There is no right and wrong when taking pictures of coins. We all have our preferences of background, type of lighting, amount of lighting, etc. We all have the style we like, and what works for us. However, we seldom get to see what another amateur coin photographer like us would do with our coins if they had the chance to photograph them. Luckily, I do have such a coin. @red_spork had a chance to photograph this coin when he owned it. As you can see, he is a fan of white backgrounds, and I noticed that he uses light very tactfully to overpower through most of the light tarnish which might obscure some of the details, to make the design pop out boldly. I am a big fan of his method! @red_spork photograph of the Istros Drachm. Now, we come to Sallent's style. As you can see, I'm not as tech smart, so I prefer a simple Ivory colored background (also known as extra thick Ivory colored resume paper). My style is also quite different. I prefer not to overwhelm the coin with light, but rather apply just enough to get as close as my camera can get to what the piece looks in hand. The result being that I've captured the lighter patina that Red_Spork's photo doesn't capture, even at the expense of not having the design stand out as boldly. Another advantage, as far as my personal tastes go, is that it captures every scratch, bump, and other little imperfections in detail. I see those sorts of thing as a badge of honor picked up from thousands of years of history, and I want to share every little detail, even the not so perfect ones, with those who view my coins. Naturally, there is no right or wrong style. It is all a matter of personal preference, technical skills, and equipment used. However, I wanted to share this because I found it fascinating to observe the differences between another amateur photographer in this forum and myself of the same coin. In Conclusion, for those who are curious what the coin actually look like? A tiny bit less toned than my picture...but not by much. However, the toning is fairly thin and in heavy light conditions does not show as intense.
Both images have their merits. It just goes to show that sometimes more than one image is needed to capture different aspects of the same coin. Slight reticulation of the surfaces is common on ancient silver, and nothing to shy away from in my opinion. After all, we are talking about coins that are thousands of years old.
Oh, I'm not complaining at all. I am extremely satisfied with this acquisition and I would do it all over again if I had to. This was merely an observation of two different members of this room and their photograph of the same coin. It is not meant as a critique, but as an interesting light-hearted observation of what do people in this forum could come up with when given the opportunity to photograph the same coin.
Here's a third picture, from Agora Auctions and a forth from the consignor before it went to auction. Both show the toning a little differently as well. I find that there are almost always differences in how various pictures will make toned coins look just because toned coins, when viewed in different lighting can look vastly different. I have a few coins that I think are even better examples actually, I'll see if I can find them.
I purchased this coin a few months back from FORVM, from the Andrew McCabe collection. Between my picture, FORVM's picture, McCabe's pictures, and ROMA numismatics pictures, who have sold it both in 2009 and then later before it went to FORVM, there are several different variations on lighting that make it look very different at times: First, my picture, which I feel is how it looks in-hand with good lighting: Second, McCabe's single image and the image from his trays: Third: ROMA's pictures in 2009 and then in 2015: And finally, FORVM's picture:
I just looked at the coin by the light of another room in the house and it looks more like red_spork's picture. This is one difficult coin to capture...the toning really does change quite a bit depending on the angle and room light. I feel like I could take a dozen pictures and never quite capture it correctly.
