still maintaining the ability to focus. I use the delay timer shudder release so that there is no vibration when I take the photo. After taking the photo, I look at the photo on the camera and decide if the photo is usable or not. It will be readily clear if this set up is not working. For toned proof coins and other highly reflective coins, I will often take both photos using direct lighting and photos using diffused lighting. Here is an example of a coin I imaged yesterday. Direct Lighting Diffused Lighting The purpose of diffused lighting is to show the color while sacrificing luster in the process. If you look at the Lincoln above just with the direct lighting, you really wouldn't know that it had much color. But the diffused lighting proves without a doubt that there is color there. When it comes to diffused lighting, I usually use one light at 12 o'clock and let the light cover the entire surface of the coin. Turn down the exposure on your camera and voila, the color shows up. And there is no need to get fancy, my method is two simple household items, a paper towel and a rubber band. The last factor in good coin photography is practice. Trial & error followed by practice, practice, practice. Photograph thousands of coins and you will get good at it. And I can prove it. Here is my photo of that DMPL Morgan when I first purchased it in 2007. If you look closely, the color is off due to a white balance problem. It is fuzzy because I was not using a copy stand and taking the photo while holding the camera. And lastly, the camera is far too close to the coin and you can see the reflection of both the camera and my finger.
