First Time Taking Coin Photos... - Coin Community Forum

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Author	Replies: 15 / Views: 2,189
Newbismatic Valued Member United States 380 Posts	Posted 02/05/2011 12:27 am Hey there all... I've been an avid photographer for a while, but have never really gotten into coin photography. Found this in my spare change the other day... and decided to take a photo. Any tips from the experts? I noticed I should have carefully wiped it clean before shooting, those fibers can be nasty... BTW I shoot with a Nikon D80 with 60mm Micro Lens for all of my macro work. Seems to get the job done, but its no Microscope... Report this Post to the Staff

John1 Moderator United States 56855 Posts	Posted 02/05/2011 06:58 am Never clean coins. Use one of those rubber bulbs you squeeze to blow dust off your camera lens. It may just be me or my monitor,but the pic looks a little yellowish. John1 Report this Post to the Staff
Newbismatic Valued Member United States 380 Posts	Posted 02/07/2011 10:13 pm I suppose it looks a little warm... the wood grain certainly doesn't help any... :/ Report this Post to the Staff
lopez New Member United States 5 Posts	Posted 03/01/2011 04:44 am Is it wrong to remove shadows with photoshop? Report this Post to the Staff
Sander Pillar of the Community Netherlands 561 Posts	Posted 03/01/2011 06:05 am What also improve the photos is using day light especially when the sun shines you get the best photos.. I always let the sun do the work, play a little around to find the best position for the coin. Then you don't get the yellowish colour.. Report this Post to the Staff
hunter20ga Pillar of the Community United States 1173 Posts	Posted 03/02/2011 9:37 pm A couple of points... 1. It's ok to use photoshop or other post processing software to ensure the photo accurately represents the coin. 2. Your camera's software is designed to help you capture images that "look right" by adjusting the response to various light sources. Daylight is different from incandescent light, and both are different from neon lights (and so forth)...you really need to match your camera's firmware settings to the type of light that is available if you want photos that give an accurate rendition of the coin's color. 3. You'll have to do a google search, but there are many sources out there to help you photograph your coins. Copper, silver (circulated), silver (uncirculated/proof), and gold all require different lighting setups to be shown accurately. Reflections, shadows, color cast from backgrounds will all impact the image your camera produces. It's a fascinating subject, and making great photos of your coins is a real joy. BTW...the German 5-Mark piece I use as my avatar is silver...but in the wrong light it looks quite a lot like gold. I use that avatar to remind myself of all the pitfalls one can encounter in coin photography. LOL Best wishes. Edited by hunter20ga 03/02/2011 9:39 pm Report this Post to the Staff
Newbismatic Valued Member United States 380 Posts	Posted 03/02/2011 10:06 pm Here is an update at my attempts to photograph coins... Report this Post to the Staff
biggfredd Rest in Peace United States 9104 Posts	Posted 03/03/2011 1:09 pm I like halogen desk lamps (about $8 at Mal-Wart), no flash, for color. You can do just about any legitimate photo manipulation you need with http://www.irfanview.com Free download and incredibly fast. Report this Post to the Staff
Changeless Valued Member 273 Posts	Posted 03/05/2011 12:05 pm Great first effort! Your camera and lens combo do very well. For tweeking images (adjusting color, tint, contrast, cropping etc.) "Photoshop" has all the bells and whistles. Picasa (free download) has a good built in editor. GIMP is a full featured 'freeware' product (on the level of photoshop), and Windows users can use the 'windows photo gallery" tool for basic "cropping, contrast, color, tint" work. This last one is my favorite, because it is simple. (I do better with simple tools). Report this Post to the Staff
biggfredd Rest in Peace United States 9104 Posts	Posted 03/06/2011 12:20 pm check out Irfanview, also free. The only photo tool that can simultaneously play a music file. Report this Post to the Staff
brokencompass Valued Member United States 451 Posts	Posted 03/11/2011 2:51 pm Nice Photo Newbismatic! What kind of camera/ setup do you use? Report this Post to the Staff
Newbismatic Valued Member United States 380 Posts	Posted 03/12/2011 12:06 am I'm using a D80 with a 60mm Micro lens. (Nikon's Macro lens)... Along with an SB-900 speed light external flash bouncing off of the ceiling. I'll take a photo of my setup next time I'm taking photos... Report this Post to the Staff
Newbismatic Valued Member United States 380 Posts	Posted 03/31/2011 6:47 pm Same coin with different lighting setup, let me know which you prefer... Report this Post to the Staff
HeadsIWin Valued Member United States 260 Posts	Posted 04/02/2011 12:07 pm That's MUCH better. You're getting the hang of it. Report this Post to the Staff
dch828 New Member United States 33 Posts	Posted 04/04/2011 5:39 pm Yep that last one is definitely better. Report this Post to the Staff
Newbismatic Valued Member United States 380 Posts	Posted 04/04/2011 6:13 pm Thank you sir! Report this Post to the Staff
	Replies: 15 / Views: 2,189

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