Last weekend I see that a few CT members experimented with photographing coins. I did as well, I just got tired of my coin photos being so flat. My old method was a tripod and a lot of daylight from multiple angles. The only real advantage to this is that I was usually able to capture the true colors (except for copper coins, which was hit and miss). But details and 3D were always lacking. My new method is shooting straight down from the tripod, but using only a lamp. The light from the lamp is horizontal, but is reflected down onto the coin's surface via a piece of glass set at a 45 degree angle. That way I get light hitting the coin surface parallel to the camera shot. For highly reflective coins, I placed a tissue paper between lamp and glass. The only additional equipment I bought for this was a 5000k natural daylight bulb. The camera is high enough above the coin that I do not use the macro setting. All of this only works if all the settings are manual, allowing for tweaking of the aperture and focus as necessary. Here are three examples of coins shot by the two methods. I chose coins that all had to be treated differently due to their surface characteristics. Obviously there is plenty room for improvement, but its a start anyway. Half cent old method: Half cent new method: Barber dime old method: Barber dime new method: Peruvian 1 sol old method: Peruvian 1 sol new method:
I would say that the new method looks better for all 3. Well done. How accurate is the color with the new method verses the old method?
I like the improvement on the first two, the toned silver seems to lose a bit of carachter in the second shot. As always, you have to learn as you go. I find it extremely difficult to shoot silver coins, others say that copper is difficult. Go figure.
The first two worked out well but the sol color did not work The spotty toning did make that coin too diffcult to improve on.
You went from using daylight to axial diffused lighting. That is like jumping from high school straight to the NBA. Great job and the new photos look great.
p.s. it appears from the photos that the coin isn't getting all of its light from the axial source -- some light is direct. The OP might consider "blocking" this light from reaching the coin directly for even better results (better contrast to be more precise). However, I think that the OP will find that axial lighting doesn't produce as good of coin photos as well-placed direct lighting -- proof coins being one key exception as you need directly reflected light to show off the color/mirrors.
I blocked all direct light by placing a black object between the lamp and the coin. No other light was present besides the lamp, so the only light was coming horizontally from the lamp to the glass plate and reflecting downward. OK and I suppose some light was hitting the ceiling and bouncing back down through the glass. The trick with the glass plate is that anything in the room that reflects light will show up on the plate as an image, so that has to be controlled.
