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 Replies: 15 / Views: 3,186 |
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Moderator
 United States
23522 Posts |
I just got done fabricating a new lighting rig. I was looking to light my subjects more evenly, because I always seem to get slightly dark areas where detail is lost. Once I had the rig up and running, I shot a few pics to see what was what. Silver? Meh. Nice detail, no luster.  Copper? Meh. Washed out.  Gold? Hmmm. Maybe we got something here.  And something dawned on me. Proofs have driven me nuts from the first time I clicked a shutter on one. Features were either underexposed or blown out. If I got the black/white cameo, the camera's lens was a part of the shot. And don't even get me started on Reverse Proofs - I believe them to have been specifically designed for the purpose of raising photographers' blood pressure. I wonder what this new rig will do for Proofs? Well, you tell me.    There aren't enough smileys for me at this moment, so I'll just use one.  |
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Pillar of the Community
Czech Republic
803 Posts |
Very nice proofs, Dave! Would love to see what this lighting rig can do for MS Brittanias. Those always drove me nuts, even more than proofs :)
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Moderator
 United States
23522 Posts |
You know me - never spend dollars when pennies will do.  Here's the bill of materials: - Single-bulb, no-cover overhead Circline fluorescent fixture - $15 - 9", 22w Daylight bulb - $6 - 8ft power cord w/premolded end - $4 - Inline switch - $2 - Can of Flat Black Rustoleum - $4 - Getting flawless pics of Proofs for $31 - priceless.   I cut the center out of the fixture so the lens would fit, sanded it and spray-painted it flat black. It's screwed to my copy stand with a wing nut, for easy removal. You'll notice, I have done absolutely no tweaking yet. Heck, I don't even have the light parallel to the plane of the lens. |
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Moderator
United States
23522 Posts |
Oh, for the record, with this rig I'm shooting at ISO800, around 1/125@f/8. At ISO400 I need to open the aperture to f/5-ish to keep it at or above 1/80, making depth-of-field iffy.
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Pillar of the Community
Czech Republic
803 Posts |
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Valued Member
United States
414 Posts |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1173 Posts |
The proofs look great. I've been considering a similar set up by taking out the magnifying lens from one of my desk lamps with the circular bulb. I haven't done it to this point because I was pretty sure that having very even lighting would also result in washed-out, flattened details on many/most coins. It seems you still need a bit of shadow to get depth and character to the details such as die cracks.
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Forum Dad
United States
24161 Posts |
Better? ....  |
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Moderator
United States
23522 Posts |
quote:
Better? ....
(pic)
Yes, but only until you compare it to this:  |
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Forum Dad
United States
24161 Posts |
Agreed  , now can I have the reverse please? |
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Moderator
United States
23522 Posts |
I didn't image it.  |
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
1106 Posts |
Terrific photos |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2443 Posts |
 Your proofs are stunning! Great pics! |
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New Member
United States
19 Posts |
Dave,
I was proud of my latest gallery of pics of proofs until I read the problems you had with them, most of which I have already encountered. What AMAZING shots!
I have a question.. is photo retouching, to better capture the detail of the coin, allowed?
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Pillar of the Community
Australia
655 Posts |
Depends how you define photo retouching. Tone stretch - brightness contrast, colour, yes no problem. But any alteration to any part of the coin itself, absolutely not.
Dave good proof shots there. That lighting setup works really well for proofs. Unfortunately the top three look a bit flat, almost like drawings. It's the price for lighting with all angles. Sometimes single or dual lights work better on some coins. Yes you get shadows but it's the shadows that give a coin depth, just like craters on the moon. Full moon is the worst time to look at it. Half moon is better.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
668 Posts |
Is this setup possible with a trI pod? and if so how? these are great shots
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Replies: 15 / Views: 3,186 |
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Posted 07/15/2007 5:37 pm
