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Need some help/advice on how to photograph white/PL Morgan?

OK, I give up...I've tried for hours and hours and months upon months, and I get either too hot or too saturated or too dark or too many light marks.

I've seen so many perfect pictures of white/PL Morgans, I need to ask ... what's the trick? How do you not get the light lines that go across the coin (I've tried 5 different kinds of lights and at every angle...and in order to light the coin, I get either hot light spots on the coin or horizontal and/or vertical light lines).

I don't have this problem with normal Morgans (e.g. color and/or white but not PL), but cannot for the life of me image a PL Morgan.

Any help would be appreciated...as well as potential pictures of a coin and the lighting details that were used with it.

Thanks!

Comments

  • CoinZipCoinZip Posts: 3,253 ✭✭✭

    Have you played with more than 1 type of light at the same time?

    For example using a 2500k and 5000k at the same time?

    Another thought, diffused light....

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  • MGLICKERMGLICKER Posts: 7,995 ✭✭✭
    Is the coin raw, in a PCGS or NGC holder? All take a bit different technique.
  • lkeigwinlkeigwin Posts: 16,885 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Show us what you have and what you want. And a little about your set-up.

    There's too little to go on.
    Lance.
  • blu62vetteblu62vette Posts: 11,900 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I image them the same as regular Morgans. Maybe back the lights up just a hair.

    image
    http://www.bluccphotos.com" target="new">BluCC Photos Shows for onsite imaging: Nov Baltimore, FUN, Long Beach http://www.facebook.com/bluccphotos" target="new">BluCC on Facebook
  • morgansforevermorgansforever Posts: 8,428 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Backing off the lights will make the fields darker and there will be more contrast between device n field, regarding PL/DMPL Morgans.
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  • messydeskmessydesk Posts: 19,642 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Lower angle than normal. Make sure the slab is clean.
  • rickoricko Posts: 98,724 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Beautiful image Todd.... what year is that?? Cheers, RickO
  • blu62vetteblu62vette Posts: 11,900 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>Beautiful image Todd.... what year is that?? Cheers, RickO >>



    It is an 1884-CC PCGS 63DMPL.

    http://www.bluccphotos.com" target="new">BluCC Photos Shows for onsite imaging: Nov Baltimore, FUN, Long Beach http://www.facebook.com/bluccphotos" target="new">BluCC on Facebook
  • mercurydimeguymercurydimeguy Posts: 4,625 ✭✭✭✭
    Thanks all, will try tonight and will post some results (don't laugh...) image
  • mercurydimeguymercurydimeguy Posts: 4,625 ✭✭✭✭
    Here's the best I can do...I can't get the lines of lights not to show up on the coin no matter what I try...

    I raise the lights, lower the lights, try 2 lights or 3 lights, back them up, bring them in. All give me variations of this...I can't get an evenly lit coin though.

    When you say back up the lights, how far? A foot, 3 feet? Give me some context as the lighting setup. I have up to 7 lights I can use, 4 Jansjo and 3 normal hooded lights (I can use CFL, normal bulb, or LED). I can diffuse or not diffuse. No matter what I try (so far), I can't get an evenly lit coin without line lights and/or hot spots.

    Part of the coin are black, part of the coin are lit up...pretty much the same thing no matter what I do.

    Thanks for your help.

    imageimage


  • SoCalBigMarkSoCalBigMark Posts: 2,786 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Three years ago we would be raving about your images.
  • sparky64sparky64 Posts: 7,025 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I really like your pic, btw, even though it isn't what you want.

    It's great combo of luster an PL. image

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  • blu62vetteblu62vette Posts: 11,900 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>Here's the best I can do...I can't get the lines of lights not to show up on the coin no matter what I try...

    I raise the lights, lower the lights, try 2 lights or 3 lights, back them up, bring them in. All give me variations of this...I can't get an evenly lit coin though.

    When you say back up the lights, how far? A foot, 3 feet? Give me some context as the lighting setup. I have up to 7 lights I can use, 4 Jansjo and 3 normal hooded lights (I can use CFL, normal bulb, or LED). I can diffuse or not diffuse. No matter what I try (so far), I can't get an evenly lit coin without line lights and/or hot spots.

    Part of the coin are black, part of the coin are lit up...pretty much the same thing no matter what I do.

    Thanks for your help.

    imageimage >>



    I never diffuse but that is me, I just don't like the look.

    This may be partly the coin. PL coins really don't image with full black fields because a PL is not that deep. I think your images would show most people that it is PL.

    http://www.bluccphotos.com" target="new">BluCC Photos Shows for onsite imaging: Nov Baltimore, FUN, Long Beach http://www.facebook.com/bluccphotos" target="new">BluCC on Facebook
  • DIMEMANDIMEMAN Posts: 22,403 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I would love to get pics this good!!!
  • lkeigwinlkeigwin Posts: 16,885 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Looks to me like you are expecting something you will not achieve with that coin. The photos are perfectly respectable.

    When you shoot a silver proof I'll bet you get very different results. Are you thinking you should get results along that line with a PL Morgan?
    Lance.
  • mercurydimeguymercurydimeguy Posts: 4,625 ✭✭✭✭
    Lance I'm trying to get even lighting on the coin. I can't seem to get it.

    When I play around with lights and angles I get various iterations of this look, just the bright spots are in different places.

    This coin might be an anomaly in that its PL enough to have reflective surfaces but not PL enough to be evenly lit. But I'll keep trying to see if it's possible.
  • messydeskmessydesk Posts: 19,642 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Nice picture of a nice coin. It's not DMPL, it's PL, which means you'll get a darkish field with hard cartwheels and frosty devices. I would probably put a PL after a GTG due to that difference in luster appearance.
  • SwampboySwampboy Posts: 12,875 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>Three years ago we would be raving about your images. >>



    how true
  • SmEagle1795SmEagle1795 Posts: 2,135 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I don't mind the light lines across the coin - I think they convey the luster. I tried tweaking the image a bit which helped a bit in my eyes, to pull out more of the luster and contrast. I haven't seen the coin so this very well might be wrong:

    image
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  • blu62vetteblu62vette Posts: 11,900 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>Lance I'm trying to get even lighting on the coin. I can't seem to get it.

    When I play around with lights and angles I get various iterations of this look, just the bright spots are in different places.

    This coin might be an anomaly in that its PL enough to have reflective surfaces but not PL enough to be evenly lit. But I'll keep trying to see if it's possible. >>



    I don't think you want even light, that would show no PL qualities. The PL mirrors will suck in some light making that field look black. There is really no way on a PL to make it even unless it was deep enough to suck in all the light, but that would more likely be a nice DMPL as opposed to a PL.

    http://www.bluccphotos.com" target="new">BluCC Photos Shows for onsite imaging: Nov Baltimore, FUN, Long Beach http://www.facebook.com/bluccphotos" target="new">BluCC on Facebook

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