Coin photo lighting question

ColonialCoinUnion

Now that I have successfully loaded a photo onto this site, I'm trying to figure out how to make it light enough so the viewer can actually see the coin.

Someone posted this the other day:


Is this (or a reasonable facsimile of it like Russ showed) the way you guys take such excellent pictures?

I tried piling all of the small desk lamps I own around the coin and it still isn't quite adequate - this is about the best lit picture I could get:


So how do you do it? What do I need?

mgoodm3

Red X. Looks like your trying to show something from Bh photo. copy stand ,maybe?

ColonialCoinUnion

<< <i>Red X. Looks like your trying to show something from Bh photo. copy stand ,maybe? >>



Yes. Looks like they offer a huge range of them from $135 to $500+.

Placid

Photoshop

mgoodm3

I use a low-end version without the attached lights. motion is the killer for closeup photos. I just use a couple desk lamps and the camera's self timer for exposures.

ColonialCoinUnion

<< <i>

Photoshop >>



Well, it is lighter, but it looks odd. Like a photoshopped image rather than a crystal clear bright coin like I see posted in here all the time.

Russ

<< <i>Looks like they offer a huge range of them from $135 to $500+. >>



The one I use costs $41.





Desk lamp thingies were $6.99 each, and the light bulbs are $4.99 a four pack (GE Reveal).

Russ, NCNE

ColonialCoinUnion

<< <i>The one I use costs $41.

Desk lamp thingies were $6.99 each, and the light bulbs are $4.99 a four pack (GE Reveal).

Russ, NCNE >>



Forgive the beginnerific questions -

1) So you have three desk lamps pretty much right on top of the coin. What size bulbs are in those?
2) It looks like you have some kind of vice-like things that holds the slab. Can you show a picture of how that works?
3) How do you avoid the slab picking up the reflections of the lights? The only way I could take a shot of the slab without a giant reflection of a lightbulb in it was to position the lights at angles which solved the reflection problem but made the picture slightly too dark.

Thanks -

FullHorn

More photoshop

GoldCoinLover

I take pics of my coins outside in the hot, hot arizona sunlight

Russ

<< <i>1) So you have three desk lamps pretty much right on top of the coin. What size bulbs are in those? >>



Varies from a single 40 watt to three 100 watt and every combination in between. Just depends on what I'm shooting.



<< <i>2) It looks like you have some kind of vice-like things that holds the slab. Can you show a picture of how that works? >>



You're looking at the camera mount. The slab lays flat on the cardboard I have laying at the base of the stand. I normally use black cloth, but put green there because the mount would have been hard to see against a black background.



<< <i>3) How do you avoid the slab picking up the reflections of the lights? >>



Angle and moving the lights around.

Here's your coin with the bright upped a bit:



Russ, NCNE

ColonialCoinUnion

Thanks Russ -

Placid

Screw everyone else

FullHorn

DHeath

ColonialCoinUnion

Sorry - didn't mean to leave anyone out - just wanted to thank Russ for answering my follow-up questions, including all the PMs I have sent him about uploading, downloading, etc. in the past.

Thanks to all.

But don't take my word for it, rather wait to see the Ansel Adams-esque shots you'll see from me in the future, as this will be the sincerest form of thanks any Nikon toting collector could offer.

Skipper53

Try using a black felt or velvet cloth as a background.
Also experiment with different white-balance settings.
Try using a tripod and use the timer setting so you're
not hold the camera.
These little tricks can make a big difference.

Skipper

MSD61

I use a black velvet type cloth, a digital camera tripod and shoot in as much natural light as possible. I will take a group of pictures and just weed out the ones I think are the best. I have tried shooting under desk lamps and such, but always come out with yellowish pictures. Here is a couple of examples of some wheats I have up on the bay of E.