Coin Photography

Zsmartie

My hat is off to those that do coin photography professionally. I have been a photographer (amateur) for some 46 years. I used to concentrate on wildlife (Yellowstone, Glacier, and other wildlife sanctuaries) and also black and white photos of old ghost towns, and just general scenery. In Montana there is a never ending list of subject matter. However, coin photography is pretty new to me. I admit it has been a challenge and most of the time I have enjoyed it. In my attempts to photograph my coins (all Morgan dollars), it appears to me that some coins are just asking to take their photo. However, some coins (date, mint) almost shy away. Some coins are almost too easy to photograph. Although, if you are a professional and advertising your business, you have to be able to capture them all. And for that I applaud their work. Obviously they do not need to worry about me entering the business. I cannot accurately photograph my own coins. Some of the very sharp, bright coins in my hand look absolutely beautiful. Then I try to photograph them and I am absolutely disappointed. That photo does not even come close to showing the beauty there. Unfortunately it is a downer. To hold such a beautiful coin and then not be able to capture that beauty in a photo is disappointing. It makes wildlife and ghost town photography look like child's play. So I am glad we have some out there that really know their business. Attached is one of my coins and even though definitely not professional, is the best I can do.
/Users/James/Pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/resources/proxies/derivatives/11/00/1165/IivxgRzATlK8h+oSmXNazg_thumb_1165.jpg
/Users/James/Pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/resources/proxies/derivatives/11/00/1166/1Qj026kwRZC13gr++GNizQ_thumb_1166.jpg

Namvet69

Looks pretty dang good to me. Keep doing what you're doing. Peace Roy

Smudge

Well you got that one right.

bugbit

Good lookin coin and a good lookin pic. I too am often disappointed by the photos I take of my own coins. You have a huge head start on me with all your photography experience. My experience consists of cell phone pics of my kids and my dog. Keep practicing so you can post tips for us real amateurs after you get it figured out.

cheezhed

Looks perfectly fine to me.

ctf_error_coins

Your photo is better than almost all the other of this type of first photo posts.

That said, Photoshop is your friend for slight image adjustments (not altering).

Your photo is very slightly warm in color balance IMO.

Also, light the face of coin portraits like a real portrait. I want to see more light on the face.

Kudbegud

Nice. Keep going.

BryceM

Dave Wnuck wrote an article a while back about this. You can probably find it on his website. Certain coins are more photogenic than others. It usually follows that beautiful coins make beautiful photographs but this is not always true. He noticed that he was pursuing coins that would show better on his website as they're always easier to sell.

I do pretty good with silver, OK with nickel, pretty good with gold, but lousy with copper. Proofs are hit & miss. Certain silver "looks" are hard to get right. Fortunately, Morgans and Peace dollars are generally pretty easy to shoot.

I'm a bit the opposite. I hit way above my weight with coins but do pretty amateurish work with portraits and landscapes. Totally different skill set, I think.

Jimnight

Nice photos!!

WaterSport

Very nice. I just started doing this in January - it is tough!

WS

Zsmartie

I appreciate the comments, however, this was one of those coins that said, take my picture please. Then I move to the S mints of 1800-1882, and then forget it. Most of these are absolutely beautiful in hand, but then try to capture that in a photo, forget it. If I were to purchase a coin from a photo of these years, absolutely I would not do it. Now for one, I am not photographing these coins for resale, it is solely for my personal appreciation scrolling through my coins. If and when I ever sell my collection, I will not use my photos. I will let an auction house do their thing. But when I am sitting here with my coffee (or whiskey depending on the time of day), want to scroll through my coins, I would like to enjoy the view of each. I do not want to pull all the coins out of the safe and sit looking at each one. HOWEVER, I am starting to have the opinion of why not take them out and really, really enjoy them. Why leave them in a safe for some one else to somewhat enjoy someday and then dump on the market, when I really should be looking at them today. Really, I am the one that spent hours scrolling through coins and then purchasing and some returning some so I could have the best I can afford for my collection. At this point I absolutely like the coins I have. And I have no long term goal. I simply want to collect nice coins and be able to enjoy them.

lkeigwin

You are right. Some coins are easier to shoot than others. Don't get discouraged. I look back at coins I shot 10 years ago and cringe.

