Featured [Coin Photography] A Blacker Black

I re-imaged this coin outside on a cloudy day. The color is correct, but for some reason I cannot get a clear image of the lettering. It seems blurred.

Camera
Cell phone

 

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It depends on which images you mean. The shot of the Taras reverse alone is just a cropped version of the "raw" image. I did nothing to further blacken the background because it is already maximally (or very nearly maximally) black) and that was the point of the shot. For the picture with the old and new joined together, I did cut out the coin and paste it into the other shot, so the black on that particular composite is computer generated... but you cannot see any hint of outline where I extracted the coin.

@dougsmit's and @Cucumbor's system is a very smart way to achieve a black background but for some reason just never did that. Now that I have a blacker black paint on the stand, I don't need to do it the "smart" way . Perhaps there are small ways in which the Black 3.0 coin stand is superior to the can technique: it is easier to access and position the coin and there is one less part to deal with (the can).

 

Looks great! Very black. Is the coin sitting directly on the velvet or is it elevated above the fabric?

I'll have to keep an eye out for some deeply black velvet and give this a try.

 

Its sitting on the velvet.
I use an upside down plastic carton as a light box with a hole cut in the base for the camera lens or phone lens to poke through.

 

Crude, simple, but effective.
I've been using that box for 15 years.

 

That's a neat set-up and some great tips on getting a non-reflective black background. I'm in the process of building a stand for my Nikon DSLR and due to weight and shutter vibrations, I'm building it with a lot of mass on a heavy wooden base (I have a machine shop so I can fab up clamps/rods/mounts to suit my own desires.) I had been dithering about what to cover the base with but you've made my decision for me with your test of the paint. Thanks again.

 

As a photographer, black velvet was always best for very black backgrounds. Lint can be brushed off of it and it doesn't reflect or glare unless the light is really harsh.

 

Thank you for this great post, @TIF ! All your images are beautiful. Also, I’d never heard of Vantablack before I read your article. I looked it up and it’s amazing!

 

I use the 6 1/2" x 8" black velvet "board" insert from a small jewelry tray. Usually this, plus elevating the subject above the background (I use a set of 1/4" drive wrench sockets, each with a gob of plasticine "clay" on the end. I'll choose a size (diameter) which the coin will easily block out and use the clay to secure the "tilt" angle of the coin in the available light. This is almost always all that's necessary to place the background completely out of the focal range which even eliminates a lot of dust. I keep a small paintbrush handy to dust things, just in case. The coin itself is as likely to pick up a bit of dust, flake of dead skin, etc, and the brush is handy to clear any loose material off the face of the coin, too.
Typically, that does the trick and I don't have to edit out the background, etc. Occasionally, the black background will pick up a little light and not be dead black - in this case, I find that a small adjustment of the "contrast" to a slightly higher value will make the black background really black in almost all cases.

 

I had a rig somewhat like that six years ago and did like the way the translucent plastic box diffused the light.



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@daveydempsey @Cucumbor @Andrew McCluskey @lehmansterms Thanks for your input!

It sounds like using black velvet is a good alternative to the more expensive paint. I'll definitely look for some and give it a try .

 

I'm a black velvet guy too, plus I use some black paper cylinders to imitate the dougsmit method. When it's not black enough I just adjust the "black point" a bit.



That said, I would like to try the paint...

 

If you’re looking to buy an iPhone 11 just for the cameras, I’d reconsider. You can save yourself a lot of money (which you can spend on coins instead), and get 80-90% of the benefits of the latest iPhone by buying a used device from one or two generations back. The camera on the iPhone 8 or iPhone X is really good, too, probably as good as the PowerShot.

 

When forced to buy a new phone I generally buy a generation or two old and save money. Not sure why I'm having to fight the urge for the latest greatest this time.

 

Oooh, I really like that shooting backdrop. Can I buy him?

 

I've found that he really distracts my wife, so yeah, sure! I'll trade him for a vial of that black paint...

 

I am using an IPhone 7 and it is an excellent phone with a very good camera

 

My old iPhone 6s isn't too shabby either.

Steve

 

I have a 7 Plus right now.

 

I looked at the plus but I did not like the size. For years I resisted upgrading because I loved the "5" form factor. I used an SE for several years.

On the good thing and bad thing duality the phone allows me to work anywhere. As a matter of fact I was just using the Garage band app to work on a piece I am writing on acoustic guitar. I can record both guitar and voice and the sound is quite good.

 

My friend uses a much simpler technique using as a background an old auction catalog and natural sunlight Lysimachos Tetradrachm Lampsakos mint 297/6-282/1 B.C. Thompson 61 17.22 gms 30 mm