Reflected Light

Yes here is one take on that approach, of a number I use :



Its one of the small cutting boards with a circle cut in the middle which was then covered by nylon diffusion material. I direct the lights( using the snoots minus the honeycomb) to shine through the "window". One side of the board is left white the other is covered with camera flock. I have a variety of these boards, constructed in pairs, and I can mix and match boards according to how each coin responds to the lights. the board here has one hole I have another pair of boards with five smaller holes and I will be adding a pair of boards with two holes. Another pair has no holes just one side black the other white. I constructed these boards because the commercially available diffusers and reflectors were too large for coins ( as well as too expensive). As you can see from the photo it will be very simple task to construct a pair of Aluminium foil covered reflectors. The local supermarket staff must wonder why I buy so many of those boards (LOL)

I will try in a few weeks. I will make the aluminium reflectors this coming week... then I am off to Jordan for a couple of weeks( with some coin hunting planned) Then I will see if my hand is steady enough with the dremel

Looks like the majority of the light is coming in at a low angle rather than reflected from above. This might be why you don't like it as it's not presenting the coin in a natural way. Did you modify the 45-deg diffusers to have foil, or the horizontal diffuser? I found that the foil increases illumination so I would have expected a more vertical lighting presentation if the horizontal had been "foiled". Anyway, this image is also still showing too much diffusion, as indicated by the lack of surface luster. Couple problems to fix.

Here are the evening shots. The first combined picture shows two shots that were taken with the aluminium foil reflectors placed horizontally so that light is reflected down on the coin. I spent some time setting up both shots. I even used two boards covered with camera flock to block any side lighting with the aim of trying to maximize the amount of light being reflected down on the coins. I don't like the left picture that much it has some spectacular highlights but it just doesn't appeal to me.

The right hand picture, the one I like, was taken after the left, but I adjusted the angle of the two reflecting boards until I had the coin looking they way I liked.

a different approach with alumium foil:





the pyramid is foil lined and sits over the top of a medal light. Coin is placed on the medal light:

I am not looking for an in hand look but a look suitable for article and book illustrations. Hence my different approaches. Still not sure if I like aluminium. I had tried that pyramid was plain white and to be honest a polystyrene cup with the bottom cut out of it did the same job with a lot less hassle. I was planning to dump it and this thread made me think of one last attempt with sticking foil on the inside. It was fun trying it out not sure I will use it again but for now that pyramid won't be going in the Rubbish tin.

Wrong I write for collectors...... but I write in a much more academic style than many are used to, my December numismatist article and the one in the International Numismatics bulletin were exceptions( both were written with American collectors in mind) Pictures in both are not great I have developed a lot since then. My aim with photographs is clear detail for identification purposes. Accordingly I was very pleased when you noted the lighting was extremely even because that is what I was aiming for

Note in Europe, particularly Vienna, a numismatist does not necessarily equal coin collector, a coin collector can be a numismatist, but to be called such, one preferably should have a degree in numismatics. Its not wrong, its not elitist its just different. Many of the larger auction houses and shops employ people with post graduate degrees in numismatics