This coin is one of the stars of my collection. It is a 1958-D Franklin Half Dollar NGC MS67* CAC. It is incredibly beautiful and just as difficult to photograph. Until now, I have not even come close to taking a photo that could challenge the Heritage photo. Now the quality of the Heritage photo is excellent, but the coin is not nearly as red as their photo makes it look. I have attached both the Heritage photo (top) and my new photo (bottom). I have also provided large photos of mine below. Please vote for which photo you like better. Thanks!
Interesting, I voted for yours, why? because from your comments it seems more accurate. But, the top coin would be nicer, but (again from your comments) not as accurate.
if their photo is inaccurate I am surely voting for yours. I like accuracy in the photos of coins I see.
Both pics show the real coin, the one was just taken at a slightly different angle than the other. I like the first pic better for it actually allows you to see the coin better than your pics Paul.
I am sorry to say that I prefer the look of the higher-contrast Heritage photos. That said, I'd have to see the coin in hand to be sure, because I generally prefer accuracy over all else when it comes to photographs.
Personally I like Paul's better - I like more subtle toning than the top picture. I would not bid on either - but I bet that puppy looks great in hand. I bet I miss several good auctions where I do not like the picture of the coin.
If you notice on your photo of the reverse, the colors go from blue/green through yellow and into red, while on Heritage's the colors go from green to red without a yellow phase. This indicates that either the picture was taken through a color modifying filter or the final picture was photoshopped. Also, their primary lighting was from the bottom while yours is from the right. Yours may be a more natural, real representation of the coin but Heritage's shows a bit more contrast and detail.
I knew that someone would like the Heritage obverse and my reverse. I know that the quality of my photo is just not as good as the Heritage photos, but my photos more accurately represent the appearance of the coin. The Heritage photos are dominated by red and there is very little color range. The reverse of this coin has a broad range of color. The periphery shows ruby red that blends to gold, emerald green, electric blue and finally a plum color at the center that envelops the liberty bell. I have decided to use my photos for my registry set.
Assuming that you can repeat your setup for the photos, why don't you try one for the obverse with the light coming from the bottom like Heritage did. Maybe you can have you cake and eat it too.
I prefer the o.p.'s photos, I think they are a more accurate rendition of what I 'think' a toned franklin should look like. The Heritage photos look like someone didn't check the white balance.
