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 Replies: 20 / Views: 1,548 |
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
4701 Posts |
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
3932 Posts |
What most folks want to show is a dark field contrasted with bright devices. This can be done by moving the light angle low enough so that the direct reflection off the field (mirror reflection) shines away from the lens, leaving the field dark. The features have many different angles so they will reflect (diffuse reflection) at least some of the light, so they appear brighter against the dark field. To get best effect, the light should come from all clock directions, but at the proper angle for missing the direct reflection. The classic way to do this is with a ringlight. The diameter is not important, as long as you can move the light up/down until you can get the correct angle to give the effect you want.
Edited by rmpsrpms
03/23/2024 1:33 pm
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
4701 Posts |
That worked tremendously better. Thanks for the advice! It's pretty much the opposite of what I was doing with the axial box. I suppose the 90 degree light really cuts down on luster and illuminates the field. It hadn't occurred to me that what I really wanted was to not capture light off the fields at all, and just capture the scattered light from the device luster. A 1968-S proof Kennedy, and a 1977-S proof nickel. I can see that I will need a lot of experimentation to get my setup figured out. Particularly on filtering the light source and the distance to the coin. Also focus—my iPad autofocus was really fighting me, so I will probably use the Yamera app with manual focus. I really appreciate the help. I will have to get a ring light to try.   |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
7057 Posts |
Edited by hfjacinto
03/23/2024 3:56 pm
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
18732 Posts |
Brandmeister, if you get a ring light, I recommend one like this on a gooseneck with clamp.  Inordinately fascinated by bits of metal with strange markings and figures
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3932 Posts |
That ringlight is a good suggestion. It has a fairly robust diffuser that can be easily masked for different lighting styles.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
18732 Posts |
I covered mine with a double layer of paper towel.
Inordinately fascinated by bits of metal with strange markings and figures
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3932 Posts |
By "masking" I mean blocking off part of the light. A ringlight on its own shines from all clock positions. If you want to mimic the light of "normal" 10-2 lighting, you can add heavy black tape (like gaffer's tape) to cover the area from 3-9, and a small amount from 11-1. This will leave an opening from 9-11 and 1-3. You can adjust the size and position of these openings to tailor the light to whatever you want. Leave a small opening at 6 for a fill light. You're only limited by your creativity.
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Valued Member
Italy
206 Posts |
Hello rmpsrpms! Quote:
If you want to mimic the light of "normal" 10-2 lighting [..] Could you explain a bit what this 10-2 lighting is? Is there a standard way coins should be lighted? Do you have any example shot? Thank you very much! |
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Moderator
United States
72157 Posts |
Same as I do with all my coin images - with my cell phone.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3932 Posts |
Most people think of the 3 physical dimensions as height, width, and depth, ie XYZ. But you can describe those dimensions with other parameters with exactly the same results. For coin lighting, XYZ is very inadequate for describing what is important, so I use a different set of dimensions:
Distance from the coin
Clock position
Angle from horizontal
These 3 dimensions completely describe the position of the light the same way X Y and Z do, but are much more useful in setting up the lighting to meet illumination goals.
Regarding clock position, most coin photographers will light a coin either with a single light that shines from around 12:00, or more often with two lights, one at 10:00 and one at 2:00. Coins often depict things like people, eagles, or other physical objects, so these positions give a "natural" look to the design features, as if they were being lit by the sun coming from above.
Unfortunately, the 3 dimensions only describe the position of the light, but there is another important dimension: size. With the 4 dimensions of distance, clock position, angle from horizontal, and size, you can completely describe a lighting style.
Contact me for photographic equipment or visit my home page at: http://macrocoins.com |
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Pillar of the Community
Russian Federation
5047 Posts |
Quote:
Most people think of the 3 physical dimensions as height, width, and depth, ie XYZ. But you can describe those dimensions with other parameters with exactly the same results. For coin lighting, XYZ is very inadequate for describing what is important, so I use a different set of dimensions:
Distance from the coin
Clock position
Angle from horizontal
These 3 dimensions completely describe the position of the light the same way X Y and Z do, but are much more useful in setting up the lighting to meet illumination goals For the mathematicians (and astronomers) in the audience: this is known as spherical coordinates, with the three dimensions corresponding to radius, azimuth, and elevation, respectively. (Another common set of terms for the same three dimensions - or geometrically the same, at least - is "altitude", "longitude", and "latitude".)
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Valued Member
Italy
206 Posts |
Thank you rmpsrpms! Which equipment do you use for lighting if I may ask? How do you diffuse? By the way, after your initial input I found this article which seems extremely well written: https://coinimaging.com/photography.htmlThanks! |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4701 Posts |
hfjacinto, you take lovely coin pictures. Alas, I think your camera cost more than double the value of my entire coin collection. =)
One dumb question I have about the right light: does it go around the camera lens? Around the coin? My iPad macro lens sits about an inch off the coin.
Probably what I want for that setup is a ring light that shines inward, casting a narrow shaft of light at about 30 degrees to the coin surface. It might be more effective to use a single light source, and mimic the 10-2+6 setup with mirrors.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3932 Posts |
That article by Mark Goodman is indeed very good. He also wrote a book on Coin Photography (2 editions) that are excellent.
I personally use a masked ringlight for coins, not so different from what has been recommended on this thread, but smaller in diameter.
Good luck doing anything with only one inch between the lens and the coin, but there are some small diameter ringlights available that you might be able to make work with some creative work.
Contact me for photographic equipment or visit my home page at: http://macrocoins.com |
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Valued Member
Italy
206 Posts |
Thank you rmpsrpms for the great info! Apart from lighting, which is a very complex topic on its own, I also find quite difficult in real life to keep the coin as parallel as possible to the lens, which is important when working with very shallow depth of fields. Has anyone found a copystand which actually locks the camera into a true perpendicular angle? All the ones I see basically rely on bubble levels.. which is still quite cumbersome process.  |
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Replies: 20 / Views: 1,548 |
Posted 03/23/2024 3:39 pm
