I want to be able to post the best pictures possible on this website. I would like to know what is the best way to take a picture of a coin
The images are only as good as the ones you upload... photobucket is merely a hosting service. Upload a lousy picture to photobucket and guess what? It's still a lousy picture. The OP wants to know how to take a good photo... and there are plenty of members here that know how to do that.
Mstabs, Welcome to the forum! Go to the blue menu bar at the top and click on the "search" function. Enter the word photography and you will get 500 threads ( I assume that is a site maximum). Many won't fit your request, but many will. It will take some reading, but they cover lighting, best cameras, setups, lens,taking photos of proofs, etc. You can always search a specific subject such as "Axial lighting" to narrow down the results. Jim
Here are some quick tips! Here are the basics you will need for good photos. Two gooseneck lamps with either florescent of GE Reveal white bulbs, a cheap copy stand, and a point and shoot camera with macro mode and program capability. Attach the camera to the copy stand so that the lens is 8-10 inches from the surface of the coin. Place a slabbed coin underneath the bottom edge of the slab of the coin you are photographing in order to tilt the coin into the light source. Place the lights at 10 & 2 o'clock and move them so that the edge of the light comes close but does not overlap the surface of the coin. Done right, it should look like this. Place the camera in macro mode and then zoom in as far as you can with the camera still able to focus. Use the delay function to reduce vibration and snap the photo. View the result to ensure color, exposure, and focus and either accept the result or try again. Trial and error is a huge component of numismatic photography. Don't get frustrated and keep all of your photos. Being able to see your progress over time is a huge confidence builder. Good Luck! Read more: http://www.cointalk.com/t106920/#post885413#ixzz0nfQYh5Ik
Once you get that "just right" photo you may find that when you try to post it to this site, that the images are not as large as you would like them to be. That's when a good photo-editing software comes into play. It will allow you to re-size your images so that you will be able to upload them so we all can fully enjoy what you've "snapped". If you've got XP as an OS then you can download a program (free) from Microsoft called power toys image re sizer. Works great for me.....and you don't have to employ photo-bucket.