Keep at it.

This is not my best example but one I shot without much effort. I know I can do better.

Stay focused.
Lance.

jtlee321

I agree, some coins are very easy. Others are beautiful in hand, then turn into the "Two Face" episode from Seinfeld as soon as you put them under the lens. Add on trying to shoot through plastic without glare and it can become downright difficult. The important thing is to keep trying and eventually you will get results you will be happy with.

1630Boston

Nice job, I like the pic

spacehayduke

Nice images Zsmatie. I would still to see a touch more exposure - Morgan's are bright coins. And it looks like a little better focus and sharpness. In photoshop you can adjust both of these to refine the images.

Best, SH

ricko

@Zsmartie ...That is a great picture... I have been a member here for many, many years. Last year I posted my first picture - it was a cut and paste from my phone....Years ago, I did photograph flowers and wildlife - totally different process. With your experience you will master coin photography quickly. Thank you for showing us... Cheers, RickO

messydesk

One thing that will help is if you don't try to get a good picture of the coin and a good picture of the slab in the same shot. Sometimes it's possible, but other times not.

When doing the coins, I will be optimizing lights for each one, even if they're the same type. As you saw with 80-S, 81-S, and 82-S Morgans when compared with your 85, there are little things that can totally throw you off. 80-S and 81-S have harder reflections from prooflike fields. Some 82-S can additionally have slightly concave fields that give a mesmerizing cartwheel appearance that you don't see on other dates (making one of these in 67 an ideal type coin for a collection). Then you grab a 1901-04-P and get dead luster that needs to be helped by hardening the lights by backing them away from the coin or changing the white reflector in a lamp to a black one. Optimizing the toning/luster appearance is another challenge.

When shooting slabs, however, it's mass-production mode. One light above the top of the slab, one below the bottom. Decent diffusion for a flat look. CAC stickers require the upper light to be at a low angle so the hologram pops.

Zsmartie

@messydesk said:
One thing that will help is if you don't try to get a good picture of the coin and a good picture of the slab in the same shot. Sometimes it's possible, but other times not.

When doing the coins, I will be optimizing lights for each one, even if they're the same type. As you saw with 80-S, 81-S, and 82-S Morgans when compared with your 85, there are little things that can totally throw you off. 80-S and 81-S have harder reflections from prooflike fields. Some 82-S can additionally have slightly concave fields that give a mesmerizing cartwheel appearance that you don't see on other dates (making one of these in 67 an ideal type coin for a collection). Then you grab a 1901-04-P and get dead luster that needs to be helped by hardening the lights by backing them away from the coin or changing the white reflector in a lamp to a black one. Optimizing the toning/luster appearance is another challenge.

When shooting slabs, however, it's mass-production mode. One light above the top of the slab, one below the bottom. Decent diffusion for a flat look. CAC stickers require the upper light to be at a low angle so the hologram pops.

Thanks for the info. I will definitely try these points.

dave700x

I'm one new lens away from taking decent shots. Excellent photos posted above and great advice as well..

asheland

Very nice pictures!

WaterSport

I did a self evaluation of my pictures and found that like it or not, coin pictures often bring out the imperfections we can not see. This may be why your convinced they look better in hand, than the picture you just took. But hey, if you think its difficult now, what till you do proofs...

WS

NGS428

@WaterSport said:
I did a self evaluation of my pictures and found that like it or not, coin pictures often bring out the imperfections we can not see. This may be why your convinced they look better in hand, than the picture you just took. But hey, if you think its difficult now, what till you do proofs...

WS

I agree. After photographing some of my coins, the next place they landed was Ebay. But at least I had the pictures and could provide accurate descriptions.

Proofs are a challenge, but once you determine the right lighting type (ring light in my book) it is not too bad.

crazyhounddog

I see no problem at all with your images. If fact they look pretty darn good.