And Now for the Long Slow Job - Imaging My Collection

Something I should have been doing as I acquired new coins.
Now to do it slowly so that I hopefully won't burn out.

First, US Half Cents.
I'm still not happy with the resulting images.
I need to figure out how to improve my techniques.

1803 Half Cent C-3 R-1 PCGS VF-30




1803 Half Cent C-1 R-1 ANACS EF-40
(This could be my only ANACS coin.)

 

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I understand you want to improve your photography, but for me it would only make me more jealous. These coins look great. I'm surprised the first one isn't as 35 or 40.

 

Agree with @lardan ..Buying that for VF 30 price was a deal

 

Your photos are much better than mine! I do try and photograph each if mine as they arrive, but I do have many more unphotographed.

 

So what's not to like?

My only criticism (and it's nothing to do with your photogs or technique) is that you should make the shots more expandable.....that is to say use larger files when uploading. Peter allows (I think) files up to 2mb. Anything I shoot usually comes in around 1.5 mb.

 

They photo better if they are not in capsules.

 

I bet that once you get your set-up just the way you want it, you can buzz through all of them.
Wait, "buzz" has a connotation of cutting. Don't do that, but you know what I mean. LOL

Good luck

 

Well, I'm happy with them. If there was something I didn't like I'd let you know but no complaints here. Seem to be a good representation of what are typically a bit more difficult coin to photograph because they're so dark.

 

I think they look fine, kanga. Certainly better than the slabbed coins of mine I photographed years ago. I always struggled with dark copper coins but eventually found a common ground.

Bruce

 

I think they look great as well. My only suggestion would be to move your lighting so that it's facing the and above the subject. Light from above and facing people tends to look more natural than from behind or below.

 

I keep the original image and it's a larger size than I post.
Then I shrink it to a reasonable size for posting.
I don't want to hog storage space at CoinTalk.

 

Agreed, but I only collect slabbed coins and I don't crack them out.

 

Lighting has been a thorn in my side for a long while.
Space for a better imaging setup is not really available to me.
For now I'll have to live with what I've got.

 

I won't post images of all of my coins.
Twenty or thirty pics of half cents where the only difference is the date or variety can quickly become boring.
I'll mostly only post the ones that:
-- double as entries in my type set, or
-- have some interesting feature(s)

 

I don't know if it would be any help to you at all, but if you go to the free online class thing pinned at the top of the page. Go to archives and check the blog list under ANA learning videos. There is one on how to improve your coin pictures. Having said that, I think you photos are fine. James

 

Depending on your skills with computers, you might find it worthwhile to script the actual taking of the pictures.

I used DigiCamControl and that lets me create a simple

PhotoTake command

that starts the program, opens live view, waits for me to push enter, shoots the picture, downloads it to the computer, rotates it, scales it, etc., and sticks it in the correct output folder. Then it repeats everything for the reverse.

It took a couple of days to code (and it's unique to my setup), but I don't have to start the imaging program, change the destination folder, and file name using several dialog boxes and dropdowns. Press click, lather, rinse, and repeat.

If you want to different camera setups, you can shoot all of them with one setup, change the camera, and run back through shooting with the new setup, and the photos end up in the correct folders.


I've also created an autocropping rig with a yellow and pink dot on the shooting platform and use another photo tool to find the topleft and bottomright coordinates.

 

Nice coins. Thanks for sharing them.

 

You actually inspired me to get back t photographing mine. I'd been working so har on the database for them that I'd neglected to do that. The database has reached a place of temporary completeness (I can't think of anything else I want it to do right now) so I should get back to the pics. I spent a good amount of time this weekend with my phone sitting on a mason jar, but haven't moved the shots off my phone yet. One step at a time I guess....

 

Nothing hoggish about it.......it's called taking advantage of the amenities provided.