Camera question

Interesting you're seeing a color issue. I'll wait until daylight to compare, but actually the color (I thought) was very accurate. I did a custom white balance with the tungsten light. I do only have one light to use, and realize I need at least one more. The light on this is from a lamp at about 45deg. I have two monitors, and yes one appears a bit more green, and the other is more golden. And you're right, there is no green in the coin.

Your focus comment really throws me though. There is no way this is focused on the slab. The coin is quite sharp, well, at least it's as sharp as any of the various tests I did.

The note about reflections is absolutely correct though. I was having trouble not with direct reflections of the light into the camera, but of the light creating odd bright spots as it hit the three "holders" in the slab, and refracting through them. My hope here is that with a second light, these refractions won't be there.

As I say, I'm kind of starting at step #1 here, and I assume going through learnings that other folks have made before me.

 

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This is some reading material, both on and off CT, that I suggest you peruse:

Glamor Shots for Your PCGS Slabs by Phil Arnold (PCGS)

Doug Smit is a member here, active mostly in Ancients threads and has written a lot about his set up and techniques. I suggest exploring his site.
Coin photo

A set up at Coin Imaging

Mark Goodman's site. He wrote the Numismatic photography book.

Axial Lighting systems

My Axial Lighting Setup Complete!!

Cheap Coin Photography

 

I'll do some reading Chris, thanks for the links!

 

Just got a copy of Mark Goodman's Numismatic Photography 2nd edition.

 

Reposting a new version of the photo. Did another custom white balance, set the bulb as bright and as high up (right next to the lens) as possible. The lighting seems a lot better to me. Then I sharpened the image. I'm curious Chris as to whether this color looks better to you. It's warmer than the coin is, but I suspect is more normal to what's expected.

 

Here's another version, just a color temp change.

 

Hi Dave. Thanks for the new pictures. I'm curious about your set up and the lighting around you. There seems to be competing colors of light. The first new image is much warmer, and I'd guess, a little too yellow on the portrait and too red on the rooster. The second image is more like the initial image you posted.

Of course the degree of these color ranges I see on my monitor compared to you or another viewer on their own PC will differ greatly just because of different types of equipment we use to view the images on.

I am wondering if you are shooting with lamps positioned about 10 and 2 o'clock or some other arrangement, and set about 45º to the coin. I see "hot spots" more around 11 and 5 o'clock. The hot spots seem too intense, and so over exposed. We shouldn't see hot spots. In the other areas, such as the fields, the color seems too dark, or underexposed in contrast to the hotspots.

You may need to move the light source further back (higher) from the coin or look for a cooler type of bulb.

You can try shooting in day light also, but you will have to do a lot of work to create a space for diffusing the light and work near a window and during sunny days.

Which ever situation you use for lighting, make sure you turn off ALL other light sources, which could even be light emitted from your TV or computer if it happens to be nearby. That can mean shooting pics in the evening when there is no day light entering the room, or drawing your curtains, working in a basement or a closet to control outside light. Turn off all other room lights because it all mixes with the lamps you are using to shoot with and colors will be off, or it creates shadows from you and the camera over the coin.

What I see on your coins is a blueish (daylight) color of light caught in the plastic fingers that hold the coin in the slab. You are probably using incandescent lamps to illuminate the coin's surface. This incandescent light has a warm range of light on a warm color coin, so results tend to come out TOO warm.

Another issue is reflection and the coin's surface catching surrounding colors, even dark shapes, such as your body, the clothes you're wearing, the camera itself. If your lights are too bright, you can try wrapping them with common tissue paper and play with adjusting the number of layers of it to diffuse the intensity of the light. This should help to dial back the hot spots. I use tracing paper or gift wrapping tissue paper. Some people use a light box that can be purchased or built inexpensively. If your camera body is black and creating dark reflections on your coin, you can cut a hole in the middle of a large sheet of white paper, poke the lens through it and effectively mask out the darkness your camera body, tripod and/or self is creating on the coin.

Ideally you want to isolate the object (the coin), control and limit lighting source and intensity, and try to get your camera as far away from the subject as possible, while still getting a close up shot.

I think getting your lighting under control will help, because you already understand your camera's functionality. I just sense some issues with the set up for shooting and illuminating the coin evenly and properly.

 

Thanks for all the great input Chris. FYI I was a pro sports photographer for ~8 years, so while I do know my camera, I've never shot things that didn't move, were so close to me, and required such accurate lighting. So a good piece of this is new for me.

I think you're right on, I need to get my arms around the lighting. I've attached a pic of my setting so you can see what I've been doing, but the info you've given thus far is telling me what I need to do next. I'm shooting with a 100W warm incandescent bulb, but a fair bit of daylight coming in too. I will go grab a daylight color bulb, close the blinds, and try again. I would like to figure out the lighting with one light before I add a second, but it does seem like I'm getting a bit too much contrast between the light and dark areas, that a second light may correct. It could very well also be that adding something to soften the light would help. The lampshade didn't

Hopefully a daylight bulb will also minimize the WB correction which I assumed would "fix everything" and appears to be more of an issue (ie the blue parts of the slab) than I thought. The more "correct" light to begin with, the better, is what I'm hearing.

Thanks again, Dave

 

=> nice => smooth lookin' place, Dave (you have sweet taste)

Good luck with your photos

 

HI Dave,

So! You've got the equipment and know your gear, that's a huge bonus going into this. From that set up, I can now see the lighting IS the critical thing you need to solve. Try shooting in the evening, and without other distracting light sources. And definitely, get two lights. One lamp like that is not enough. It's impossible to direct the light at your subject using a lamp like that. IF you can, get two small desk lamps, and better yet, if they have bendable necks. You can even use something as cheap as two work bench clip-on lamps. Two light sources, of the same kind, will give your subject equal lighting balance and coverage and probably solve most of the issues we have been discussing.

 

Thanks Chris, next step is finding two lights!

 

You'll have to play with kinds of light bulbs for different color ranges too. Incandescent day-light bulbs are nice and provide a clean day-light type quality, which compact flourescents are cool appear more blue-greenish. Some people like Ott lamps, and others go with high wattage halogen bulbs that studio photographers use. Many choices and many situations, or different types and colors of coins require or look better in different light.