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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Denis Richard, post: 4570779, member: 112673&quot;]There are two ways I use to shoot mirror finish coins. Axial lighting from above, like this image, which has a soft graduated light across the face ( I added the blue tint in post on a whim) </p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1131733[/ATTACH] </p><p>...or with a diffused light from behind or beside the coin, like this image of the Kraken, below. This image has far more contrast. The contrast is controlled by how far away the diffuser is placed from the coin. I use a LEE 216 diffuser material. It is color balanced for flash, unlike tissue papers or other materials that leave a color cast, or worse, an uneven spread of light over the coin. </p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1131734[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>Speaking of contrast, moving the diffuser farther away, and tilting it will produce an image like this below, with hard edges and deep black areas.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1131737[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>Use whichever method produces the image you prefer. I realize none of these coins are toned, however, to that point, I need to clarify that you don&#039;t actually illuminate a mirror finish coin. You illuminate what it reflects, based on your camera angle. For example, with this coin, those black areas are where there is no light reflecting off the coin at the opposite axis as the camera. So obviously, if you need light to capture the toning, and no light to render the blacks, you can&#039;t do both...&nbsp; at least not with a single shot. So shot one image to capture the blacks, and relight the coin to capture the toning, then blend and balance the two images together with your image editing software. Just make sure the camera and coin don&#039;t move between shots. It&#039;s not the end of the world if they do, but it will make your blending much more difficult.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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