Coin Photography

ModernCrapNut

I've learned a lot about coin photography from the posts and links from mgoodman, so I was happy to see his new book available for pre-order on amazon available Oct. 1st. I should have mine in hand within 2 weeks since amazon is much more efficient at shopping than the mint. I'm looking forward to learning a lot more.

mgoodm3

The Oct 1 shown on Amazon is optimistic. Still has some more editing and printing to do. I will keep this place updated on the progress with the publisher.

ricko

Thanks Mark, I will get a copy as well... Cheers, RickO

JeremyDie1

Me too!

razzle

count me in, Mark.

SirAnthonyAC

Do you get into specifically capturing luster and getting the coins color to appear correct?

For example, this 1917 Type II Standing Liberty Quarter has luster in hand…
in the photo it looks flat and grey... almost fake, cleaned, or with altered surfaces...
it does not look like that in hand.

The 1908-S Indian head is a deep dark reddish brown color in hand… in the photo it looks like it’s brighter,
flatter, almost plastic-like orange or something...
again it does not look like that in hand.

Do you think lighting is the main issue? I used Canon 20D, ISO 100, macro extension tube, Tamron 28-70 2.8 at F/22, no flash, and a tri-pod. I tried both custom and auto white balance... neither could capture the luster on the coins or their true color.

ModernCrapNut

Have you tried adjusting the white balance? I was playing with your pics and took them a little toward blue and increased contrast and they started looking better. I couldn't tell if the background should be gray or black though.

ModernCrapNut

Once I have the book, hopefully I can run into you at a coin show Mark. I would love to have you autograph your book.

SirAnthonyAC

Thanks for the quick response.

The background I chose was black and yes, I did try both auto and custom white balance, there was little difference, neither captured the luster correctly.

I took photos of modern quarters too... they also look very flat, not as flat and grey as if I used a scanner but, much, much flatter and greyer than in hand.

I'm going have to try shooting them outside and see if natural sun light makes a difference.

IrishMike

Your background on the cent looks bluish which indicates to me you need to adjust the white balance. I took some blue out of your photo, some green, added some red and it looks like your description. With out knowing what lighting you used I am not sure why you can't capture luster. Make sure you are shooting far away enough from the coin to get sufficient lighting on the coin.

drwstr123

Try dropping the F-stop and increasing the ISO:

mgoodm3

Luster is mainly a lighting issue - angle, number, type. The book does go into that in detail. There is also info on that in my articles.

messydesk

<< <i>Do you get into specifically capturing luster and getting the coins color to appear correct? >>


Use a grey card, not black, not white. The auto white balance is most accurate at the center of the dynamic range. Think about it like you would someone's voice. If they are screaming or whispering, you can't really tell what their voice sounds like as easily as you can if they are speaking at a normal volume. Such it is with a camera's white balance. It works much better with grey.


<< <i>Do you think lighting is the main issue? >>


Lighting is always a main issue.


<< <i>I used Canon 20D, ISO 100, macro extension tube, Tamron 28-70 2.8 at F/22 >>


f22, while having depth-of-field, has much less sharpness than larger apertures. Try f5.6 or f8 (there are a couple threads illustrating this on this forum -- dunno if Mark put it in his book). Also, that lens might not be designed to work well on an extension tube without being reversed. I'd recommend a dedicated macro, although that won't fix your lighting issues.

Swampboy

Mark,
I can wait to pick up a copy.
Your knowledge and your inclination to share it so freely has made my first year on this forum so much more enjoyable.
Gil

mgoodm3

I got the whole f-stop vs. sharpness issue covered in the book also. F22 is evil. f6-10 good. ISO 100 good although you'll get longer exposures, but smoother images. As long as the camera is well strapped down you should be fine.

Using a zoom lens will always be a bit limited compared to a dedicated macro lens, but you do seem to get decent sharpness out of it with the extension tube.

mrearlygold

A valuable tool

zkcoins

I am definitely going to have to pick that up. I finally have a camera and soon should have a nice desk area for my lights. Should be fun.

ModernCrapNut

<< <i>I got the whole f-stop vs. sharpness issue covered in the book also. F22 is evil. f6-10 good. ISO 100 good although you'll get longer exposures, but smoother images. As long as the camera is well strapped down you should be fine.

Using a zoom lens will always be a bit limited compared to a dedicated macro lens, but you do seem to get decent sharpness out of it with the extension tube. >>



The explanation you posted in a thread a couple of weeks ago really helped me understand why the proper f-stop is needed. I'm sure the book covers a lot of the "tricks" that you've learned for your great images.

etexmike

<< <i>Once I have the book, hopefully I can run into you at a coin show Mark. I would love to have you autograph your book. >>



Mark promised me an "autographed" copy of his book also. He just hasn't decided whose autograph he is going to put in there.

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etexmike