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<p>[QUOTE="jb_depew, post: 8263750, member: 88227"]Here's a simple and cheap photography setup that allows me to take shadowless coin photos quickly with my cell phone. I will occasionally use my DSLR camera and flash (a Nikon Speedlight) to photograph coins, but more often than not I'm feeling lazy and simply use what I have in my pocket. Its quick and usually produces good enough results for the amount of effort I want to spend.</p><p><br /></p><p>Here are the components:</p><p><br /></p><p><b>An 18% gray card. </b>These are cheap plastic cards that can be <a href="https://www.google.com/aclk?sa=L&ai=DChcSEwiSgr7m-NX2AhXUc28EHayxCvUYABAIGgJqZg&ae=2&sig=AOD64_35onfoTXG1fh-wZd62ItkY-jREjQ&ctype=5&q=&ved=2ahUKEwjp57Hm-NX2AhVRXc0KHcG9DiQQwg96BAgDEAo&adurl=" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.google.com/aclk?sa=L&ai=DChcSEwiSgr7m-NX2AhXUc28EHayxCvUYABAIGgJqZg&ae=2&sig=AOD64_35onfoTXG1fh-wZd62ItkY-jREjQ&ctype=5&q=&ved=2ahUKEwjp57Hm-NX2AhVRXc0KHcG9DiQQwg96BAgDEAo&adurl=" rel="nofollow">bought on Amazon</a> or at a photography supply store. They are made to be an exact shade of gray, and are used by photographers to get consistent image exposure and color balance. My camera usually gives me a reasonably good and accurate photo when I use a gray card as my background. If I edit my photos in Photoshop, the gray can also be a reference point for the software to make automatic color corrections. Cost: $8</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Coin standoff.</b> I use a small metal rod with hard green wax formed on the ends to create both a "base" and a "table." It's called dop wax, and I use it for my other pursuit (lapidary and jewelry making). I form the wax while it's molten and it hardens within 30 seconds of the heat source being removed. It's good to ensure that wax fully covers the end of the rod so there's zero chance it will scratch the coin.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Dental wax</b> - this is the same kind of wax that kids put on the sharp metal part of their braces to prevent chafing on the inside of their cheeks. It's malleable, very slightly tacky, yet not so much that sticks to the coin (so long as I seat the coin to the wax with light pressure). It does a great job of securing the coin to the standoff, and the standoff to the background. It cost me a dollar or two I think. If it did get stuck to the coin, it'll usually wipe off. One could also put the coin in very hot water for a second and it will make the wax disappear.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Sheet of paper.</b> This is folded in half, stood on end, and serves as a reflector, returning bounced light to the side of the coin opposite the light source. Reflected light fills the shadows that are caused by the main light. I can move it closer to the coin to increase the amount of "fill" light.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>A light source.</b> I use an <a href="http://Video Lighting Tolifo Pt-30b PRO 30 Ws Bi Color LED Video Light Portable Panel with LED Display and Hotshoe Mounted for Camera and DSLR or Camcorder https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LWMZW06/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_i_199SNSTGX6VY2DDZZHXX?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://Video Lighting Tolifo Pt-30b PRO 30 Ws Bi Color LED Video Light Portable Panel with LED Display and Hotshoe Mounted for Camera and DSLR or Camcorder https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LWMZW06/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_i_199SNSTGX6VY2DDZZHXX?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1" rel="nofollow">LED light panel</a> I bought on Amazon for $50. This model was discontinued but there are other products like it. It's basically a glorified square flashlight. It produces much better results than using an on-camera light source, like a cell phone flash. To get natural looking light and shadows you have to move the light off of the device taking the photo (off the axis of the lens). Being a handheld light, I can move this all over the place to get different shadow and lighting effects.</p><p>Tip: shining a light through white fabric softens/diffuses the light (optional).</p><p><br /></p><p>My favorite free photo editing app that I use on my phone is Snapseed. It has a ton of features and I recommend it.</p><p><br /></p><p>Here are some photos of the set up and a resulting shadowless coin photo I took. I spent only a minute or two, and no image editing was needed beyond cropping.