You were/are the first forum I wanted to show my coin pictures to. The 3 leg still has not come back from NGC(Hopefully today) and I know I promised some of you(After hearing your advice on what camera/setup to get), that I'd give you some pictures.. If it's okay, I would love to post some. Thanks, bnb
Hey I got the Canon Rebel XSI 12 Megapixel. I also got an additional 100mm macro lens(All per suggested here on Coin Talk) and a Macro copy stand with a spot light. I'm uploading a few photos now to photobucket.
I've been testing the waters with natural day light and artificial light and that picture of the gold buffalo is of artificial light. Notice how the light looks almost orange? I seem to get better more representitive pictures from taking pictures of my coins during the day time when the sunlight is coming through the windows. I'm curious to know if anyone else here sees it similarly.
I find the same thing when photographing my coins, at night they often appear darker and many times with an orange/brownish hue. Sunlight makes all the difference.
Yes - I agree. Natural sunlight is the best for photographing coins. I do think with the right lighting you can get good pictures, but I have not been able to duplicate what natural sunlight does(at least not yet).
Bnb- You certainly don't necessarily have to have natural light, but you will need editing software such as Photoshop in order to achieve a correct white balance. If you are going to be doing a lot of photography, then pick up Photoshop. You'll be glad you did.
BNB: Nothing beats natural light but you will still need to consider the color and intensity of day light, the lack of it on some days and how to handle it in many situations. You have already discovered that light is warm (orange-y) and other light appears more cool (blue-ish). Daylight changes rapidly in temperature and you will also find that the position of the sun in the sky will have its own effects. You must learn to set your white balance accordingly for natural light or incandescent or fluorescent lamps. An indispensable tool you should acquire and learn to use is a gray card. They are cheap and easy to use in helping you set the white balance. Consider illumination by compact fluorescent bulbs that are rated 'high-output daylight balanced'. The daylight color helps to eliminate the need for color correction later. For your macro studio / copy stand set-up, shoot at night and turn off all other light sources or shoot away from natural light so as not to mix up the colors of light falling on your subject. Do this with the correct bulbs and white balance setting using your copy stand. You may still wish to get into Photoshop, Photoshop Elements* or other editing software for minor adjustments in levels and contrast or color correction. Just be careful not to misrepresent an image with such software. * This link for Adobe Photoshop Elements contains the FREE Trial Version (windows) that you can download and try out. The Adobe site also has trial versions fro Mac users.
The correct white balance will save you tons of time from having to edit on the computer. The closer you can make it look accurate from the camera and less you have to rely on photo editing the better.
I agree with the other, white balance appears to need an adjustment. Also, by having your coins at an angle to your camera like you have in the pic posted, it is nearly impossible for your camera to accurately focus on the coin, so it comes out blurry for the most part and the detail just isn't as sharp as it should be for a camera of your type. Need to shoot at a straight on angle to your coins. Also, use your camera's self timer when taking all pics so you don't have any movement from pushing the button which will cause your pics to be less sharp... it does make a big difference and is worth doing. Keep practicing and keep sharing your progress. Hope to see the BNB new and improved 3 legger soon too.
The first time, you will have to talk to him or the moderator. This time, because you are only allowed one entry to CT.
Those that read and/or posted to his threads, know why. He was banned, isn't allowed back, and thought he could pull one over on the mods. Those that get banned and try to re-join using alts have to realize that they will ALWAYS do or say something that will tip off those that banned him....but using part of the username that got banned is the quickest way to get 'outed'.., not to mention it isn't very bright. There are other 'tells' that are always obvious, but I won't post them, so as not to give 'someone' any more ideas.