How can I improve my photos?
lava
Posts: 3,286 ✭✭✭
Here is an 1807 CBH in a PCGS 15 holder taken with a Nikon 5100, resting in the frame of my microscope, using the 18-55mm lens that came with the camera, set to take marco photos, with the lens situated about 5 inches from the slab. I've got some light from the microscope, as well as some light coming from either side. I don't have photoshop, and did not do any editing other than to crop the photo (about the limit of my skills). My goal is simply to achieve a quality that would give buyers an adequate comfort level in deciding whether to purchase, a what you see is what you get approach with the mystery taken out. Are these photos adequate or do I need to improve? Any pointers would be appreciated.
I brake for ear bars.
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most common issue. correctly setting white balance. also it helps to provide the bulbs you are using for light.
light should also come from above it at all possible. no higher than 12" above the camera though and at the highest angle possible w/o glare
photoshop is nice but not needed. paint, photoscape and paint.net are more than enough if you don't want to spend money on software.
Color is your biggest enemy. What is your light source?
If you are using the LEDs equipped with your microscope - don't! Try using an external light/lamp, or even sunlight from a window.
needed to make the image look as much as possible like the coin without looking TOO GOOD. Then you have to keep in mind the
various Apple vs Microsoft colorspace differences, CRT vs LCD differences, viewing on smartphone and tablet devices, plus various
misadjustments (or never adjusted or calibrated) on viewing devices which can make some viewers seen a normal image while others
complain "JUICED PHOTOS! FRAUD! BEWARE!!!"
And a big oops...I thought it was a photo of a nice "dirty gold" $5 coin!!!
Best wishes,
Eric
And always use a stabilizer such as tripod or monopod. And always use the MAXimum pixel size. The more pixels, the more "information" your camera captures. When you crop and edit your images, you'll want that data.
FWIW these tips are via my wife who is a professional photographer.
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<< <i>Unless the coin is orange, I don't think your photos are "adequate"
Color is your biggest enemy. What is your light source?
If you are using the LEDs equipped with your microscope - don't! Try using an external light/lamp, or even sunlight from a window. >>
This is gonna be a LONG thread....
Sunlight is just too variable. Your eyes and brain adjust most of away...but the camera sees the truth.
Try one DAYLIGHT bulb in a gooseneck lamp hitting the coin at about a 45 degree angle 2 to 4 feet away as
an inexpensive starting point.
Lance, is correcting the white balance something I do after the photo or before? I'm impressed with how much better you made the photos look and you don't even have the coin.
After the comment that only I can be the judge, I realized the coin came out of a Heritage auction. Here are the photos from the auction for comparison so you can all be the judge. Maybe these will help you figure out where I went wrong.
Hello,
Lance will answer your question - to me it is possible your own screen needs to be calibrated and part of that includes the white balance.
Best wishes,
Eric
<< <i>lance, is correcting the white balance something I do after the photo or before? >>
before. if you have your settings correct, including distance, angle, anti-vibrations, wb, iso, aperture, etc etc no post-processing is needed to achieve an 8.5-9.0 level image quality.
only time i post-process is when i mess up in the first place and i'm too lazy to go back and shoot, so i tinker with the images real quick to compensate just enough to get by.
set your ISO to around 200-400 until you get familiar with modifying the settings. find the white balance and set accordingly to the type of lighting you are using. incandescent, fluorescent, ambient, direct sunlight, etc you can even mix and match to see what kind of results you get but the newer the camera, the more you are going to want to match the camera settings to the actual type of lighting you are using as the cameras are becoming more calibrated this way. basically to compensate for the user's lack of experience, which most of us are when we start out, even thousands of images later.
depending on the type of camera you are using, you may also have the +/- setting for brightness which can help do a quick adjustment. my nikon L110 has this even though i can also modify WB, ISO and other settings.
.
to write down your settings with each batch of pics you shoot.
If the quality starts going downhill as you experiment you can revert back.
If the camera came with a manual there are often helpful hints in there also.
-Ron
<< <i>-Ron >>
gj on the adjustments.
looks like i should have spent more time on the color saturation and temp.
.
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Set manual white balance with a grey card
F8 A priority
Remote release or use timed release
Copy stand
Shoot RAW
Post processing is essential, I use Lightroom, powerful and easy
Adjust contrast , exposure , sharpening, highlights, shadows, saturation to get an accurate photo
Use 2 or 3 lights
<< <i>.
most common issue. correctly setting white balance. also it helps to provide the bulbs you are using for light.
light should also come from above it at all possible. no higher than 12" above the camera though and at the highest angle possible w/o glare
photoshop is nice but not needed. paint, photoscape and paint.net are more than enough if you don't want to spend money on software.
I think you can get Photoshop pretty cheap at Costco.
I don't need a lot of functions, circle crop, resize and contrast is about all I use, so its perfect for my needs and the price is right.
Edited to add: I would suggest that you get a sturdy tripod or copy stand and use the timer function, both will help minimize camera movement which will result in better focus and sharpness.
I rarely use additional lighting, but there are times its necessary, like trying to capture luster. Franks idea of an inexpensive bulb is a good one, bulbs have a color temp, some bulbs disclose the temp on the package some do not. You can experiment with different temps, you may see slight differences, and you may find your photos look closer to the coin in hand with a certain temp.
Another thing to keep in mind is every monitor is or can be different. You may have the image of the coin looking exactly like it does in hand on your monitor, but it may look completely different on your friends monitor. Most people leave the monitor settings on factory default, they may not even be aware that it can be calibrated. The factory settings can be very different from manufacture to manufacture.
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