Am I using too much light for my pics?

commoncents123

I'm trying a new pic taking setup...under 350 watts of direct overhead light (living room chandelere [sp]). This coin is nice and original, but I have an eerie feeling there's too much reflection or something. Does it look OK to everyone? Does the coin look original and problem free?

Mesquite

Ah, there it is. It does look original, and you're right - there is too much glare. What is the color of the background? It looks as though it is charcoal colored? I'm wondering if your color is in need of balance.

commoncents123

Here's another one I took under the same conditions and settings, and it looks precisely like the coin actually appears. I'm not sure what gives.

lkeigwin

A neutral background is always best to avoid desensitizing your eyes to a strong color. In this case the brown background can play tricks on the coin's appearance. FWIW.

I think the photo looks fine. The question is, does it represent the coin accurately?

You're making nice progress with Mark's guidance!

commoncents123

Hmmm, well ok, good. I was worried that 1837 would look cleaned or something. So if I hadn't said anything, what would your first impression be if you saw it on ebay?

zeebob

The second photo shows the scratch in Liberty's face much more than the first photo. Which is closer to the in-hand look?

Have you tried sunlight?

Second pic looks more original to me.

RWB

If your camera’s light meter is working properly, light intensity is virtually irrelevant. The important factors are lighting angle (or angles if you use multiple lights), and angular size of the light source(s). Color balance plays a subjective role, although a correct white balance should remove that as a problem.

In the two photos, the angular size of the light source seems to have changed, possibly by use of a diffuser on the light(s) for the second photo.

commoncents123

<< <i>The second photo shows the scratch in Liberty's face much more than the first photo. Which is closer to the in-hand look?

Have you tried sunlight?

Second pic looks more original to me. >>



Firstly it's not a scratch, and secondly they are different coins..

Raybo

<< <i>The second photo shows the scratch in Liberty's face much more than the first photo. Which is closer to the in-hand look?

Have you tried sunlight?

Second pic looks more original to me. >>



Two different coins.

Ray

Raybo

I always shoot my coins in manual mode and usually f5.6 to f8.

I also take three or four images using different shutter settings and light angles.


Ray

commoncents123

catch is .... my camera is over 10 years old; it actually uses 3.5 inch floppy disks. but yeah, the 1836 has a huge die crack which is actually a documented die state......that's not a scratch

zeebob

<< <i>catch is .... my camera is over 10 years old; it actually uses 3.5 inch floppy disks. but yeah, the 1836 has a huge die crack which is actually a documented die state......that's not a scratch >>



ah... My apologies. Indeed two different coins (even two different dates - ).

Have you tried sunlight?

commoncents123

I've had bad luck w/ sunlight

MikeInFL

<< <i>Here's another one I took under the same conditions and settings, and it looks precisely like the coin actually appears. I'm not sure what gives.

>>



The difference betwen your photos is the first one has a very "high" light angle causing reflection (i.e. the light areas). The second shot was likely shot with a "lower" light, and the result is more even lighting and a better picture...>Mike

RWB

Lighting on the 1837 and 1836 do not appear to be identical. Look at the shadows on the lower left. The 1836 has open shadows characteristic of a diffused or larger light source. The shadow from the 1837 coin is much denser with a sharper boundary characteristic of a smaller, less diffuse light.

The incidence angle appears to be about the same for both.

mgoodm3

The guys above me state the truth.

No such thing as too much light (within reason). I regularly use 900W of lighting at close range.

commoncents123

they were both taken on my living room table with a 350 watt chandalere overhead. I wonder if it has to do with how far I held the camera away or something, my cam is 10 years old

messydesk

<< <i>The guys above me state the truth.

No such thing as too much light (within reason). I regularly use 900W of lighting at close range. >>


And a fire extinguisher close by?

White balance is off in the original pictures (too pink), and the fact that the 1837 appears to be a glossier coin is giving you a glare off the coin. Ever consider a newer digicam?

seemyauction

I would suguest using a piece of paper for the background.

The textile that you are using now makes the camera's white balance over compensate.

Look at the shade of the textile in both photos, if everything was the same and only the coin changed, why the different shades if white?