A Technique For Photographing Ancient Coins

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Author	Replies: 3 / Views: 1,395
DVCollector Bedrock of the Community United States 10045 Posts	Posted 02/10/2012 12:17 am I have found an effective technique for photographing irregularly shaped coins, and thought I'd share. Often, the best way to resolve details on coins is by shooting at a slight angle, thereby balancing the light across the entire coin. But this technique introduces distortion that is hard to measure and correct with software. My solution is to place the coin over a regular grid, allowing subsequent measurement and correction with software. As an added bonus, a black background lets you quickly drop out the area surrounding the coin. It's particularly useful in the example below, because it saves me the trouble of tracing around that irregular broken edge. This picture shows how the grid shows not only indicates the angle of the shot, but there is lens distortion that can also be corrected. If anybody wants a pdf file of the grids I used, let me know. Here is the result: Report this Post to the Staff

jessvc1 Pillar of the Community United States 2596 Posts	Posted 02/10/2012 12:21 am very nice I will have to try this Report this Post to the Staff
echizento Moderator United States 23731 Posts	Posted 02/10/2012 05:55 am I have tried many different ways to photograph coins from using several cameras, various angles and light, but my pictures still seems to come out bad. I see yours and others photos and wonder how you all are getting such great pictures. I'll have to try your grid and see if it helps. Report this Post to the Staff
DVCollector Bedrock of the Community United States 10045 Posts	Posted 02/10/2012 12:19 pm Quote: I see yours and others photos and wonder how you all are getting such great pictures. Thanks! I've had a lot of practice--macro photography has been a hobby for the past 15 years. I think getting good photos boils down to finding a technique that gives repeatable results; it's actually more important than equipment. For example, I'm using a cheap Canon SD790S handheld that gives just as good results as my Nikon dSLR with a dedicated macro lens and a tripod. Still, photographing coins pose more challenges than nature pics because of their reflective, metallic surfaces--lighting is crucially important with silver coins, and I'm still perfecting my technique. Report this Post to the Staff
	Replies: 3 / Views: 1,395

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