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 Replies: 9 / Views: 3,544 |
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Valued Member
United States
397 Posts |
Seems to me that I am going backward in my photo shooting. I am putting up a sequence of photos that I have shot over the last few months. To me (and it could just be me) the first ones shot with a regular incandescent bulb look better than the later ones shot with OTT lamps. What am I doing wrong. I seem to get to much glare or maybe the detail is just too much at the higher lighting temps... One incandescent bulb:   Magnifier lamp flourescent:  OTT Bulbs:  MM  |
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Pillar of the Community
Czech Republic
803 Posts |
I like your Morgan shot. It would be easier to pass judgment if you used the same coin to demonstrate your lighting set-ups. Your white balance was off, I believe, in the first image, which resulted in your half-dollar having almost the same color as the gold. Can you re-shoot that half using OTT lights as the source?
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1173 Posts |
It may help to use something to diffuse the light from your light source. I don't have a picture of the set-up I've been experimenting with, but recently I've been placing my lights to opposite sides of the coin, then putting a ring of bubble wrap between the lights and coin. My camera is tripod mounted and I shoot from above. A plastic gallon milk jug, with the top and bottom cut off could work, too. (And I'm sure there are lots of more expensive ways to diffuse light!)
The end result is more even lighting and reduction of shadows without loosing so much contrast that the coin appears "flat" and lacking in detail.
Just a thought...I'm only a very-ameteur photographer, so take everything I say with a grain of salt.
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Valued Member
 United States
397 Posts |
I will try to reshoot the half in a day or so, and will also try the bubblewrap idea. That may be what the problem is., the OTT's are so bright that they need to be diffused somewhat. MM  |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
62064 Posts |
Morganman: Sent an email about using Photoshop to remove unwanted colors and accent ones you like. If you would like to see the edited images, reply.
Coop
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Valued Member
United States
397 Posts |
Thanks coop. That is MUCH better. I am gonna have to load up photoshop and get used to it.... Beats trying to adjust these camera settings....  One thing that impressed me was how it actually made the toning on the Indian gold look like it does in hand. MM  Edited by morganman
08/21/2007 5:28 pm
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Pillar of the Community
United States
597 Posts |
Nice $10 Eagle, no matter how you photograph it, it is a nice clean piece. I love it. Since you cannot get good photos of it, perhaps it would suit better in my collection |
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Moderator
 United States
23522 Posts |
quote:
One thing that impressed me was how it actually made the toning on the Indian gold look like it does in hand.
The most common error in white balance is too much yellow; anything short of a Daylight bulb, even halogen, has a yellowish cast which doesn't always get picked up by the camera's sensor when setting white balance. Chances are all coop had to do to get the gold right was back the yellow off a little bit; it was likely overpowering the red level, and bringing them into sync allowed the red (which is an important component of that "gold" color) to regain its' true value. In Photoshop, you'll want to figure out the Hue & Saturation adjustments (different versions have this in different places, and I only know the older version I own), and I'll bet you get most of the changes coop achieved by reducing the yellow Saturation by about 30-40%. |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
62064 Posts |
Its just a matter of figuring out which light you don't like, remove it and add light that you want. The black background show the coins more for difference in color. Thus black and dark colors look. Changing the background color and be fun and exciting to find. So get rid of the color you don't like and enhance the ones that you do like Being familiar with how to do that makes it easy or turn you image into disaster. That is why you save it several times or know how to move back with the History so you can fix what you don't want.
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Moderator
United States
23522 Posts |
quote:
know how to move back with the History so you can fix what you don't want.
History still saves my bacon regularly.  |
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Replies: 9 / Views: 3,544 |
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Posted 08/19/2007 4:03 pm
