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<p>[QUOTE="dougsmit, post: 3146951, member: 19463"]Many cameras default to too much contrast and artificial sharpening routines trying to make images look sharp. I believe the seller photo suffers from this.</p><p><br /></p><p>I have said too many times that I do not believe in the concept of photos that do not look like their coins. Coins give off no light but reflect the light that falls on them. If the light is harsh and yellow, the photo will be harsh and yellow. If the light is too bright, the photo will be washed out. Camera users have controls over some of these factors but many cameras come with default settings that were not intended for coin photography. Some coins seem to photograph acceptably no matter what you do but others resist everything I try to make the photo better than the one on my driver's license. My most recent coin purchase is fighting me. I should have let the underbidder have it. Perhaps he doesn't take pictures and would not find the coin frustrating.</p><p>Augustus, Amphipolis AE22 Artemis on bull (ex. last FSR sale) </p><p>[ATTACH=full]805589[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>I do have one photo that does not look like the coin under any light but it is not ancient. The left and center pairs of this Indian $5 were made by different light arrangements and look like the coin under those lights. The right image is the other two stacked on top of each other with the transparancy of the top layer reduced until it looked pleasing to me. There is no single light arrangement that gives this look but it shows the coin in the light I wish I had to use for the photo. All three are the same coin and there are two different lightings used separately or playing together. I would love to try this on a mint state aureus of Septimius Severus from an eastern mint but that is not likely to happen.</p><p><img src="http://www.pbase.com/dougsmit/image/114684283.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" />[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="dougsmit, post: 3146951, member: 19463"]Many cameras default to too much contrast and artificial sharpening routines trying to make images look sharp. I believe the seller photo suffers from this. I have said too many times that I do not believe in the concept of photos that do not look like their coins. Coins give off no light but reflect the light that falls on them. If the light is harsh and yellow, the photo will be harsh and yellow. If the light is too bright, the photo will be washed out. Camera users have controls over some of these factors but many cameras come with default settings that were not intended for coin photography. Some coins seem to photograph acceptably no matter what you do but others resist everything I try to make the photo better than the one on my driver's license. My most recent coin purchase is fighting me. I should have let the underbidder have it. Perhaps he doesn't take pictures and would not find the coin frustrating. Augustus, Amphipolis AE22 Artemis on bull (ex. last FSR sale) [ATTACH=full]805589[/ATTACH] I do have one photo that does not look like the coin under any light but it is not ancient. The left and center pairs of this Indian $5 were made by different light arrangements and look like the coin under those lights. The right image is the other two stacked on top of each other with the transparancy of the top layer reduced until it looked pleasing to me. There is no single light arrangement that gives this look but it shows the coin in the light I wish I had to use for the photo. All three are the same coin and there are two different lightings used separately or playing together. I would love to try this on a mint state aureus of Septimius Severus from an eastern mint but that is not likely to happen. [IMG]http://www.pbase.com/dougsmit/image/114684283.jpg[/IMG][/QUOTE]
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