Secrets of the tru-view photographers?

lsica

Man I would love to get one of the tru-view photographers drunk and get their secrets. They produce often produce images that show a combination of luster, color, and detail that I just can't see how they do it in one 2-D image. Anyone know their secrets? Do they combine multiple images somehow?

derryb

I would say it's 10% hardware, 10% skill and 80% lighting.

lsica

But what lighting???? I still wonder if they don't somehow digitally combine multiple images...

airplanenut

The secret? Phil shoots coins raw, and typically the hardest obstacle for any tricky coin is dealing with the slab.

TomB

I believe there is one photographer and he is a member of the boards. An enormous advantage is the ability to shoot the coin raw and to therefore not need to deal with glare from the plastic.

scottgardener

For one thing, they're professionals specifically at photographing coins. And for another, they're doing so at PCGS, so it's a good bet that they're doing it at a studio designed specifically for the purpose. That means:

1. A high-end, professional grade camera, designed for closeups;

2. A place to set the coins, with lighting already in place, a camera pre-configured or with multiple pre-configured settings, and positioned exactly right;

3. Raw coins, professionally graded but not yet in the holder, so no plastic haze, scratches, or fuzz; and,

4. Software already in place to receive uncompressed data to convert directly to a final image, without multi-step generational loss.

By comparison, I have sticking my coins on a flatbed scanner, upping the resolution from 200 dpi to 1200 dpi, and cropping the scan in Photoshop Elements. I think PCGS' studio has me beat.

speety

<< <i>The secret? Phil shoots coins raw, and typically the hardest obstacle for any tricky coin is dealing with the slab. >>



Bingo! Phil is good though, plus the fact that he shoots hundreds of coins a day means that he's had plenty of practice.

19Lyds

No need to get him drunk, just shoot schwarzpferd a PM.

His forum id used to be darkhorse and here's the thread where he announced that he accepted the position.

Here's the thread where David Hall put out the call for a photographer.

lsica

<< <i>The secret? Phil shoots coins raw >>



Yeah didn't think of that....

blu62vette

<< <i>

<< <i>The secret? Phil shoots coins raw >>



Yeah didn't think of that.... >>



It makes a huge difference on certain coins....

DMWJR

<< <i>I would say it's 10% hardware, 10% skill and 80% lighting. >>




I would go 5% camera, 30% lens, 30% lighting, 30% skill. Oh yeah and 5% luck ...

All kidding aside, they are nice photos, but in a few instances, a little to overexposed/cartoonish for my taste.

Broadstruck

I'd go a bit higher on the percentage of 10-30% on skill.

ArizonaJack

Yogi Berra:
Practise, practise, practise. when your done practising, then go and practise some more !!!
Hope I spelled that right

lcoopie

<< <i>The secret? Phil shoots coins raw, and typically the hardest obstacle for any tricky coin is dealing with the slab. >>



He wouldn't get the same results shooting jpgs