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Working on my photo skills
Pnies20
Posts: 2,062 ✭✭✭✭✭
I bought a new lamp to assist in taking photos. It was cheap and my pics look a lot better. Not to the level they would with nicer equipment but you get what you pay for.
Some day I’ll buy a cool coin photo rig...
BHNC #248 … 108 and counting.
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Good job! Fair to assume the photos look very close to that nice coin in hand?
My collecting “Pride & Joy” is my PCGS Registry Dansco 7070 Set:
https://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/type-sets/design-type-sets/complete-dansco-7070-modified-type-set-1796-date/publishedset/213996
Those photos are pretty good and the coin is nice too.
IMO the light on the coin is too harsh and is giving it an unnatural look. I have a similar LED lamp and the same effect occurs in my amateur photography experiments. The TrueView looks more realistic. It looks nicer than a 62 to me; is it market/net graded because of the light rub on the cheek? I'm not too knowledgeable about grading this series.
Nothing is as expensive as free money.
So yeah... I’m taking pics on my dresser with a $50 lamp. I’m not to the level of taking true
view photos
I ultimately need to get a rig specifically for coins. I forget the website but I’ve seen them offered here.
BHNC #248 … 108 and counting.
Haha! I didn't mean to imply you should be on that level. Like I said, a lot of my attempts with an LED light and my iPhone end up looking similar to your result. All that said, it's a damn nice coin
Nothing is as expensive as free money.
pocketchange is correct. The reverse of the PCGS label is screaming "lighting is too harsh." A $50 lamp can give you great results if used properly. It takes experimenting with the angle of both the lighting and the camera. Back the lamp(s) away from the coin or don't point them directly at the coin. Only you can tell the difference between your pic and the coin in hand. If big difference more experimenting is called for. Small table top tripod with coin on a flat surface on top of a white sheet of paper would help.
Three lamps help to ensure even lighting on the coin.
Keep an open mind, or get financially repressed -Zoltan Pozsar
The cheek is the only thing that could have held it back From 63 or higher, IMO. There fields are nearly flawless on both sides.
I need to do more experimenting and have a long way to go but it looks Even better in hand than in the auction photos, trueview. I won it last Year in a stacks auction.
BHNC #248 … 108 and counting.
what are you using now?
An iPhone and a cheap LED magnification lamp
BHNC #248 … 108 and counting.
Your pictures look pretty good to me. I took the liberty to crop them to see what they look like without the distraction of the slab. I also adjusted the picture using the built in edit thing in my iPhone to try and correct the color using the Trueview as a comparison. It still doesn’t match the TrueView, but it’s a little bit closer
Here’s your original pictures for comparison
Mr_Spud
Have you tried to diffuse the light, might help with the harshness.
My Collection of Old Holders
Never a slave to one plastic brand will I ever be.
No
Thanks for the advice. Still 100% green
BHNC #248 … 108 and counting.
Looks like your new light is a multi-LED ringlight? The "un-natural" look of the photos is probably due to having lights coming from the lower half of the ringlight. I'd wager the photos would look a lot better if you just mask-off the lower half so only the upper half illuminates the coin.
http://macrocoins.com
Definitely looking better and some good advice here.
But what I really wanted to say is that's a GREAT looking coin!
“We are only their care-takers,” he posed, “if we take good care of them, then centuries from now they may still be here … ”
Todd - BHNC #242
Try adjusting the white balance on your camera settings. Don't keep it to auto, or whichever is the default. Play around with them, as they will make an image more green, orange, or blue.
Traditionally in cinema, a more orange light was cast by incandescents, blue by natural daylight, and green by flourescents. These are balanced out by utilizing an opposite colored filter. Your phone may be overcorrecting based on the current cinema.
Custom album maker and numismatic photographer, see my portfolio here: (http://www.donahuenumismatics.com/).
is it at least 6th gen?
The iPhone is a 10
BHNC #248 … 108 and counting.
I cannot critique the photo at all, since it is orders of magnitude above what I could do. Great picture and a very, very nice coin. Cheers, RickO
Nice images..
One thing I do before every session... is take a picture of a white piece of paper or a gray card (which I cannot locate).
Go to the in camera settings for white balance.
Select that image for the WB.
All of your images will have a consistent and more accurate look in regards to color.
I do it by habit because the lighting can easily change a slight amount from day to day, time of day etc...
Saves so much time in post processing!
I still struggle with getting the washed out metal look and not capturing the mirrors of a coin.
Shot some copper last night. BU copper is a bit easier.
BST: KindaNewish (3/21/21), WQuarterFreddie (3/30/21), Meltdown (4/6/21), DBSTrader2 (5/5/21) AKA- unclemonkey on Blow Out
You are doing very good!
Thanks for all of your input. It’ll help a ton.
It looks considerably better on circulated coins. Light is at its lowest output. Still a bit harsh. Here is an 1809 O-112 in VF
BHNC #248 … 108 and counting.
Still a bit un-natural looking with lights coming from below.
http://macrocoins.com