</p><p><br /></p><p><img src="https://i.imgur.com/OjuMT0U.jpeg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p><img src="https://i.imgur.com/JXJJYqO.jpeg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p><img src="https://i.imgur.com/pFFIbwG.jpeg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p> <img src="https://i.imgur.com/JfVCjgl.jpeg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p> <img src="https://i.imgur.com/4LTlhV5.jpeg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p> <img src="https://i.imgur.com/AjRrf4b.jpeg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p><br /></p><p>I hope this post helps anyone who wants to improve their coin photography on the cheap.</p><p><br /></p><p>-Jeremy[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="jb_depew, post: 8263750, member: 88227"]Here's a simple and cheap photography setup that allows me to take shadowless coin photos quickly with my cell phone. I will occasionally use my DSLR camera and flash (a Nikon Speedlight) to photograph coins, but more often than not I'm feeling lazy and simply use what I have in my pocket. Its quick and usually produces good enough results for the amount of effort I want to spend. Here are the components: [B]An 18% gray card. [/B]These are cheap plastic cards that can be [URL='https://www.google.com/aclk?sa=L&ai=DChcSEwiSgr7m-NX2AhXUc28EHayxCvUYABAIGgJqZg&ae=2&sig=AOD64_35onfoTXG1fh-wZd62ItkY-jREjQ&ctype=5&q=&ved=2ahUKEwjp57Hm-NX2AhVRXc0KHcG9DiQQwg96BAgDEAo&adurl=']bought on Amazon[/URL] or at a photography supply store. They are made to be an exact shade of gray, and are used by photographers to get consistent image exposure and color balance. My camera usually gives me a reasonably good and accurate photo when I use a gray card as my background. If I edit my photos in Photoshop, the gray can also be a reference point for the software to make automatic color corrections. Cost: $8 [B]Coin standoff.[/B] I use a small metal rod with hard green wax formed on the ends to create both a "base" and a "table." It's called dop wax, and I use it for my other pursuit (lapidary and jewelry making). I form the wax while it's molten and it hardens within 30 seconds of the heat source being removed. It's good to ensure that wax fully covers the end of the rod so there's zero chance it will scratch the coin. [B]Dental wax[/B] - this is the same kind of wax that kids put on the sharp metal part of their braces to prevent chafing on the inside of their cheeks. It's malleable, very slightly tacky, yet not so much that sticks to the coin (so long as I seat the coin to the wax with light pressure). It does a great job of securing the coin to the standoff, and the standoff to the background. It cost me a dollar or two I think. If it did get stuck to the coin, it'll usually wipe off. One could also put the coin in very hot water for a second and it will make the wax disappear. [B]Sheet of paper.[/B] This is folded in half, stood on end, and serves as a reflector, returning bounced light to the side of the coin opposite the light source. Reflected light fills the shadows that are caused by the main light. I can move it closer to the coin to increase the amount of "fill" light. [B]A light source.[/B] I use an [URL='http://Video Lighting Tolifo Pt-30b PRO 30 Ws Bi Color LED Video Light Portable Panel with LED Display and Hotshoe Mounted for Camera and DSLR or Camcorder https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LWMZW06/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_i_199SNSTGX6VY2DDZZHXX?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1']LED light panel[/URL] I bought on Amazon for $50. This model was discontinued but there are other products like it. It's basically a glorified square flashlight. It produces much better results than using an on-camera light source, like a cell phone flash. To get natural looking light and shadows you have to move the light off of the device taking the photo (off the axis of the lens). Being a handheld light, I can move this all over the place to get different shadow and lighting effects. Tip: shining a light through white fabric softens/diffuses the light (optional). My favorite free photo editing app that I use on my phone is Snapseed. It has a ton of features and I recommend it. Here are some photos of the set up and a resulting shadowless coin photo I took. I spent only a minute or two, and no image editing was needed beyond cropping. [IMG]https://i.imgur.com/OjuMT0U.jpeg[/IMG] [IMG]https://i.imgur.com/JXJJYqO.jpeg[/IMG] [IMG]https://i.imgur.com/pFFIbwG.jpeg[/IMG] [IMG]https://i.imgur.com/JfVCjgl.jpeg[/IMG] [IMG]https://i.imgur.com/4LTlhV5.jpeg[/IMG] [IMG]https://i.imgur.com/AjRrf4b.jpeg[/IMG] I hope this post helps anyone who wants to improve their coin photography on the cheap. -Jeremy[/QUOTE]
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