Question for Anaconda, JoeJeweler et al...

GaCoinGuy

Okay, after months of experimentation with lighting, camera angles, settings, etc...........How do you guys get such clear pictures of the colors on your coins? I have a few that I think some on the boards would appreciate, but can't get the pictures to come out as anything more than dark blotches.



Help? Ideas? Advice?


Thanks in advance.

joejeweler

Hehehe......the real secret is to copy the photo's off the web when you hook up on a coin! The photo's of my signiture coin are, in fact, pirated photo's from Adrian's auction when i 1st locked it up.

I still stuggle getting decent photo's of my other coins from my NGC registry set. I don't have the best digital camera, and my traditional 35mm is more up to the task because i do have actual top notch "macro" lenses for that setup. (my 90mm f2.5 Vivitar series one of about 20 years vintage is known for it's crisp photo closeup capabilities!). It's just too much bother having the film developed and digitised......though i may do that in the future.

Maybe Adrian can better outline his success in his photos.....certainly among the best on ebay........i know they take forever on my current 28k modem......but worth the wait!

tjkillian

A good camera that is capable of taking macro (short range) pictures is very important. Some camera's are not design for extreme close-up pictures.

Tom

ANACONDA

Let me rephrase your question:

Adrian; it seems that your photos are pretty good and that in all probability, your good photos help you sell coins and feed your wife and
three hungry children. Could you please give up one of your competitive advantages, for free, and lower your standard of living by revealing
some of your most important trade secrets?

My answer:

Sure, i'd be glad to put all of you first before my wife and kids and give you a bunch of free information.

While i've posted many of my photographic techniques here on these boards, you'll probably have a hard time finding them because
some other board member castigated me for putting the word "anaconda" in thread titles which i've created, essentially accusing
me of stupidity and egocentrism. Unfortunately, he isn't as familiar with the PCGS message board search function as he is with
needlessly insulting friendly folk like me, so, because i'm so shy, i have for the most part not put "anaconda" in the thread titles.

Anyway, here goes. First and foremost, there are very few shortcuts. ("Ah ha! That's why he's gonna tell us secrets!") It's like teaching
someone how to oil paint. I can tell you where to get your oil and canvas, but you still have to learn how to paint, and it takes elbow
grease and time.

Firstly you have to have a good camera and know how to use it. I use a Nikon Coolpix 4500 and also a Nikon Coolpix 990. The
most important settings to learn are the white balance and metering functions.

Secondarily, you have to learn the importance of lighting. Almost any light will do however some lights are better than others. Florescent
light (sp?) is good at reproducing color but not luster. Incandescent light is good for showing luster but not color. Natural light in the
mornings and evenings can be the best light for showing both, but not always.

Glare is a common problem and is generally overcome by positioning the coin in the holder at a different ange. Sometimes you just
have to live with a little glare. Glare can be done away with by using the contrast and brightness functions in Adobe Photoshop.

Thirdly, learn to use you imaging software. You have to manipulate and edit the images to get good representation. Anyone who says
"my images are not edited or manipulated" probably has bad images that do not accurately represent the coin.

Learn to use the contrast and brightness functions. Also the Color functions. Most images need attention from these two options.

Ok, that's about it in a nutshell. Good luck.

adrian

WWW

Does a good magician reveal how the magic was performed? Not bloody likely. Get your learn on and bust out
a thousand or so images and you'll be as good as anyone else out there as long as you followed the key tenants
of coin imaging as espoused by the ANACONDA and a few others here on the US coin forum. I took his advice to
heart and here are some of the results, albeit I'm still not quite there yet.

ANACONDA

Excellent shots. Nice coins. (That's what coin dealers call awesome coins that they hope to someday buy.)

That's only the second Grant I can remember seeing with a lot of good color.

adrian