In another thread I said that I needed to reshoot my Diocletian. I had a nagging feeling that I already had a good photo of it somewhere but it just didn't show up wherever I looked. Today I was browsing into the far depths of my PB coin album when I finally found it. The reverse hue is still kinda off (a lot of the surface is still silvered and the exposed copper at the high points has tinges of purple) but its definitely a good representation of the coin in hand. I might end up editing a black background behind the coin.
That is a nice coin and well worth the effort to get the photo just the way you want it. I suggest you consider reshooting the coin on black rather than editing the file. I find that the lighter background sometimes adds a flair to the image which makes it harder to get the color the way you want it so if you desire a result on black, it would be better to shoot on black. It is not always easy to separate the black edge of a coin from the black background so I have more trouble making a black background white than a white one black but if the goal is black, why not shoot that way? I really like coins of this period with the tinges of purple. I wonder if they came from one hoard? Sometimes a coin that retains a lot of its silver is hard to make look right. If fully silvered, it would photograph like a silver coin but half and half coins could be prettier if they lost their silver.
Here is my only Diocletian example ... Diocletian Antoninianus Jupiter (w. Eagle) 284-305 AD I've always loved the look of this coin and this photo, ... ... but hmmm, I wonder if it would look better, or worse with a black background?
Very nice VK. I have several Diocletian coins, but none as nice as yours. I do have a decent provincial from Alexandria: DIOCLETIAN Tetradrachm OBVERSE: A K Γ OYAΛ ΔIOKΛHTIANOC CEB, laureate draped bust right REVERSE: LA, Elpis standing left, holding flower, a long sash (?) hanging from her arm, & clutching hem of robe. Struck at Alexandria,Egypt, 284/285 AD 6.6g, 20mm Milne 4750
And here we have the best thing about digital photography. 'Film' is free. Take a thousand versions and pick the one that makes you happy. I have a few dozen coins that I think look better on white but most I like on black. Randy likes his blue backgrounds just like Steve always posts his comments in blue. All this shows there is no absolute right but plenty of room for individual opinions. Do it your way and the rest of us will try not to be too nasty with our opinions.
