Getting acquainted with the photo upload thing...the bigger challenge is getting a coin photo that replicates what the coin actually looks like! I used a lighter background here, which gave the coin a yellowish color, which I corrected as best I could in my software. Anyway, please provide any comments re: photo and how this coin would grade (I find that I grade my coins higher after a glass of wine..).
One thing I'm learning when I take these photos is the lighting source can make quite a difference. The light source for this photo was a halogen lamp. While I have several manual settings for different types of light (sun, cloudy, tungsten, flourescent), I noticed all of them gave the coin a reddish cast. I used my software to correct the color somewhat, but the coin has a fair amount more "white" luster than the photo shows and does have "cartwheel effect" on both sides (more so on the reverse). So, I graded this coin at MS-63, but being a beginner at this, your grade could be spot on as well. In any case, we're not far apart.. I think taking photos in natural sunlight would be the best light source and would result in a truer reproduction of the coin's qualities. No way to do that today as it never stopped raining. Thanks for your post!
Thanks for all of the comments on the photo and grading. I'm pretty new to coins, so I want to improve in both departments. It got sunny, so I got outside to take a few photos of another Morgan on a dark background. I think natural light is the best.
Natural light is the best. I can't seem to be consistent even with an OTT type light. Morgans are tough to photograph.
Ya, I noticed sunlight works the best. When I take pictures, I do it in the middle of the day with my blinds open and the coin in a little black jewelry box cover on my desk. I put the camera on super macro and on a tripod and on timer mode. Comes out good everytime. This is one of the hardest things in the hobby to master IMHO.
