Better photos of a few rough coins

Discussion in 'Ancient Coins' started by Clavdivs, Aug 14, 2018.

  1. Clavdivs

    Clavdivs Well-Known Member

    I spent some time on Doug Smith's site trying to improve my pathetic coin photographs.
    http://www.forumancientcoins.com/dougsmith/

    Some of the camera rigs on display were impressive. My goal was to find improvement at a total investment of $0 (it's how I roll)..

    I was mostly using my iPhone previously and sometimes a webcam type device. Perhaps others can get great photos with phones but no matter what I tried the quality wasn't consistently acceptable.

    So I found a small digital camera in a drawer that hadn't been used since circa 2011.
    (found some fun photos of the kids still on it - added bonus!)..

    As all good Canadian's do I cut a hockey stick and rigged this up...haha.

    camera.jpg


    I know these are far from perfect but from what I was producing previously this is an incredible improvement. These are exactly the type of coins that caused me the most trouble - mostly dark patina with rough surfaces and some hard to grab detail..

    Any other pointers are greatly appreciated (as long as we stick to the budget!)


    Also - Doug - thank you for creating such an informative website!




    Aurelius4_MERGE.jpg

    Aurelius1_MERGE.jpg

    Aurelius5_MERGE.jpg

    Aurelius33_MERGE.jpg

    NewMERGE2.jpg
     
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  3. Ryro

    Ryro Trying to remove supporter status

    I LOVE the setup! And IMO the photos turned out great!! I really like that beautiful green patina as well. Well played sir, well played.
     
    Clavdivs likes this.
  4. Clavdivs

    Clavdivs Well-Known Member

    I think I can get some better (darker) material for the base and play a bit more with lighting... but I am happy with the start.
     
    Ryro and Justin Lee like this.
  5. Justin Lee

    Justin Lee I learn by doing

    That's what I was thinking too, but I agree with @Ryro that they the pics look great! Very crisp, clear, and detailed which is exactly what you're after. Nice work!
     
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  6. dougsmit

    dougsmit Member

    I'd call that a grade eh effort.:shame:

    The coins are excellent. I would prefer a plain, even background.
     
  7. Clavdivs

    Clavdivs Well-Known Member

    Thank you Sir.. yes I agree ..will see if I can improve the background.
     
  8. ominus1

    ominus1 Well-Known Member

    ahaha..badoom-tish!..right tho that's a good set up and great pics Clavdivs! :)
     
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  9. Severus Alexander

    Severus Alexander find me at NumisForums

    Screen Shot 2018-08-14 at 7.51.07 PM.jpg

    See if you can find some black velvet for the background, and just some dark construction paper taped into a tube will work to keep the background dark.
     
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  10. Jay GT4

    Jay GT4 Well-Known Member

    Great results! Rough coins and uneven patinas are the toughest to photograph.
     
  11. chrsmat71

    chrsmat71 I LIKE TURTLES!

    Nice @Clavdivs ! I've tried to improve my photography without much (any) money invested as well. Everything is in nice clear focus for you, so that's a win!

    Maybe just post-process the backgrounds black? There are pros and cons with that.

    cons: if you "paint" you can miss spots ( I did it all the time, not I cut and paste on to a pitch black background), time consuming either way.

    pros: looks good, actually black.


    painted: see my missed spots? Open in the image in a new tab and they weill be plain as day. Dang it!

    102_7281_zpsfu79pavs.jpg


    This coin I cut and paste on to a pitch black background, there shouldn't be any missed spots.

    [​IMG]
     
  12. randygeki

    randygeki Coin Collector

    Great pics! 0111.JPG
     
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