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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;messydesk, post: 4965807, member: 1765&quot;]There are two parameters of the light that you need to be aware of: brightness and contrast.&nbsp; Different coins have different requirements for how bright the light is and how contrasty it is.&nbsp; Blown out highlights (or lost shadow detail) can be the result of either.&nbsp; A general rule of thumb is that you want the contrast (also known as &quot;hardness&quot;) of the light to be the opposite of the contrast of the coin.&nbsp; A hazy uncirculated coin or a brown uncirculated copper coin -- both low contrast coins -- can benefit from a harder light to capture some of the luster in a photo.&nbsp; An 82-S Morgan is usually (and in this case) a contrasty or flashy coin, so it needs more diffuse light.&nbsp; Something like a proof Mercury dime is nothing but contrast, so you need very diffuse light or you&#039;re going to have both blown out highlights and lost shadows.</p><p><br /></p><p>Experiment with diffusion on this coin, leaving the lights all in the same place.&nbsp; If you&#039;re able, look at the histogram of the image you get.&nbsp; It shows you just how much of the image is being lost in shadow or highlights.&nbsp; As you add diffusion, the histogram will get narrower and less image information will be lost.</p><p><br /></p><p>I show the effect of varying diffusion in the FUN presentation I did 10 years ago that I&#039;ve posted here now and then.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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