Photography thread?

You bring up a good point, and one that me thinks is just an oversight with many folks: they simply forget to review their photos before downloading (or is it uploading?) and posting. Seriously, hard to imagine posting a photo like your example, here...no one would post such with any legitimate thought of it being of any benefit to anyone, unless they just weren't paying attention. With digital photography, there's no excuse for not reviewing the photo between the taking and the posting, and if not adequately lit/clear/focused/sized or framed proportionally, etc, take it over (and maybe over again) to improve it and repeat the review process. If I can learn to take decent-to-good coin photos at my age...never having taken one in my life before and using an instrument of a borrowed smartphone and such that I don't even have/use...anyone can take them if they just remember a few basics that aren't even coin-specific. I just think too many are in too much of a hurry and go from taking to posting without thinking. I do think this scenario changes for some who are selling and trying to hide/conceal/cover-over something in their photos, but that's another thing altogether.

 

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This is the reason I stay with the Crayola method, and the Play Money Coins Coloring Pages.

 

I really like the warm tones for certain applications. They can turn silver gold though. I assume your lights incandescent? It's getting hard to find filament bulbs in the big stores. Sometimes you need color temperature variation. I try not to alter my images in shop although sometimes some color and shadow adjustment can not be avoided. I do my best to portray an image of what I am actually looking at. I am not giving up on led just yet, I refuse to entertain halogen, Even though LED can frequency sync with digital images, it has its benifits. I am currently waiting for a variable ring light to play with in hopes of replacing 3 lights with one or at least two.

 

Yes I was being a little dramatic, but not very. Whats funny was I had to actually try to get that image. All of my shots were coming out too good to make my point.

 

I actually think you guys do a tremendous job of analyzing peoples snaps. I don't know how you do it.

 

Nice shot.

 

Since were fresh on the topic of photography I'll post this here instead of a new thread, Coin In Slab Photography. I'm finding it difficult to get my image represented in such a way that cannot avoid a reflection from the slab. I can get an acceptable image such as the first photo, but i have to cover the surface with alcohol to eliminate the slab imperfections, (compare to photo 2, without alch.) The problem is portraying the mirror finish on a proof without ending up with something like photo 3... Honestly I'm not happy with any slab photos that I have produced.

 

A slab turns a 70 into a 65 IMO. Not literally but... I mean, now I have to polish slabs. They should be encasing 69 and 70's in crystal.

 

I think it is all to do with the lighting and their positions, but you are correct, getting an acceptable image of a cameo coin is challenging. Also there should be no other ambient light in the room. This is imaged through the slab and any marks are on the plastic

 

It's the ghosting.. it kills it.

 

I don't expect a solution to the problem, even PCGS has issues with this... "Now this isn’t necessarily the best way to photograph a coin in the slab. Far from it but it’s become the most popular way we photograph slabs that appeals to our clientele". But I accept the challenge.

 

Two ways to get good proof pics thru plastic. Axial or indirect lighting or just tilt the coin/slab slightly. These pics are using the second method.